Finished Steve Jobs’ biography on Saturday - what are my high level thoughts on it?
Took so many notes but not going to directly reference any here.
He was a way more complex person than I had thought or known. The integrated vs interchangeable fundamental debate between Apple & Microsoft initially and then Apple and Google later is an interesting topic.
Obviously, can’t really say one worked ‘better’ than the other. These are 3 of the handful of companies that now dominate the world. This principle is going to be a key one as I start building and executing systems myself. There has to be a balance between the two, I think. Perhaps choosing one approach in one situation and another in another.
The way they built their teams was also reflective of this. They were more selective with who they brought on - only A players. With my current experience at 2U, it can take a while to bring the right person on. So I must allow more time than I think I’ll need to bring a person on.
I think one way I can supercharge my system building in whatever industry is to find someone who is very technically knowledgeable about it. Someone who can tell me an idea won’t work because of something I don’t know. If I’m Steve Jobs in this analogy, then I need my Steve Wozniak. I have the product, the experience, the vision that then translates into actionable steps.
Like when I’m working on the education system, I’ll need an education expert that has the same passion for it as I do. Same thing with the government system. Same thing with business. Same with city design, etc.
The thing though is I don’t think I can have an interchangeable system without some level of integration. You need the ability for things to easily integrate in when they’re being changed out. I need to combine the interchangeability of Microsoft and Google with the centralized integration of Apple.
Of course this is a false choice to choose between the two options. Any system should have the ability to do both seamlessly, and that will be my goal. How to balance both sides in the context.
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