“When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after a 12-year exile, the company was close to bankruptcy. Thirteen years later it has a market cap of $250 billion and is the world’s most valuable tech company, transforming whole industries along the way,” Jessi Hempel reports for Fortune.. “iTunes reinvented music. Pixar, now part of Disney, elevated animated films. The iPhone changed telecom. And the new iPad has other computer makers scrambling to respond. Rocking one industry could be luck, but upending four? That’s smart.”
“He is a visionary, a micromanager, and a showman who creates such anticipation around new products that their releases are veritable holidays,” Hempel reports. “And Jobs is a pop culture icon like no other business executive: An episode of The Simpsons a few years ago featured a Jobs-like character named Steve Mobs.”
Hempel reports, “His dictator-like control can cause havoc for partners: Jobs, 55, has decided, for example, that Apple products won’t support Adobe Flash, the code most video-heavy websites depend on, leading designers to switch to new tools. But Jobs’ vision is also what gives these devices their elegance, causing consumers’ hearts to flutter.”
Full article, which covers “The smartest people in tech,” here.
“Smart”? That’s pure genius
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Anyone wonder where Roger L. Kay, President of Endpoint Technologies Associates is on the Smartest CEO List?
He has now been back longer than he was gone.
It was relatively slow going in the first years, seems like this thing is picking up some steam now — Apple reinventing a new industry as often as Pixar releases a new film.
Well, there was little competition if Bezos was the runner-up.
#6 Smartest designer: Jonathan Ive
But we knew that….Isn’t it so glaringly obvious?
“Well, there was little competition if Bezos was the runner-up.” Indeed, aside from Bezos and Ive, the rest of the top 10 were unknown to me. But I found this quote curious:
“And while the iPad is getting all the eReader love these days, Bezos got there first, and virtually every iPad review compares Steve Jobs’ tablet to Bezos’ device.” Yeah, and in every such comparison the Kindle is the loser – more limited, less capable. Seriously, it’s not even in the same class.
@ Breeze
Not to Zune Tang
Steve Jobs is the smartest CEO? Well, duh.
They like to call Jobs a “showman.” But really, it’s what he’s showing.
The writer erroneously says the the company was close to bankruptcy in 1997. Although it had lost its way, it was still quite solvent and slightly profitable. It took the pundits of Wall Street almost a decade after Jobs’ return to let go of the Apple-going-out notion. But by the early 00s, it was plain to anyone willing to notice, where this story was going. Those who did had the opportunity to load up on AAPL stock in the single digits.
Smartest ass … Gizmodo and that Chin
Gil Amelio is sort of the unsung hero who called Steve, bought Next and reinstated him to (interim) iCEO status. But it was really Gil and all the other CEOs back through Sculley – the bonehead who thought his experience selling sugar water was more valuable than Steve’s unique leadership, technical and aesthetic sensibilities – who were the real interim CEOs. Than God Gil had a clue Apple needed Steve back. That was pure genius and selflessness on Gil’s part.
More well-deserved accolades for De Boss!
Smart? Genius? Well, possibly neither in the common usage! For up and coming students, it is often thought that those who can do math in their head, memorize easily, or can write well are smart (thus getting straight As).
I will posit my “Jobsian Theorem of Leadership”:
A. Jobs is an incredible student of customer ease-of-use and productivity with being
B. A person who can imagine & envision where industry & products can evolve toward,
C. Coupled with an ability to find & inspire terrific people around him.
This was all decided before the iPhone 4 fiasco. I don’t think Fortune gives out awards to CEOs who lie so boldly about their products. Steve said this was the best phone ever. It is certainly the worst.
Continuing to defend the indefensible is not the mark of a visionary, genius, or any kind of integrity. Showman, yes. Carnival barkers are by birth.
It is a mistake to leave out the Mac in the “revolution” or “upending industries.” LOVE my Mac! Always have.
Question: apart from the articles/comments that are political in nature and therefore virtually useless, how many comments do people believe are posted in good faith vs. people just wanting to see if they can get a rise out of others.
Just wondering.
Back to wondering if a big, flaming Godzilla will be attacking the US anytime soon (my source, imao.us–lefties may not wish to read it, but humor is humor).
I would enjoy watching Survivor with the three failed Apple CEO’s (Scully, Spindler and Amelio – where are these guys now???)among other tech CEO failures! Lets see that Pippin Gil ‘ol buddy!
Pure genius. Nobody leads a company better than Steve-o!
What! Ballmer isn’t #1.
Again they leave out his first achievements.
Steve Jobs upended the mainframe industry in 1978 with the first commercially successful PC.
He upended the PC industry in 1984 with the Mac.
And he upended the publishing industry with desktop publishing.
I Wonder: Worse phone ever? By exactly whose measure and criteria? Proof please – not hyperbole. Thank you!
Amazing….Thanks
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Was he away for 12 years or has it been 12 years since he returned… I think this guy has some facts wrong. Typical.
I think he was away from 1985-1996, returned in 1996 as temporary CEO or something, and then became full CEO in 2000 or 2001.
Regardless, this guy has his facts wrong.
Steve jobs Is the best!