Steve Jobs didn’t

I'm going to kill the poetry by trying to explain it, but try translating each phrase like this: When you read:

"Steve Jobs did not [do X], he [did Y]."

read it as:

"It's not so much that Steve Jobs did [legendary thing X], as that he did [apparently simple thing Y, and did you notice that by doing so he just happened to accomplish X as a side effect?]"

The author agrees with you.

(Note, by the way, that my rephrasing is absolutely bloated with weasel words that diminish its impact. That's why the original author wrote the way he did, at the expense of losing the literalists in the audience.)

To speak plainly, to be patient and put the dots together, to lead without charisma are all incredibly difficult things to do. It really does take genius and only the extraordinary amongst us can do it.

If you have a natural, god-given charisma, its very easy to be a leader. No accomplishment there. But you would lead for what purpose?

If you have some uncanny ability to predict the future as a whole, without error, you would be popular for your predictions but you wouldn't build much of anything, because building great things requires trial and error.

If you were merely a design expert, you'd make nice looking things, but you wouldn't be able to scale it, compared to the non-designer that sees the greatness in other designers.

Being foolish and curious really trumps all other skills, but how many people can truly endure being foolish and curious?

The people who embrace curiosity and don't dwell too much on their foolishness.

If they did their homework, they would know Jobs holds many design patents.

and this one is funny...

"Steve Jobs was not a visionary. He put the dots together and saw where they led."

vs.

"He created an organization that predictably and reliably created emotionally resonant products."

" He made a company that predictably and reliably made blockbusters."

"He created new markets that attracted and sustained competitors."

" He gave others the freedom to think about what jobs products are hired to do."

"He brought engineering processes to works of creativity and the creative process to engineering."

I'm not sure how you "make a company" and "create new markets" without being a visionary.

All this hype about a geek yet no one really paid attention to another fine gentleman by the name of Ralph Steinman.

I am so sick and tired of people like Jobs getting all this attention and maybe I ought to start using it as a stage to remind people that while Jobs contributions to computer science are important, we ought to give the same attention to others who are equally, if not, great contributors to science. I never knew Jobs earned a nobel prize?

>Steve Jobs was not a futurist. He just built the future one piece at a time.

to be almost hypnotically devoid of meaning and disrespectful to the reader. Why not just say what's true? A good reader can be stunned by the truth, without needing to be lead through a difficult contradiction for dramatic effect.