Steve Jobs, A Flawed but Fascinating Figure

I recently finished reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, which I found to be a fascinating read.  While Jobs is certainly no model of Christian faith or virtue, he is an intriguing figure and a prime example of the Lord's common grace.  His list of technological accomplishments is long, and his visionary leadership (though flawed because of his temperament) is unquestionable. 

To give you just a taste of Jobs and his legacy, I've provided some quotes from the book below.

"History will place [Jobs] in the pantheon right next to Edison and Ford." (Isaacson)

"Like a pathfinder, he could absorb information, sniff the winds, and sense what lay ahead." (Isaacson)

"Some leaders push innovations by being good at the big picture. Others do so by mastering details. Jobs did both, relentlessly. As a result he launched a series of products over three decades that transformed whole industries:

• The Apple II
• The Macintosh
• Toy Story and other Pixar blockbusters
• Apple stores
• The iPod
• The iTunes Store
• The iPhone
• The App Store
• The iPad
• iCloud
• And Apple itself, which Jobs considered his greatest creation."

Pam Kerwin, marketing director at Pixar, on his compelling charisma: "He was so weirdly charismatic that you almost had to get deprogrammed after you talked to him."

His wife, Laurene, on his complex personality: "Like many great men whose gifts are extraordinary, he's not extraordinary in every realm. He doesn't have social graces, such as putting himself in other people's shoes, but he cares deeply about empowering humankind, the advancement of humankind, and putting the right tools in their hands."

How the iPhone was created: "Jobs and his team became excited about the prospect of building a phone that they would want to use. 'That's the best motivator of all,' Jobs said." (Isaacson)

 "The reason Apple can create products like the iPad is that we've always tried to be at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts." (Jobs)

Jobs, in his own words, on why Apple is so successful: "My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure, it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation."

Jobs, on always looking forward: "Some people say, 'Give the customers what they want.' But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, 'If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, "A faster horse!" People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page." 

To purchase Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, click here.