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Steve Jobs' Commencement Speech
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Why do I always like when this guy speaks?
I've heard people say that Steve has a "Reality Distortion field" around him, but he truly is one of the most charismatic visionaries of our time. I read the commencement speech and I just felt really, really good about it. It was very inspiring and that's always nice.
It's also interesting to note that about 50% (so I've heard) of all the billionaires in the world never went to or simply did not finish college. Hmmm... so that's where I went wrong...
I've heard people say that Steve has a "Reality Distortion field" around him, but he truly is one of the most charismatic visionaries of our time. I read the commencement speech and I just felt really, really good about it. It was very inspiring and that's always nice.
It's also interesting to note that about 50% (so I've heard) of all the billionaires in the world never went to or simply did not finish college. Hmmm... so that's where I went wrong...
shazammy said:
wintermute who is a moderator, took out some inflammatory remarks you made and that note is at the end of your post
i responded in a similar manner and he also "tidied up" my post, too
generally speaking, people disagree from time to time and that's ok and more recently, macrumors has just tried to keep members more civil towards each other
in the early days of macrumors in 2000 and 2001, the general conduct was not as good and bad behavior was more accepted and it was, admittedly, part of the culture of macrumors.com
but things have evolved into a kinder, gentler macrumors, that's all
and i am not the shining example who should be speaking because if you look back on some of my early posts with my friend spikey, john123, kela, or alphatech, you can find some vintage macrumors bad behavior
wdlove said:
That's a very good point to stress, especially to the youth of today who in many repsects feel they are invincible, or simply do not contemplate their mortality, thinking things like cancer will never happen to them or the ones they love. Simply put, it's a good dose of reality.
So, what facts do I have wrong? I never said Jobs didn't make money from things other than Apple, but a ton of his wealth came from original Apple stock, and then from NeXT which he made money on because Apple bought. I'm not making this stuff up.
jefhatfield said:
mcarnes said:Eisner enjoyed you calling him a blubbering idiot?
Well, while I'm not an Eisner fan, I think you'd be hard pressed to call the guy an idiot if you look at his track record. He pretty much single-handedly turned Disney around when he came on board. They were in a serious slump (check out the film and animation divisions back then) and were in constant danger of being bought out. He might not be the most popular guy on the field, but he plays a great game. Smart business guy.
shazammy said:
compared to most of us, the money steve jobs made just from apple and next, a couple hundred million (a very respectable amount) is a ton of money, but pixar has garnered him nearly tens times that
though steve jobs was offered stock from apple, he gave it back (he could afford to) and he never exercised any apple inc stock options so while he has a $1 dollar salary a year and one common stock, apple inc is always willing to up that amount...fortune magazine has reported that he was to be paid 3 million dollars a year but what the heck is that when you are a multibillionaire?
when equally rich ross perot ran for president, he quoted he would not take a salary if he won (kennedy also denied pay) and also said he would easily be willing to spend $40 million on tv campaigns alone from his own pocket...people who have that much money (two billion) can literally do stuff for free or change industries or politics (he certainly had bush and clinton running for cover)
to me, apple inc has changed my life way more than pixar has but i did like toy story and toy story 2
so to put it into scale, steve jobs is not at apple inc for the money, unless, like michael jackson, he somehow spent it all and is secretly broke
jefhatfield said:compared to most of us, the money steve jobs made just from apple and next, a couple hundred million (a very respectable amount) is a ton of money, but pixar has garnered him nearly tens times that.
to me, apple inc has changed my life way more than pixar has but i did like toy story and toy story 2
so to put it into scale, steve jobs is not at apple inc for the money, unless, like michael jackson, he somehow spent it all and is secretly broke
It just show how much Steve Jobs love's Apple and the Mac in particular. We can all feel very special to have him. Being a multibillionaire allows you to do the thing that you really love. A chance to have fun.
wdlove said:
in the business world of high tech, he is certainly a hero of mine and his altruistic motives have helped us all...look, we are on a macrumors site...could you imagine a dell or compaq rumors site?...the pc side simply does not have the same passion for their machines
steve jobs and steve wozniak helped make apple a lifestyle and have its users passionate about computing
though the two steves have a lot of money, i believe they do it for the love of it and to help humanity...i don't have that suspicion for the far richer bill gates or larry ellison
but i do hope bill gates does help cure aids and that ellison uses his money to somehow help humanity in an equal fashion
another thing i like about the two steves of apple is that they didn't have to ransack others to make their money and for the most part apple comes up with their own stuff in an era where one can make more copying others like that company in redmond who i won't mention
EDIT: and i know people talk a lot about how apple "stole" the mouse from xerox but it wasn't a technology they wanted to pursue or dump more money into...and even if apple pulled off a predatory move against xerox, how does that compare against mr. gates' exploits?
and some say that apple didn't invent the first personal computer and that hp had a working model...one of my retired students from a computer class i taught worked on that personal computer and it weighed as much as a refrigerator and cost as much as a mercedes and he used most of his engineer's salary that year to acquire one for his home...a few months later, apple had their first personal computer at a fraction of the cost and for most of us, that was the first user friendly, cost-efficient personal computer
jefhatfield said:hey true777
if sj is free you should go look him up...i think he still lives in the valley
Jobs lives about 7 minutes from me, in midtown Palo Alto.
I took my toddler trick-or-treating to his house one year,
and Steve passed out candy himself.
I do get to drive by his house occasionally when visiting a friend who lives closeby. Hahaha... I should look him up? Would love to! Any pickup lines that might work for him?
These won't:true777 said:Any pickup lines that might work for him?
"computer repairman!"
"Are you an alien? Because that ass is outta this world!"
"Hi Steve, it's Michael Dell"
"Hi Steve, it's Michael Eisner."
"Trick or Treat!" (on Easter)
"Merry Christmas!" (on Halloween)
"Will you be my valentine" (anytime)
"I choo-choo-choose you!" (don't ask)
true777 said:Jobs lives about 7 minutes from me, in midtown Palo Alto.
I took my toddler trick-or-treating to his house one year,
and Steve passed out candy himself.
I do get to drive by his house occasionally when visiting a friend who lives closeby. Hahaha... I should look him up? Would love to! Any pickup lines that might work for him?
remember back when all those male macrumors users were in love with you?
so i say you definitely have what it takes to attract macusershe's so close to you so i am sure you will run into him from time to time and i suggest wearing some apparel item with an apple logo on it...you can find racks of that clothing at the apple company store at apple in cupertino
but he still may think you are too young for him but not all guys are concerned about big age differences...look at tom cruise and his teenage girlfriend
Do you know why Steve Jobs takes $1 a year in salary from Apple (and from Pixar as well)? So he gets TAXED on that amount of pay. One dollar. Who wouldn't love to be taxed as if that's all the money they were making?
Steve was given a private jet by Apple, which cost the company $90 million dollars. Did he give that back? No. In 2003 he was given $75 million in unrestricted Apple stock. Did he give that back? No. Steve Jobs would have actually saved Apple money by taking a normal executive salary.
I'm sure he loves what he does, but believe me if he wasn't making money (or was losing money), he wouldn't be at Apple. This is part of the "Steve Jobs is Christ" Mac evangelist ravings, and it's just pure misinformation.
I love the computers that Apple makes, but it's a company, just like Coca-Cola, Nike, etc.
Steve was given a private jet by Apple, which cost the company $90 million dollars. Did he give that back? No. In 2003 he was given $75 million in unrestricted Apple stock. Did he give that back? No. Steve Jobs would have actually saved Apple money by taking a normal executive salary.
I'm sure he loves what he does, but believe me if he wasn't making money (or was losing money), he wouldn't be at Apple. This is part of the "Steve Jobs is Christ" Mac evangelist ravings, and it's just pure misinformation.
I love the computers that Apple makes, but it's a company, just like Coca-Cola, Nike, etc.
jefhatfield said:compared to most of us, the money steve jobs made just from apple and next, a couple hundred million (a very respectable amount) is a ton of money, but pixar has garnered him nearly tens times that
though steve jobs was offered stock from apple, he gave it back (he could afford to) and he never exercised any apple inc stock options so while he has a $1 dollar salary a year and one common stock, apple inc is always willing to up that amount...fortune magazine has reported that he was to be paid 3 million dollars a year but what the heck is that when you are a multibillionaire?
when equally rich ross perot ran for president, he quoted he would not take a salary if he won (kennedy also denied pay) and also said he would easily be willing to spend $40 million on tv campaigns alone from his own pocket...people who have that much money (two billion) can literally do stuff for free or change industries or politics (he certainly had bush and clinton running for cover)
to me, apple inc has changed my life way more than pixar has but i did like toy story and toy story 2
so to put it into scale, steve jobs is not at apple inc for the money, unless, like michael jackson, he somehow spent it all and is secretly broke
shazammy said:
i will agree with you on one thing, apple inc is a company and like any company, they need to consistently make a profit
one thing i really like about apple inc, is that they consistently make great products for us computer users
in my pc and network business, i have to deal with the pc side and i can't think of a company that impresses me (on the pc side) like apple inc
what really makes me upset are when i meet pc users who look at all the colors that apple used in products from 99-01 and call them "toys"...maddening, really
the apple lear jet's pilot is a good friend of ours and was once my wife's boyfriend, but that is a whole different thread
hey shazammy, it's a small, small town
when you live in a small, small region like coastal northern california, everybody is into everybody's business
when i read this or that about steve jobs in the wall street journal or about david packard (hp), you have to remember in carmel, pebble beach and big sur (california), these are well known local people...david packard gave the area the seed money for our local aquarium
i am sure where you live, shazammy, there are people from your area that the press gets facts wrong about all the time
when i was in my mid 20s, i had a mentor named david packard and he just happened to own a major high tech company...no big deal, everybody in my town of less than 2,000 people had some connection with him...it is hilarious to hear what outsiders (of northern california) wrote about him...pure nonsense, mostly
ask macrumors member true777 or me about steve jobs and our stories of our local hero will differ from what you may have read about what some european or east coast junior journalist has written about him
sj is not some world wide hero, really, but he is still not some dude working as a ceo of apple inc for the money
i wish if you had the time, i would gladly invite you to my house to stay and you could meet several people who know steve jobs...ex-girlfriend who was a client of mine, former business partners, and of course, his private pilot
please pm me if you want to meet and we can go check out apple inc in cupertino...not what apple believers think it is...where we are, it's really no big deal like many outsider mac users seem to make it sound
-dan
aka jefhatfield
when you live in a small, small region like coastal northern california, everybody is into everybody's business
when i read this or that about steve jobs in the wall street journal or about david packard (hp), you have to remember in carmel, pebble beach and big sur (california), these are well known local people...david packard gave the area the seed money for our local aquarium
i am sure where you live, shazammy, there are people from your area that the press gets facts wrong about all the time
when i was in my mid 20s, i had a mentor named david packard and he just happened to own a major high tech company...no big deal, everybody in my town of less than 2,000 people had some connection with him...it is hilarious to hear what outsiders (of northern california) wrote about him...pure nonsense, mostly
ask macrumors member true777 or me about steve jobs and our stories of our local hero will differ from what you may have read about what some european or east coast junior journalist has written about him
sj is not some world wide hero, really, but he is still not some dude working as a ceo of apple inc for the money
i wish if you had the time, i would gladly invite you to my house to stay and you could meet several people who know steve jobs...ex-girlfriend who was a client of mine, former business partners, and of course, his private pilot
please pm me if you want to meet and we can go check out apple inc in cupertino...not what apple believers think it is...where we are, it's really no big deal like many outsider mac users seem to make it sound
-dan
aka jefhatfield
I never said Steve Jobs was a bad guy, I said he was in it for the money, and I don't think anyone can really argue with that. He's also (like pretty much every other CEO) pulled some questionable and downright evil moves at times. For some insight read Fire in the Valley and you'll see what I mean. This doesn't mean that Apple hasn't produced some "insanely great" products, but Steve Jobs is not a god. Do some research before you evangelize.
Also, don't you think it's a bit strange to invite someone that you don't even know to come stay at your house? I hope you'll pardon me if I pass on that offer.
One of my close friends works at Apple Corporate in Austin, but for years he was in Cupertino and I had several visits up there. It's a corporate office, pretty much like every other. The lobby is a bit nicer than some, but it's not the gates of heaven.
Apple makes great computers and other products, and I enjoy using them, but I'm not going to wear a white robe and sing the praises of Steve Jobs around town. I'm not attacking the guy, I'm just saying that you're putting him on a pedestal for no reason.
Also, don't you think it's a bit strange to invite someone that you don't even know to come stay at your house? I hope you'll pardon me if I pass on that offer.
One of my close friends works at Apple Corporate in Austin, but for years he was in Cupertino and I had several visits up there. It's a corporate office, pretty much like every other. The lobby is a bit nicer than some, but it's not the gates of heaven.
Apple makes great computers and other products, and I enjoy using them, but I'm not going to wear a white robe and sing the praises of Steve Jobs around town. I'm not attacking the guy, I'm just saying that you're putting him on a pedestal for no reason.
jefhatfield said:
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jefhatfield said:
Thrilling these days isnt it.
Anway,
Atlast an argument on this wretched forum with a bit of passion.
There are certain cases with Steve Jobs where he appears to be a ruthless business nazi, whilst posing as a relaxed sandal shod hippy. But really the truth is that when examining a character and his or her actions, you have to put them into the context of their profession. Compared to a gay french poet, yes Steve Jobs is a bit of a ruthless ****. But compared to other CEOs, even other pseudo-techies, he is merely competitive.
Dont get me wrong, i hate Steve Jobs. Particularly after abandoning IBM and the powerPC architecture. But the truth is he does what he does with Apple for the love of it.
Very very few CEOs would go back to a company that had essentially kicked him out, and try to turn it around. That certainly shows love, or a philosophical attitude.
But you think Steve Jobs took the reins at Apple because of profit, or if you think he wouldnt do it if he wasnt being paid, then your simnply wrong. And your argument falls down in this place, If he was a salary motivated CEO, then he would Never Ever have taken over at Apple with it in the state it was in. Alot of you forget quite what a dire situation apple was in when he took over, not only was the company going down the pan but really (crucially) the world had no need for Apple at that point, there was no demand for what they were producing, and thus there was no feasible way for Apple to survive.
He took over out of love, and a fresh aspect on computing.
No CEO would have taken over that company if they were simply interested in their 1 dollar salary plus healthy benefits. Unless ofcourse they did it out of love.
Still hate the ****er for dumping IBM though. But then i still hate IBM for dumping on Kasparov.
V.A.Toss said:
i totally agree
being that he spends four to five days a week at apple inc. since 1997 which has yielded him a dollar a year and one share of stock, and a lear jet he says he will not use after apple inc stay and only one day a week at pixar (which has garnered him nearly two billion dollars), it's easy to really see where his love and passion is
he can definitely be ruthless and difficult and i don't see myself liking or worshipping him (or seeing him as mother teresa), but i find it incredibly honorable that he spends 80% of his working time at a company that has given him less than ten dollars since his return to apple inc (plus that one share of apple stock) and he constantly gives back of monies they send/approve to give to him
it could very well be a selfish move on his part where it would make apple inc stupid to fire a man who has cost them less than a bottle of chardonnay...on some level he may not have emotionally got over having the company he started fire him...sj is now in a financial position...thanks 99% percent to pixar...where he can leave apple inc anytime he wishes and not need to be there for the money...plus who would need any extra money when there's another company that made you a multi-billionaire
But you see, you DO worship the guy, and you keep going on and on about his being charitable this, spending time here that, etc. And you keep giving out the misinformation. Steve has received (and accepted, and kept) MILLIONS of dollars in stock options since returning to the company in 1997. This one share of Apple stock thing is a myth, please do some research on it.
Additionally, the one dollar salary is for tax reasons. He gets millions in other bonuses, we covered this before. In 2002 alone Steve received $75 million in stock options from the company. Couple that with a $90 million dollar jet, and Steve has cost the company some real money. That's $165 million to those of you keeping count for those two items alone.
Here's a tidbit of research I just looked up on Google, which took about 2 seconds, thanks to my Google widget.
"In 2001, Apple also provided a special compensation package for Mr. Jobs that included a Gulfstream 5 executive jet. Apple agreed to pay approximately US$90 million for Jobs' use of the jet on company business. Because the aircraft was transferred to Mr. Jobs in 2001, the amount of approximately US$43.5 million paid by the company during fiscal year 2001 towards the purchase of the plane and the related tax assistance of approximately US$40.5million was reported as income to Mr. Jobs. In fiscal 2002, approximately US$2.27 million paid by Apple towards the purchase of the plane and approximately US$1.3 million in related tax assistance was reported as income to Mr. Jobs."
He never gave any of that stock back, nor has he given the jet back, nor refused to use it. In fact, he uses that jet frequently, which continues to cost the company money for fuel and maintenance costs alone. Where are you getting this information from that he's just returned everything to the company and whistles as he skips down the road to work, patting small children on the head and handing out free iPods?
Additionally, the one dollar salary is for tax reasons. He gets millions in other bonuses, we covered this before. In 2002 alone Steve received $75 million in stock options from the company. Couple that with a $90 million dollar jet, and Steve has cost the company some real money. That's $165 million to those of you keeping count for those two items alone.
Here's a tidbit of research I just looked up on Google, which took about 2 seconds, thanks to my Google widget.
"In 2001, Apple also provided a special compensation package for Mr. Jobs that included a Gulfstream 5 executive jet. Apple agreed to pay approximately US$90 million for Jobs' use of the jet on company business. Because the aircraft was transferred to Mr. Jobs in 2001, the amount of approximately US$43.5 million paid by the company during fiscal year 2001 towards the purchase of the plane and the related tax assistance of approximately US$40.5million was reported as income to Mr. Jobs. In fiscal 2002, approximately US$2.27 million paid by Apple towards the purchase of the plane and approximately US$1.3 million in related tax assistance was reported as income to Mr. Jobs."
He never gave any of that stock back, nor has he given the jet back, nor refused to use it. In fact, he uses that jet frequently, which continues to cost the company money for fuel and maintenance costs alone. Where are you getting this information from that he's just returned everything to the company and whistles as he skips down the road to work, patting small children on the head and handing out free iPods?
jefhatfield said:i totally agree
being that he spends four to five days a week at apple inc. since 1997 which has yielded him a dollar a year and one share of stock, and a lear jet he says he will not use after apple inc stay and only one day a week at pixar (which has garnered him nearly two billion dollars), it's easy to really see where his love and passion is
he can definitely be ruthless and difficult and i don't see myself liking or worshipping him (or seeing him as mother teresa), but i find it incredibly honorable that he spends 80% of his working time at a company that has given him less than ten dollars since his return to apple inc (plus that one share of apple stock) and he constantly gives back of monies they send/approve to give to him
it could very well be a selfish move on his part where it would make apple inc stupid to fire a man who has cost them less than a bottle of chardonnay...on some level he may not have emotionally got over having the company he started fire him...sj is now in a financial position...thanks 99% percent to pixar...where he can leave apple inc anytime he wishes and not need to be there for the money...plus who would need any extra money when there's another company that made you a multi-billionaire
Why no one post this?
http://static.thepiratebay.org/down...997_-_Steve_Jobs_Returns..3348964.TPB.torrent
MacWorldBoston1997.mov
http://static.thepiratebay.org/down...997_-_Steve_Jobs_Returns..3348964.TPB.torrent
MacWorldBoston1997.mov
jefhatfield said:remember back when all those male macrumors users were in love with you?
he's so close to you so i am sure you will run into him from time to time and i suggest wearing some apparel item with an apple logo on it...you can find racks of that clothing at the apple company store at apple in cupertino
but he still may think you are too young for him but not all guys are concerned about big age differences...look at tom cruise and his teenage girlfriend
Hahaha. Thanks. I'll invite you to the wedding