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Steve Jobs Has No Problem Telling You What He Thinks

I can't believe how many people are trying to rationalize or defend his behavior. The guy is a total and complete dick. Nobody disputes his brilliance and vision or how he single handily turned Apple into the juggernaut it is. But I'm sorry - you can be a driven and demanding boss without being a world class a$$.
 
If true, it sounds like the words of a very tortured person, to not even be able to enjoy friendly company.

I knew someone in high school who this reminds me of. Everyone excused his very anti-social, bizarre behavior because he was a "genius." He was a good friend of mine at one point but became mean and aggressive toward me. He would play games on the highway we drove home from school where he and another kid like him would drive side by side in the two lanes and speed up really fast (over 100 mph) and then slow down to a crawl side by side suddenly so nobody could drive around them. Yet he gave our school's valedictory speech. The world makes a place for people who seem to have something special about them, even if they hurt the people around them. I suppose it's also a bit of an indictment of the people who put up with it for whatever gain they are getting from that person. Jobs and Pixar were more valuable to Disney than protecting one of their employees (if this story is true).
 
Eddyisgreat said:
Yes ladies and gentlemen. The CEO of the worlds most valuable tech company was too busy to attend board meetings about theme parks and childrens movies. I think he deserves a pass; just this once.
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Well, meetings about theme parks and childrens movies and possibly the nice fat profits from Blu-ray disc sales.
 
Like we needed more confirmation that he's not a people guy (I.E Is a total ass).

Thinking about it....I bet Steve and Mark Zuckerberg would get on pretty well :p
 
It is as simple as this. Steve Jobs does not suffer fools well.

The ESPN phone lost $135m. It didn't simply fail to make money, or make less than expected, it lost a large fraction of its entire budget!

He was right to say it, and was right to walk away from a fool running a business unit he OWNS, badly.

I have been on boards, and believe me, it is a whole lot like congress. A lot of talk and posturing and painfully little action. Just like congress most decisions are pre-destined or not even close. For those votes he can vote by proxy with no downside to corporate or shareholder interests of which HE IS ONE.

He probably only attended the meetings where he had something to add, advocate, or resist. That's smart time management.

Based entirely on actual historical financial results he IS the smartest guy in the room. Trust his judgment and put up with his lack of appeasement for fools. It is the right and smart thing to do.

He is the one guy rude and direct enough to be MOST qualified to be on a board to protect shareholder interests.

Not sure I am right? Were Pixar shareholders happy? Apple? I would say they are so beyond happy, no other corporation with any scale compares.

Rocketman
 
This story is sad, really, and I feel bad for him. Is Jobs' joy in life gained from having an awesome phone?
 
"...two or more witnesses..." Deuteronomy 17: 6

The printed page has been surpassed a thousand-fold by the electronic page in gossip. Even the Einstein "quote" used as a signature above is not from Einstein (Frederick S. Perls attributed the statement to "a great astronomer", but most folks in the 1940s didn't know any great astronomers, so they guesses it might be Einstein). If we hear that General Patton or Steve Jobs said something cruel, we spend little time investigating the authority, but much time debating the cruelty.

I have been in the same room with Steve Jobs, and he had nothing cruel to say to me.
 
StephenCampbell said:
Maybe Steve Jobs has aspergers.
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Seriously, people are getting all bent out of shape about it? The guy was stating what turned out to be more or less an arguable fact that originated as an opinion (which ultimately still is). It's like I'd be that insecure if he said that, I would ask why and see if I could debunk him or w/e, but if it came to a logical conclusion that it, for the intended purpose, was going to be a fail, can't really argue that, can you?


To put it simple, bluntness is efficient, suck it up :D IDK, communication, right?

Though since its the internet, I'll say: With all due respect :D
 
Tucom said:
Seriously, people are getting all bent out of shape about it? The guy was stating what turned out to be more or less an arguable fact that originated as an opinion (which ultimately still is). It's like I'd be that insecure if he said that, I would ask why and see if I could debunk him or w/e, but if it came to a logical conclusion that it, for the intended purpose, was going to be a fail, can't really argue that, can you?


To put it simple, bluntness is efficient, suck it up :D IDK, communication, right?

Though since its the internet, I'll say: With all due respect :D
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My suggestion was meant to be slightly sardonic in the context of the thread. :p
 
I know Steve is opinionated but when I hear accounts like this it makes me wonder how foul his mouth is in day to day life. Isn't that a little out of character for him being so zen and Buddhist like? :confused:

Anybody else ever thought that lol?
 
The phone was horrendous. Perhaps the account wasnt entirely accurate (The ESPN guy may have been a huge jerk). Because Steve's comment seems totally inappropriate.


Even with 7 Billion dollars to my name, I wouldn't say that to someone so smugly...
 
How do we know that he actually said that?

I recently had some experience in a situation that could have turned into a legal scandal, and when people want to badmouth somebody, they Completely distort the facts and quote things out of context and mis-quote, you name it.
 
Steve Jobs may be one powerful, rich, successful man, but that gives him no right to treat other people like crap.

I hope that quote isn't legit.
 
The ROKR was released in 2005. The iPhone was in development for 3 years and announced at MacWorld 2007. ROKR was just a way to bide time. And it's pretty clear from that quote Steve was paying close attention to not only the "not-so-smart" phone market but also the feature phone market. It's crazy that he even knew that phone existed. And of course he knew something better was right around the corner.

The sad part is the thing about the board meetings. Of course he's missed a ton due to being sick, not just because he's also at Apple. I bet he's missed 25% of the meetings at Apple in the same timespan.
 
Yeah everyone except Pros...

Yeah Steve has no problem telling anyone what he thinks except for telling his professional market what Apple's roadmap is going to be for future products that their livelihood may depend on. That's why Apple's pro market is drying up and moving to other software/hardware vendors and Apple doesn't seem to care. Which is a shame because they really do make some awesome products. How about telling us pros what you think Steve. We could sure use the info.
 
Did the other guy answer anything? I imagine many of us have met someone like Steve Jobs who is very blunt, arrogant and rude. It is up to you not let anyone talk to you that way even if it is Jobs or the Pope. It doesn't matter if he is right or not. Nobody talks to me that way.
 
Who knows what really transpired?

Anyways, he is the largest shareholder so you can bet he is interested in the company's performance.

Also, if Board meetings are like other meetings, then many are wasteful and non-productive. Since he attends roughly 25% of them, he probably gives enough input to be valuable.
 
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