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Steve Jobs, BMW & eBay

blog.adamnash.com

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Re: Steve Jobs, BMW & eBay

#5

Post by adamnash »

wtvanhest wrote: post #2

If I were at ebay, I would go for Toyota market share, maybe the reason they have stumbled is because of your thoughts on how a business should be run.

The point was that you can't follow a BMW product strategy and expect Toyota market share. You can go for either, just not both.

Re: Steve Jobs, BMW & eBay

#6

Post by adamnash »

ConceitedCode wrote: post #4

Having a market share as large as Toyota's doesn't mean that you can't make great products. Who says they have to be related? It seems to happen in practice, but I can't figure out any good reasons.

Apple seems to have proved your point, but they seem exceptional in that respect. Typical reasons are that the broader you make the audience, the more you have to dial down exceptional features for cost, scale and broad appeal.

Re: Steve Jobs, BMW & eBay

#8

Post by sunchild »

ConceitedCode wrote: post #4

Having a market share as large as Toyota's doesn't mean that you can't make great products. Who says they have to be related? It seems to happen in practice, but I can't figure out any good reasons.

Toyota is an awesome company. Simply amazing, by any standards. If you visit Nagoya, you will meet a few million Toyota fanatics – and they have something epic to pride themselves on. Honda, likewise, is a powerhouse of innovation, and the only Japanese manufacturer with essentially a singular brand, excluding the Acura name used in certain countries. Both are phenomenal lessons in how to dominate a key market. Both were brilliant at motivating employees – galvanizing a willing workforce by turning convention on its head.

The OP's point about Steve Jobs is that he brought his team in for a huddle, and gave them the play, and some of them are still running it, even after leaving Apple, and after Steve left us.

Re: Steve Jobs, BMW & eBay

#9

Post by adamnash »

ugh wrote: post #7
pkamb wrote: post #3

Strange that he picked BMW for his example. He seems to be more of a Mercedes guy.

It’s from memory. Details might be incorrect.

You know, I thought the same thing. Steve doesn't drive a BMW. But I'm almost 100% sure his example in the talk was BMW. I can only guess that it was because BMW market share (which was sub-2%) fit the example, since that was Apple's market share at the time.
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