When you try to imagine the quintessential eccentric genius in the tech industry, you just have to think of Steve Jobs. Bill Gates may be one of the richest guys in the world, but everyone pretty much knows that Steve Jobs is the smartest.
Within a 30-year career he’s completely renovated several industries: Computers, Hollywood, music, retailing, and wireless phones. And the last four have been within the last ten years. It’s as if he’s gaining momentum, innovating faster and faster.
Jobs is the ultimate trail blazer. His products must be groundbreaking, they must be better in quality than anything else in the industry, and they must look good. On top of all of that, he’s brought a profitability to Apple while remaining fiercely outside of the mainstream. We’re still waiting for our Macs to be compatible with PC but it’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
Word on the street is that Jobs is a little maniacal and mean to a lot of his coworkers. He’s a tad uptight about achieving perfection. And his business is going to have a really tough time when he leaves. It’s hard to imagine that Apple will be sustainable past his generation.
But you’ve go to stand in awe of his achievement. There’s something to be learned for small business leaders here. I’d love to know when he switched from fax to fax to email? I’m surprised he didn’t invent it.
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