Inside Steve’s Brain

“Where some see control freakery, others see a desire to craft a seamless, end-to-end user experience. Instead of perfectionism, there is the pursuit of excellence. And, instead of screaming abuse, there is the passion to make a dent in the universe.”
–Leander Kahney

Yes, the book is repetitive. Yes, it is an extrapolation of compiled sources in an attempt to explain what might be going on inside Jobs’ head and how it has shaped Apple. Regardless, it is an interesting read as the author has pulled together various aspects of Jobs’ style, drive, passion and obsession in order to give us a hint of what makes Apple tick.

I don’t believe I would get any arguments by stating that Steve Jobs has molded Apple in his image. Jobs’ core value of developing easy-to-use technology for individuals, coupled with his love of design excellence (where design is the function), has shaped Apple’s innovation strategy: shape the technology to the customer’s needs, instead of forcing the user to adapt to the technology. By owning hardware, software, online services and everything in between, Jobs successfully controls the end-to-end customer experience, and thereby delivers on his core value: products that work seamlessly together and seldom break down.

Throughout the book, one also gets a sense of the product and business development style of Jobs. Such as building a learning organization through numerous product prototypes (with Jonathan Ive and others in the development team); his mantra of focus and simplicity; the evolution of Apple stores; the progression of Apple products; as well as his keen business sense. All of this contributes to Apple’s brand: “Apple is about people who think outside the box, people who want to use computers to help them change the world, to help them create things that make a difference and not just to get a job done.”

As I read through the book, which is a quick read, I had various thoughts…

• If the CEO does not push for the fusion of technology, design and marketing, who does? Nobody else has the span of control required to successfully pull this off.
• Driven by his core values and vision, Jobs influenced areas throughout the entire value delivery chain to achieve excellence. Similarly, Sony, HP and others have the potential to influence design of complementary assets (TV stands, living room furniture, picture frames, …) and to integrate themselves into a lifestyle beyond what we currently experience. But, who defines a firm’s operational boundaries and why?
• Where would Apple be today if it wasn’t for Microsoft “training” people that crappy, hard to maintain products are acceptable, or even desirable? What if all customers understood that success is measured in quality, not quantity?

I wish the author spent more time sharing his perspectives on how Jobs changed during the time he was away from Apple (1985-1996). After all, it is rare for a successful founder to also be able to effectively grow her company, as the required skills and experiences are usually not transferrable. Yet, when Jobs returned to Apple, he clearly was ready (and able) not only to turn the company around, but to grow it beyond imagination.

Let us know your thoughts and insights about the book.

Technorati Tags: Inside Steve’s Brain, Leander Kahney, Apple, Steve Jobs