
“Inside Apple” Reveals Steve Jobs Anecdotes, Apple’s Little Known Facts - stevenj
http://www.macstories.net/news/inside-apple-reveals-steve-jobs-anecdotes-apples-little-known-facts/
======
JacobAldridge
_"At Apple there’s never confusion 'as to who is responsible for what'."_

This is a project I run with almost all of my clients - shifting an organic,
but dysfunctional, business arrangement into one where everyone knows their
responsibility, and the right person does the right jobs at the right time
(and for the right cost point).

This is achieved by shifting focus. Most businesses evolve from the top down:
when the business owner/s or managers get too busy, they hire somebody new and
hand down some of their tasks (usually those that they don't like). We work
with the business to break down everything they do (from setting a vision to
cleaning the sink - easier to do than it sounds), and then coach them to
assign responsibility based on who is the best person for each task, rather
than who was hired first.

I find it fun - although anything that involves defining and changing
responsibilities is fraught with danger in a business. People who have been
'hiding' behind vague (or non-existent) job descriptions are suddenly found
out. I tell clients to expect up to 10% resignations, but most or all of those
who leave will have been holding the business back. It takes strong leadership
to hold the business's nerve during that period.

I guess my point is: this element of Apple's success is possible for any
business. It's rewarding, but requires good leadership.

~~~
aik
That's basically how the small startup I'm working with works. We're a total
of 4 people, and at this size, and although we have a founder (or founder and
a half), we all basically do what's necessary and everything we can.

The founder is very much against defining roles and job descriptions, despite
us sometimes being tempted to go down that road. In the end it makes
everything so much more pleasant.

------
rmason
Steve Wozniak was the commencement speaker yesterday at Michigan State. I had
the pleasure of attending a meeting he held with engineering students after
the commencement.

The biggest surprise I had was that the Woz was on the Macintosh team before
Jobs was involved. He said that he, Jef Raskin and a few other engineers
wanted to create a low cost version of the Lisa.

It was only after Jobs was banished from the Lisa team/building that he took
over the Macintosh team. Also interestingly even though he was a co-founder
Woz left the impression that the team leader was initially Raskin. I thought
Jobs had founded the Macintosh team.

~~~
danilocampos
The Macintosh was a very different computer before Jobs got in there and took
the reins. If you can spare six hours, folklore.org has an incredible
collection of stories detailing early Apple. You won't be able to stop
reading.

~~~
rmason
Yes from what I've read it was initially closer to what later became the
Newton.

Here's a link to the commencement address (13 minutes) if anyone wants to give
a listen <http://ht.ly/4P7M1>

~~~
mambodog
Please don't use URL shorteners on HN. If the URL is long (that one was not)
you can use the footnote notation[1].

[1] <http://spartanpodcast.com/?p=1510>

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arkitaip
"Steve Jobs hired dean of Yale School of Management Joel Podolny to run the
Apple University, an internal group also featuring business professors and
Harvard veterans that are writing a series of case studies to prepare
employees for the life at Apple after Jobs."

I would seriously pay to read that material.

~~~
lancewiggs
Podolny was a star at Yale - presiding over a massive change in the MBA
curriculum that made it a a lot more useful than the traditional subject by
subject based approach.

~~~
aik
Interesting. Do you know when that MBA curriculum change happened? Have
details on how it is structured now? Have any studies been done on the
effectiveness of the program post-restructuring?

------
olivercameron
Just by looking at this organisational chart, you can see why Apple's
industrial design is so amazingly great and consistent:
[http://www.macstories.net/wp-
content/uploads/2011/05/Photo-0...](http://www.macstories.net/wp-
content/uploads/2011/05/Photo-07-5-11-19-52-48.jpg).

Notice how Jonathan Ive does not delegate any work to any Vice Presidents.
Compare this to other corporations and you'll see why this works so well (no
giant chain of command where every member of staff is trying to put their
stamp on things).

~~~
andos
The noteworthy stuff is that Jonathan Ive reports directly to Steve Jobs,
while Bob Mansfield, SVP of Hardware¹, reports to Tim Cook. _That_ shows what
Apple is all about.

¹. The chart says "SVP of _Mac_ Hardware", but on the iPad 2 video he's
presented as "SVP of Hardware".

~~~
bstx
> That shows what Apple is all about.

Or the org chart is wrong.

> The chart says "SVP of Mac Hardware", but on the iPad 2 video he's presented
> as "SVP of Hardware".

He replaced Mark Papermaster as SVP of Devices Hardware.

~~~
andos
The chart is certainly _old_. Wrong in what aspect?

~~~
tvon
I think _wrong_ as in _old_ , as in _out of date_.

~~~
andos
Do hardware people report directly to Jobs now? That's the kind of wrong I was
talking about.

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viraptor
> “Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering.”

Anyone cares to explain that one? It left me confused really... The way I read
it, he's a visionary and doesn't care how things are achieved as long as
business is good. And to be honest that doesn't sound good for me - more like
a dictator who will eliminate failing VPs whether the fault is on their side
or somewhere else in the organisation.

~~~
shazow
If the janitor didn't have reasons to hide behind, then he should have taken
initiative to get the new keys or pick the lock or break the door or whatever
it'll take to achieve his goal.

The notion is that a VP shouldn't have reasons to hide behind. She must
achieve her goal using any approach necessary, especially since her process is
not spelled out for her like the janitor's is. A VP should take initiative
even if it takes hiring a new team, or doing it herself, or changing the
product, or getting the necessary partnership or distribution deal--whatever
it takes to surpass Steve Jobs's expectations.

Steve Jobs doesn't have expectations for janitors.

~~~
leoc
Roughly speaking, this is also supposed to be the difference between a
professional and an employee, and between an officer and an enlisted man
(though a good military will also encourage initiative at all ranks).

~~~
podperson
So will a good corporation. The point is expecting vs. encouraging initiative.

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daimyoyo
Will this article be in the magazine? I don't want to have to get the iPad app
for one story.

~~~
GHFigs
Yes, it will be.
[http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2011/...](http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2011/05/23/toc.html)

~~~
daimyoyo
Thank you.

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blinkingled

        "Mossberg, our friend, is no longer writing good things about us."
    

Haha - Wonder what the consequences for Mossberg are here - of being called a
friend by Jobs!

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lautenbach
Is this amount of an article being reproduced/summarized really within the
bounds of fair use? I'm not complaining, but I felt no need to pay to read the
actual article after reading this summary, and I can't imagine Fortune would
be happy about that.

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leoc
Good stuff, but it seems to be taunting the _In Search of Excellence_ jinx.

