Fortune’s massive Steve Jobs coverage (see related articles below) continues today as eight famous business people who rarely speak publicly about Jobs explain what makes him one of the best business minds of our time.
• Andy Grove, Former chairman and CEO, Intel
• Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO, Avon
• Larry Ellison, Co-founder and CEO, Oracle
• Marc Andreessen, General partner, Andreessen Horowitz
• Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, Disney
• Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO, AT&T Mobility
• Jimmy Iovine, Founder and chairman, Interscope Records
• Bill Campbell, Chairman and former CEO, Intuit
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Judge Bork” for the heads up.]
Yup sure is true, Steve Paul Jobs has been the greatest business mind in this century because of the 3 core Apple businesses: The Mac, the iPod and the iPhone. The competition are just wannabes catching up with the original version. But guess what their favourite thing to do? Copy Copy Copy. Just look at them now. Well anyways. Apple leads while the copycats follows.
The only one that comes remotely close to describing why Steve is great is Larry Ellison when he said “he really is in pursuit of this technical and aesthetic perfection. And he just won’t compromise.”
That’s one big thing that sets Steve apart.
Jung shows common ignorance when she says “Steve is — that maniacal passion for the best phone, the best MP3 player, the best PC, the best retail experience.”
While true, not knowing what makes something the best is the reason Apple has been able to stay above the competition for so long. Steve knows.
Steve Jobs has handled success without resting on a plateau. That requires enjoying fame and fortune without being seduced by it. The adversities of his life has taught him some valuable lessons. What preserves right now is that drive and focus for “the next big thing.” There are undoubtedly others as smart and creative walking this earth, but they lack that amazing commitment and dedication.
No one asked Michael Dull and Steve Ball-me?
Hey, aren’t these people who are either members of Apple’s Board of Directors or in close relationship with Apple?
“Jung shows common ignorance when she says “Steve is — that maniacal passion for the best phone, the best MP3 player, the best PC, the best retail experience.”
Wrong. It’s not a static “best”…but a continuing “better”.
Through out history, agents of change appear in the world to excelerate the speed of evolution.
Steve Jobs is one such agent.
And as KPCB partner – iFund manager John Doerr says: “Steve Jobs is the leader of the ‘rebel force’!
Could you find a more pretentious picture?
Steve Ballmer is much more successful than Jobs ever was.
@Member of the Board; yes, the thing here is that in Mocrosoft, not even the board of directors speaks well about Ballmer or Bill Gates, remember that email saying “If it wasn’t because I am working in microsoft, I would buy a Mac for Me”
@Nevermore
It is not about more “Successful” but “best business minds”, Steve recieves a lot of money, but he does not produce much, that is why ther are firing people and copy every product that apple makes.
El Chapo Guzman and some other drug dealer are Successful also, but don’t bring any good to the people, that the way Steve Ballmer is Successful.
Andrea Jung needs a writer. My ears started bleeding 2 lines into her quote.
“Hey, aren’t these people who are either members of Apple’s Board of Directors or in close relationship with Apple?”
-Duh, who better to explain things than people who know hm well?
I bought my first mac in ’98 — a 9600 120mhz I believe. My friends laughed because ‘Apple’s going out of business’ but my thinking was ‘a useful tool is useful for as long as you can use it’ so if it lasted 3 years after Apple closed – I still won. Lo and behold – Apple didn’t close – Steve ‘The Vision’ Jobs came back and now it’s light years ahead of the competition. Actually, if it wasnt for the iphone – smartphones everywhere would still be in the stone age. Read Jim Collins if you want to know what makes Steve Jobs and Apple – or many other companies great.
@MacAdvocate
I’m sure she would have the same opinion with your spoken Mandarin.
Wow, what a scare, I’m using the MDN iPhone app, and all I saw was article after article about Steve. I didn’t open any of them, then I came across the MDN article about Steve receiving the award, and realized the other articles were in response!
I was thinking the worst 🙁
This valedictory stuff just makes me worry about how I’ll he is.
@Tim
“This valedictory stuff just makes me worry about how I’ll he is.”
I’ll like pancakes and rabbits.
Don’t forget it was Steve Jobs who resurrect Apple computer and at this time Apple share was about $4 and now it’s $194. Look at Microsoft, the only thing they can do best is to copy Apple and look at their share, still only worth $28.
[Steve Ballmer is much more successful than Jobs ever was.]
The true measure of success has always been — Have you accomplished what you set out to do.
If success is being, the number one, idiotic, dancing, monkey-man — then yes, Ballmer wins.
If success is, fooling NEARLY everyone that your fourth-rate OS is better, because it’s popular or because of a IBM-gifted monopoly, or because of your twice-conviction of your illegal monopoly, while taking peoples hard earned money from them.
Then again. Ballmer is more successful.