Former chief executive officer/co-founder of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Inc’s left a legacy with his brilliant mind, down-to-earth demeanor, and incredible success. He will remain in the hearts and memories of those who knew him on a personal level.
At a recent annual tech meeting called All Thing Digital, they talked about Apple Inc.’s late CEO, Steve Jobs, his legacy, and personal memories. Here is just a small sampling of the most interesting tidbits shared within in the conversation.
Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison ((chief executive of Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL)) met thanks to a peacock. The two were neighbors in Woodside, California and one morning, Jobs’ pet bird walked over to his yard where he woke him up. When Ellison went to complain to Jobs about the animal, he found out that Jobs himself wasn’t crazy about the bird either and was actually looking for an excuse to give the pet up. Ellison quoted Jobs in this statement, “He said, ‘I’m going to tell her that you complained so much about the bird [and] we had to get rid of it.”
Ellison and Pixar’s president Ed Catmull shared more memories of working with Jobs.
Catmull remembered Jobs taking a hands-off approach when it came to Pixar. Despite the rumors that he micromanaged the company, Jobs rarely showed up to studio meetings because he thought the other people knew more. Catmull also noted that Jobs was a great storyteller and that made him a persuasive storyteller. He was also a great listener who wanted others to try and pursuade his opinion. If someone couldn’t hold an intellectual argument with Jobs, he didn’t respect them.
Another big topic discussed at the meeting was deciding whether or not people could emulate the success of Steve Jobs. Ellison thinks that’s impossible. He likened the notion of wanting to copy Jobs’ success with painting like Picasso.
