Contents

Preface: Why I Wrote This Book

Chronology

Chapter 1: A Ding in the Universe

Rating Steve as a Leader

Vision and Passion Are More Important than Credentials

Vision Must Be Based on Your Customers

Vision and Your Vendors

Acquiring a Company Can Water Down Your Vision and Culture

Communicating the Vision

The Way It’s Made Can Be a Part of the Vision

Giving Your Team a Special Identity

The Magical World of the Pirate Life

Flying a Flag

Vision for Innovation

Chapter 2: Steve’s Business Philosophy and Values

Recognizing the Need for a Values Statement

The Worldwide Culture

The Lack of Secrecy in the Early Apple

A Background in Business Values

Companies with Values that Steve Admired

Losing Ground

The Head Pirate Returns

Building on the Values

Steve’s Most Important Value: Attention to Details

Power of the User Culture

Chapter 3: People Who Know More than You

The Role of the Team Leaders

Cross-Pollination and Monday Meetings

Steve and the Use of Language

Dangers of the Middle Management Fear-of-Change Syndrome

Lessons from a Mutiny

Thinking of Everything

The Challenge of Finding New Team Leaders

Chapter 4: Steve’s Secrets for Selecting Great People

Wisdom Required

Your First Ten People

Project Groups

A Process for Hiring

Talented People Know Other Talented People

An Updated Version

Choosing People Who Can Adapt to the Style of the Leader

Special Hiring: Another Example

Chapter 5: Unusual Interviewing Techniques

Résumé? Don’t Bother

“Let Me Tell You Where We’re Going”

Leaving the Door Open

Will This Person Be Able to Share Bad News?

“Have You Ever Been Fired?”

Looking for a Reaction

Judging the Ability to Contribute

The Below-Decks Crew Members

On Not Using Recruiters

All Hands on Deck

Chapter 6: To Protect Innovation, Create a Company within a Company

Taking Over

Reviving a Radical Idea: A Virtual Company within a Company

Creating a Skunk Works

Being Intrapreneurial

If All of Apple Had Become a Skunk Works

The Quest for Autonomy

Off Course: An Argument with Peter Drucker

Checklist: Is Your Organization Pirates . . . or The Navy?

An Effective Structure Can Survive a Change of Command

Chapter 7: “No More Crap Products”

No More Crap Products

Seeing into the Future

What Customers and Competitors Can and Can’t Tell You

Don’t Just Enter a Market, Build a Market

Becoming Your Own Best Customer

Facing Up to Mistakes

Steve Describes His Product-Creation Process

The Product Lineup: Saying No

Learning from Failure

Chapter 8: More on Product Strategy

Product Development Decisions

Setting Standards: Design

Setting Standards: Simplicity

Setting Standards: Secrecy

Maintaining Control of Quality

Facing Up to Criticism

Steve’s Legacy: The Power of the User Interface

Looking Ahead

Chapter 9: Entrepreneurial Confidence and High Standards

Swagger

An Enthusiastic Leader

The Power of No

The Virtues of Small Teams

A Leadership Challenge

Evangelizing Innovation

Chapter 10: Employee Owners

Stakeholders

Ownership

It’s the “Thanks”

T-Shirts, T-Shirts, T-Shirts

Let’s Party

Continuing the Tradition

Chapter 11: The Apple Workplace

Apple University

The First Day

The Buddy System

Creating an Innovative Organization within a Navy Company

Opting Out

The Workplace

One Infinite Loop

Apple’s Space Ship

Chapter 12: When Selling Becomes More Important than the Product

Understanding All Parts of the Sales Equation

A Meeting of Titans

Choosing the Wrong Direction

Apple Becomes The Navy

The Loudest Voices: Sales and Marketing

Sales Focus versus Product Focus at IBM

Chapter 13: “And One More Thing”

Defining the Goal

The Whole Product

Missteps

Self-Training

Content Is King, Platform Is God

Power of the Family—No User Left Behind

Going against the Grain

Staying the Course

Chapter 14: Flowers at His Doorstep

A Warning from Steve about Pursuing the Wrong Values

It’s Too Easy to Be Satisfied with the Status Quo

It’s Personal

Steve and Students

Steve and Charitable Giving

Legacy

Capturing the Steve Jobs Legacy

New Man in Charge

The Apple Culture: Still in Place

Tributes

Finale

Acknowledgments

Index