This week, the world said goodbye to Steve Jobs. I first heard about the news via Facebook. Over the next couple minutes, everyone started posting about it and how sad they were to see Steve go. My siblings and I posted about it as well, and we were all shocked at how sad we felt. I spent the rest of the day trying to identify what I was feeling. He was a person who I never met who made great products. That much is obvious. But there seemed to be more to it than that. After a while, I think I figured it out.
Steve was a hero to me.
I don't mean a "hero" as in, "I love my iPhone, thank you for creating it" or "Wow, you created Apple and I love Apple products, I wish I could be you." To me, it's not just about the products. It's about the person.
Courage
One thing that Steve Jobs has always been known for is his unfailing confidence. His confidence is legendary and borders on, or crosses the line into, arrogance. His confidence in presenting, his confidence in negotiating, his confidence in creating his products. In order to have confidence, you have to have courage. Steve's courage allowed him to make tough decisions.
He had the courage to say "no" to crappy ideas. He turned down the netbook craze, when everyone else was jumping on board to it.
He had the courage to leave behind what was familiar, in order to strive for something better. The Apple iMac was the first computer to get rid of the floppy drive, and instead came with USB ports. More recently, they have given up the DVD drive as well, in exchange for the iTunes Store and sharing via the Internet. Old Mac OS applications eventually, after a transitional period, no longer run on newer machines. Similarly, old Mac hardware, after a transitional period, no longer runs the newer OS's.
He had the courage to try these bold new ideas, without guarantees that they would succeed. And if they didn't succeed, he had the courage to stop them sooner rather than later. For example, the G4 Cube was killed off just 1 year after it was shipped.
He even had the courage to give up a great thing, in exchange for an even better thing. The iPod mini was probably the best selling iPod in 2005. Everyone was buying it. People were even buying it as a fashion accessory. Apple killed the product, and replaced it with the iPod nano, which took up the reins as the best selling iPod.
He had the courage to say "no" to low quality. It's well known how much attention Steve paid to even the smallest details, to make sure everything was right. His products and services are polished and well thought out.
Keeping "me" in mind
The other way that Steve was a hero for me was he always seemed to have put the interests of the user ahead of everything else. Some examples.
Did you ever notice how iPods come out of the box already charged? Maybe not fully charged, but enough that you can open the box and start playing with it? That probably costs some money and effort for Apple to do. But they do it. Why? Because it's annoying to the customer if they open their shiny new toy and then can't use it. Compare this to a new electric razor I just bought that needs to be charged 8 hours before it can used.
Have you ever seen an Apple device in one of those plastic blister packs that are impossible to open? I haven't. "But that packaging helps stop theft!" No, it's a pain in the ass and it punishes your good customers. Don't do that.
Apple computers come with enough RAM to actually get work done. "But if you cut the amount of RAM, it'll be cheaper and you can sell more!" No, you'll just end up with customers who wonder why their computer is so slow, and are annoyed that they have to upgrade them. Don't deceive your customers, give them a good experience.
If there were cases where he would have to trade off the interests of the customer for the interests of Some Company, it felt like he would side with the user. But he didn't do it naively. He would do it in such a way that both sides would be happy, but the user would not be punished.
Customers like being able to download digital music. But music companies are scared of piracy! Okay, you can get songs with DRM but allow the entire household to play them. Same with movies and apps, you can watch them on all your devices, just don't try to share them with the universe.
Why does this matter so much to me? Because so few people have that courage. Because I don't have that courage. Have you ever stayed for too long at a job, because you were scared to make the leap for something better? I have. As a software developer, I have seen first hand how we can be asked to accept lower quality in the interests of expediency. Have you ever been hesitant to make a change in your life, because of the level of effort involved, even though you knew things would be better in the long run? It could be a relationship, it could be an exercise program, it could be a new house project, it could be a hobby.
It makes sense that us normal people have difficulty summoning up that level of courage. After all, Steve was a CEO! Okay. How many CEOs have that level of courage? How many companies have you seen that are clinging on to their old businesses, too afraid to try to push the envelope? Have you ever been at a company that wasn't willing to try out new ideas, because they might fail? How many products have you seen that have cut corners, to save on cost or effort? How many leaders do you see that have the courage to do what is good for the long term? Do our leaders in Washington have the courage to stand against the oil companies and invest in renewable energy sources?
And about his "standing up for the users"? Replace the word "users" with "everyday people". Look at the recent fights in Congress over the debt ceiling. Do you think those people had the best interests of people in their hearts? Or do you think they were concerned with their own well-being and being re-elected into office? Did you hear that thing about how part of the FAA got shutdown and 74,000 people had their jobs put on hold because Congress couldn't come to an agreement in time? And not only that, Congress then went home on vacation for a month?
Some of you will point out that Steve is rich and powerful, that he can afford to be courageous. And that Apple is huge and powerful, they can afford to put the users first. Well, what do you think allowed Apple to become rich and powerful? And what do you think allowed Steve to become the CEO? It was the courage to be bold, try new things, and keep moving forward. In my mind, Apple itself is a product of Steve's courage and his willingness to do the right thing. Combine that with a ton of hard work and a large amount of luck, and you get what we have today.
My Dad once said to me "Character is fate". A man's character is what allows him to shape his own future. Steve Jobs shaped not just his own future, but the future of our generation. His successes help me believe that having the courage and conviction to do what is right can lead to our own successes. For that, I thank him.
-J
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