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Steve Jobs Insult Response (1997) [video]

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Re: Steve Jobs Insult Response (1997) [video]

#21

Post by Octokiddie »

One thing that's interesting here is how Jobs doesn't answer the specific technical question: How does Java address the ideas embodied in OpenDoc?

Instead, Jobs answers the question behind the question: What role should new technologies play at Apple going forward?

This is a very useful technique to practice. When asked a question whose premise you don't agree with, you can become confrontational on that point. Or you can reach in to grab the question behind the question and answer that instead.

Re: Steve Jobs Insult Response (1997) [video]

#23

Post by paultopia »

bloodyplonker22 wrote: post #22
paultopia wrote: post #9

That is... so much nicer than I expected.

The title is "insult response" because he is responding to an insult. Not that he is responding with an insult. At least that is how I interpreted it.

Oh same here, but Jobs's reputation was for... not suffering fools gladly. Based on that reputation, I expected him to come down on the guy like a hammer.

Re: Steve Jobs Insult Response (1997) [video]

#24

Post by Waterluvian »

CharlesW wrote: post #4

That 10 second pause before he responds — 25 seconds if you don't count the reference to the famous quote, which buys him a bit more time — is amazing. What may be less well understood by people who weren't there is that he's addressing Apple employees just as much as he is Apple developers. Many Apple employees had the same question. [Source: Was at Apple at the time.] "You've got to start with the customer experien…

I once worked at a robotics company that didn’t comprehend this. It’s amazing how frustrating it makes a job when every six months Product is sending us in a different direction. We ended up having to build such generic solutions and they sucked as a result.

Re: Steve Jobs Insult Response (1997) [video]

#25

Post by fuzzythinker »

CharlesW wrote: post #4

That 10 second pause before he responds — 25 seconds if you don't count the reference to the famous quote, which buys him a bit more time — is amazing. What may be less well understood by people who weren't there is that he's addressing Apple employees just as much as he is Apple developers. Many Apple employees had the same question. [Source: Was at Apple at the time.] "You've got to start with the customer experien…

Not sure if he can really use that extra 15 secs as it's really hard to multitask on thinking and speaking. Even if he's able to, it would be only some % of it, as even a robot will have to do context switching.

Re: Steve Jobs Insult Response (1997) [video]

#27

Post by musicale »

22289d wrote: post #16
CharlesW wrote: post #4

That 10 second pause before he responds — 25 seconds if you don't count the reference to the famous quote, which buys him a bit more time — is amazing. What may be less well understood by people who weren't there is that he's addressing Apple employees just as much as he is Apple developers. Many Apple employees had the same question. [Source: Was at Apple at the time.] "You've got to start with the customer experien…

> "You've got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can't start with the technology and try to figure out where you're going to try to sell it." Crypto still hasn't figured this out. The entire focus is on how to get people using the technology. If you start out being completely unwilling to use a database, that should be a red flag you're falling into this trap. Would a bloc…

Jobs importantly said the customer experience.

Remember Jobs also famously said:

“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.”

Re: Steve Jobs Insult Response (1997) [video]

#28

Post by tambourine_man »

rwbt wrote: post #15

I can't believe people compare Jobs with Musk. Jobs was so much better put together in public and seems like he can still be very coherent and persuasive even when angry (likely in this video) and insulted in public.

There’s no interesting comparison to be made, really. Both are rich CEOs, I guess. That’s it.

Re: Steve Jobs Insult Response (1997) [video]

#29

Post by imiric »

Octokiddie wrote: post #21

One thing that's interesting here is how Jobs doesn't answer the specific technical question: How does Java address the ideas embodied in OpenDoc? Instead, Jobs answers the question behind the question: What role should new technologies play at Apple going forward? This is a very useful technique to practice. When asked a question whose premise you don't agree with, you can become confrontational on that point. Or yo…

Right. His answer effectively dismisses the question on the basis of it being invalid, or even dumb. And points out the larger philosophy that customer experience trumps technology.

It's a classy way to come out on top of an argument, but a) it doesn't work in all situations, and b) not everyone can think on their feet in that way in front of an audience.

It's an admirable trait of charismatic people, but it's also abused to manipulate the conversation to gain an upper hand. Typically used by politicians and lawyers.

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