SUMMARY

In a rediscovered 1995 interview, journalist Robert X. Cringely speaks with Steve Jobs about his early fascination with computers, founding Apple, innovations like the Macintosh, corporate missteps, and visions for technology's role in amplifying human potential.

STATEMENTS

• Steve Jobs first encountered a computer at age 10 or 11 through a time-sharing terminal at NASA Ames Research Center, sparking his lifelong passion.
• Jobs called Bill Hewlett at Hewlett-Packard at age 12, securing parts and a summer job that shaped his view of a company valuing employees.
• Jobs attended Hewlett-Packard research labs, falling in love with the HP 9100, the first desktop computer, and spent hours programming it.
• Jobs met Steve Wozniak at around age 14 or 15, bonding over electronics and collaborating on projects like blue boxes for free phone calls.
• Jobs and Wozniak built the world's best blue box, a digital device for phreaking, teaching them they could control vast infrastructure with simple tools.
• The blue box experience inspired confidence in Jobs and Wozniak, leading directly to the creation of Apple Computer.
• Jobs and Wozniak built a terminal for time-sharing access since they couldn't afford one, evolving it into the Apple I as a personal project.
• They hand-built Apple I computers, taking 40 to 80 hours each, and helped friends assemble them, consuming all their time.
• To streamline production, Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus and Wozniak his calculator to fund printed circuit boards for the Apple I.
• Paul Terrell of the Byte Shop ordered 50 assembled Apple I boards, forcing Jobs and Wozniak to source parts on credit and enter business.
• They sold the first 50 Apple I units in 29 days, paid suppliers on day 30, but faced a profit realization crisis with 50 unsold units.
• Mike Markkula joined as an equal partner, investing money and expertise to package the Apple II for non-hobbyists.
• The Apple II debuted at the West Coast Computer Faire in 1977, stealing the show with advanced color graphics and attracting distributors.
• Jobs learned business by questioning "why" practices, discovering many were folklore rather than essential, like standard costing in factories.
• Jobs advocated programming as a liberal art, teaching structured thinking akin to law school, essential for everyone.
• Becoming rich young—$1 million at 23, $100 million at 25—didn't motivate Jobs; products, people, and enabling users did.
• At Xerox PARC in 1979, Jobs was dazzled by the graphical user interface, foreseeing all computers would adopt it inevitably.
• Xerox failed to commercialize innovations due to sales-focused leadership eroding product sensibility, calling executives "toner heads."
• IBM's entry scared Apple, but their strategy of partnering for vested interests improved their initially poor PC product.
• Jobs assembled a Macintosh team after losing Lisa leadership, reinventing manufacturing with an automated factory inspired by Japanese visits.
• The Macintosh succeeded by focusing on content over process, hiring A-players who self-police and elevate work.
• Jobs' rock tumbler metaphor illustrates team passion: friction from talented people polishes ideas into beautiful products.
• Dynamic range in software/hardware talent is 50-100 to 1, far exceeding most fields, driving Jobs to seek only A-players.
• Feedback at Apple was direct: calling work "shit" meant it wasn't good enough, focusing on improvement without ego.
• Apple pioneered desktop publishing with the LaserWriter, acquiring Adobe software and Canon engines before competitors.
• Jobs' 1985 departure from Apple stemmed from clashes with John Sculley, who prioritized survival over vision during recession.
• Apple's 1995 state was dying due to stagnation; Macintosh evolved only 25% since Jobs left, eroding leads to Microsoft.
• Microsoft succeeded via opportunism and persistence, leveraging IBM's boost, but lacked taste, producing spiritless products.
• NeXT focused on object-oriented software, enabling 10x faster development, positioning it as a key enabler in business.
• The web in 1995 excited Jobs as communication's fulfillment, democratizing commerce and innovation beyond Microsoft's control.
• Jobs viewed computers as the "bicycle of the mind," amplifying human abilities like no other tool.
• Great products stem from liberal arts influences—musicians, poets, artists—stealing ideas to infuse spirit.
• Jobs identified as a hippie, valuing life's deeper spark beyond materialism, which infuses Apple's products with love.

IDEAS

• Early computer access at NASA felt magical, turning abstract mystery into tangible execution of ideas for a child.
• Calling tech giants as a kid revealed openness, contrasting today's barriers, fostering bold innovation.
• Blue boxing showed two teenagers could hack global telecom, proving small inventions control empires.
• Selling personal assets for PCBs symbolized raw entrepreneurship, turning hobbies into viable products overnight.
• Assembling on credit without business knowledge highlights instinct over formal training in startups.
• Packaging Apple II for hobbyists unlocked mass markets, shifting computing from elite to accessible.
• Questioning business folklore like standard costing exposed inefficiencies, enabling precise automated factories.
• Programming as a liberal art reframes tech education, mirroring law's logical rigor for everyday thinkers.
• Wealth's irrelevance to purpose underscores intrinsic motivation in creation over financial gain.
• Xerox's GUI demo was an epiphany of inevitability, like seeing the future unfold in flawed prototype.
• Monopoly breeds sales dominance, rotting product genius, as seen in Xerox and IBM's missteps.
• Vested partnerships turned IBM's flop into dominance, a lesson in ecosystem leverage.
• Direct mouse prototyping in 90 days for $15 debunked engineering impossibilities from rigid teams.
• Content over process prevents institutionalization that kills innovation, as in IBM's downfall.
• Macintosh as reinvention saved Apple, from factory to marketing, proving bold pivots work.
• Rock tumbler analogy captures team friction yielding polished brilliance, beyond individual genius.
• A-player dynamics create self-sustaining excellence, rejecting B/C talent for propagation.
• Direct feedback sharpens without coddling, prioritizing work quality in high-stakes teams.
• LaserWriter's push despite internal resistance birthed desktop publishing, rewarding visionaries.
• Sculley's survival instinct scapegoated Jobs, revealing leadership vacuums in crises.
• Apple's stagnation post-Jobs showed R&D without direction yields minimal evolution.
• Microsoft's tasteless opportunism contrasts enlightenment, like McDonald's versus fine dining in tech.
• Object-oriented tech at NeXT revolutionized software creation speed by 10x, infiltrating business wars.
• Web as communication's dawn equalizes small firms with giants, redefining commerce.
• Bicycle efficiency metaphor elevates computers as human amplifiers, ranking atop inventions.
• Stealing from arts infuses tech with soul, blending disciplines for products users love.
• Hippie ethos seeks life's unseen spark, countering materialism with profound purpose.
• Computers as mediums for sharing feelings explain why artists flock to tech.
• Early 70s counterculture sparked questioning norms, birthing innovative spirits.
• Installed base sustains but dooms without growth, Apple's 1995 glide path warning.

INSIGHTS

• Childhood curiosity with primitive tech ignites lifelong innovation, turning privilege into purpose.
• Bold outreach to experts builds networks, shaping corporate empathy from personal encounters.
• Hacking infrastructure empowers youth, proving ingenuity trumps scale in disruption.
• Necessity drives invention; unaffordable tools force self-reliance, birthing companies.
• Questioning norms uncovers folklore, accelerating business learning through deep inquiry.
• Education in programming fosters disciplined thinking, democratizing cognitive tools.
• True wealth lies in impact, not accumulation; purpose sustains beyond riches.
• Visionary demos reveal futures, but commercialization demands relentless execution.
• Monopolies erode core strengths, favoring sales over creation, dooming pioneers.
• Ecosystems amplify weaknesses; partnerships turn failures into dominance.
• Prototyping defies pessimism, validating ideas through action over debate.
• Prioritizing content preserves innovation; process alone institutionalizes mediocrity.
• Team passion through friction polishes raw ideas into enduring excellence.
• Elite talent self-selects, creating virtuous cycles of high performance.
• Candid critique elevates work, trusting abilities while demanding excellence.
• Pioneering integrations, like printing, unlock killer apps transforming industries.
• Survival instincts in leaders can derail visions, magnifying crises.
• Stagnation erodes leads; directionless R&D wastes billions on irrelevance.
• Opportunism without taste yields functional but soulless dominance.
• Revolutionary tools like objects speed creation, weaponizing software in economies.
• Communication platforms like the web democratize power, fostering boundless innovation.
• Tools amplify humanity's best; computers rival wheels in transformative potential.
• Liberal arts infusion breathes spirit into tech, creating lovable products.
• Countercultural quests for meaning infuse creation with transcendent energy.

QUOTES

• "Nobody had ever seen a computer... they were very mysterious very powerful things that did something in the background."
• "It was an incredibly thrilling experience... that you could write a program... and actually this machine would sort of take your idea and... execute your idea."
• "We could build something ourselves that could control billions of dollars worth of infrastructure in the world."
• "I don't think there would have ever been an Apple computer had there not been blue boxing."
• "If we could make what's called a printed circuit board... we could sell them to all our friends... and everybody be happy."
• "Throughout the years in business I found... nobody knows why they do what they do nobody thinks about things very deeply."
• "I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer... it teaches you how to think."
• "I was worth... over a million dollars when I was 23 and over $100 million when I was 25... it wasn't that important."
• "Within 10 minutes it was obvious to me that all computers would work like this someday... the inevitability of it."
• "The product sensibility... that brought them to that monopolistic position gets rotted out by people... who have no conception of a good product."
• "It's not process it's content... that's what makes great products."
• "A team of people doing something they really believe in is like... rocks... rubbing against each other... come out these beautiful polished rocks."
• "In software... the difference between average and the best is 50 to one maybe 100 to one easy."
• "When you say someone's work is shit you really mean... their work isn't good enough to support the goal of the team."
• "He basically got on a rocket ship that was about to leave the pad... and thought that he built a rocket ship."
• "Apple's dying... it's on a glide slope to die... their differentiation has been eroded by Microsoft."
• "Microsoft... have absolutely no taste... their products have no spirit of enlightenment about them."
• "The web is going to be the defining technology... the smallest company in the world can look as large as the largest."

HABITS

• Regularly questioning established business practices to uncover and eliminate unnecessary folklore.
• Spending hours programming and tinkering with early computers to explore and execute ideas.
• Calling experts directly, like Bill Hewlett, to seek advice, parts, or opportunities without hesitation.
• Collaborating intensely with talented peers on hands-on projects, from blue boxes to prototypes.
• Visiting factories worldwide, like 80 in Japan, to study and adapt manufacturing innovations.
• Hiring and surrounding oneself exclusively with A-players to foster self-policing excellence.
• Providing direct, unfiltered feedback on work quality to drive improvement without ego.
• Drawing inspiration from diverse fields like arts and history to infuse products with broader sensibility.
• Maintaining focus on content and vision over rigid processes in team management.
• Reflecting on personal experiences, like rock tumbling, to metaphorize team dynamics.

FACTS

• In 1995, Jobs estimated Apple's Macintosh had a 10-year lead that Microsoft took a decade to catch.
• Xerox PARC demonstrated GUI, networking, and object-oriented programming in 1979, but failed to commercialize.
• Jobs prototyped a mouse in 90 days for $15, countering claims it would take five years and cost $300.
• Apple became the world's largest printer company by revenue when Jobs left in 1985.
• Blue boxes allowed free international calls by mimicking AT&T signaling tones in the voice band.
• The HP 9100 was the first self-contained desktop computer, suitcase-sized with a CRT display.
• Apple's LaserWriter used the first Canon laser printer engine shipped to the US.
• NeXT specialized in object-oriented software, becoming the largest supplier with 300 employees and $50-75 million revenue.
• In 1995, about 15% of US goods and services were sold via catalogs or TV, soon to shift online.

REFERENCES

• NASA Ames Research Center time-sharing terminal.
• Hewlett-Packard company and labs, including HP 9100 desktop computer.
• Bill Hewlett's phone call and summer job at HP.
• Steve Wozniak's electronics projects and De Anza Junior College.
• Esquire magazine article on Captain Crunch and phone phreaking.
• AT&T technical journal on signaling tones from Stanford Linear Accelerator Center library.
• Byte Shop computer store in Mountain View, run by Paul Terrell.
• West Coast Computer Faire 1977 debut.
• Xerox PARC demonstrations: graphical user interface, object-oriented programming, networked Alto computers.
• Don Valentine venture capitalist introduction.
• Mike Markkula from Intel as partner.
• John Sculley from PepsiCo as Apple CEO.
• Lisa and Macintosh projects at Apple.
• Adobe software and 19.9% stake.
• Canon laser printer engines.
• LaserWriter printer.
• Japanese automated factories (80 visited).
• Scientific American article on locomotion efficiency, comparing bicycle to condor.
• Picasso's saying: "Good artists copy, great artists steal."
• MCI's Friends and Family billing software.
• Triumph of the Nerds TV series by Robert X. Cringely.

HOW TO APPLY

• Start with curiosity: Access early tech like terminals to experiment and execute simple programs.
• Build networks boldly: Cold-call industry leaders for parts, advice, or opportunities.
• Prototype necessities: Design and build tools you can't afford, like terminals for time-sharing.
• Scavenge and assemble: Gather parts creatively and hand-build projects to hone skills.
• Fund minimally: Sell personal items to create prototypes, like PCBs for circuit boards.
• Pitch assembled products: Approach stores with ready units to test market demand.
• Secure credit wisely: Negotiate net-30 terms with suppliers to bootstrap production.
• Package for masses: Design user-friendly casings to appeal beyond hobbyists.
• Question processes: Ask "why" repeatedly to eliminate outdated business folklore.
• Hire for content: Seek A-players who prioritize innovation over rigid management.
• Prototype rapidly: Ignore naysayers and outsource designs to validate ideas quickly.
• Infuse arts: Draw from liberal disciplines to add soul and usability to tech products.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Embrace bold curiosity and liberal arts in technology to amplify human potential through innovative, spirited products.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Learn programming early as a thinking tool, not just a skill, to structure ideas like a liberal art.
• Question every business practice deeply to root out folklore and optimize efficiency.
• Surround yourself with A-players only, letting their excellence self-perpetuate teams.
• Prototype ideas swiftly, ignoring predicted impossibilities, to turn vision into reality.
• Visit global innovators, like factories, to adapt best practices without reinvention.
• Infuse products with artistic sensibility, stealing great ideas to create lovable tech.
• Provide direct feedback on work, focusing on quality to elevate team output.
• Prioritize content over process to avoid institutionalizing mediocrity in growth.
• Leverage ecosystems and partnerships to amplify strengths during challenges.
• View computers as human amplifiers, like the bicycle of the mind, for profound impact.
• Seek countercultural sparks for deeper purpose, beyond materialism in creation.
• Focus on communication revolutions, like the web, for democratized innovation.
• Balance vision with craftsmanship, recognizing ideas evolve through trade-offs.
• Use object-oriented tools to accelerate software, weaponizing it for business edges.
• Nudge technology's vector early toward enlightenment, shaping societal progress.

MEMO

In 1995, as the personal computer revolution reshaped the world, Steve Jobs sat for a rare, unfiltered interview with journalist Robert X. Cringely, recounting the improbable origins of his tech empire. At just 10 years old, Jobs stumbled upon a time-sharing terminal at NASA Ames Research Center—a clunky teletype printer that executed his first programs in BASIC. This "incredibly thrilling experience," as he called it, ignited a passion for machines that could manifest ideas. By 12, he was cold-calling Hewlett-Packard co-founder Bill Hewlett for parts to build a frequency counter, landing not just spares but a summer job that imprinted his ideal of a company as a nurturing force for employees. These early encounters, from HP labs' HP 9100 desktop prototype to bonding with Steve Wozniak over electronics pranks, laid the groundwork for Apple's birth.

The duo's audacious blue-box project— a digital device mimicking AT&T tones for free global calls—proved pivotal. "We could build something ourselves that could control billions of dollars worth of infrastructure," Jobs reflected, a revelation that two teenagers could hack the world's telecom backbone. This confidence propelled them to craft the Apple I, born from necessity: a terminal for free time-sharing access, evolved into a microprocessor board. Hand-assembling units in Jobs' garage, scavenging parts, they soon overwhelmed their schedules helping friends. Selling a VW bus and calculator funded printed circuit boards, and a fateful pitch to the Byte Shop's Paul Terrell for 50 assembled units thrust them into business on 30-day credit, navigating a "Marxian profit realization crisis" with unsold inventory.

With Intel veteran Mike Markkula as an equal partner, Apple II emerged as the first packaged personal computer, debuting triumphantly at the 1977 West Coast Computer Faire. Its color graphics wowed crowds, but Jobs' real genius lay in questioning corporate norms. "Nobody thinks about things very deeply in business," he observed, dismantling folklore like standard costing for precise automated factories. Wealth followed—$100 million by 25—but paled against the drive to empower users. A 1979 Xerox PARC visit sealed his vision: the graphical user interface was inevitable, though Xerox's "toner heads" squandered it through sales-driven rot, a cautionary tale of monopolies eroding product soul.

Clashes defined Apple's turbulence. Losing Lisa leadership to John Couch, Jobs formed the Macintosh skunkworks, a "mission from God" to save the company. Visiting 80 Japanese factories, they built the world's first automated computer plant, slashing microprocessor costs and pricing at $2,500. The Mac's success stemmed from A-players—"the difference between average and best is 50 to one"—polished like rocks in a tumbler through passionate friction. Yet, Sculley's Pepsi-honed survival instinct scapegoated Jobs during the 1984 recession, exiling him in 1985. "He got on a rocket ship... and thought he built it," Jobs lamented, as Apple's values eroded.

By 1995, Apple teetered on a "glide slope to die," its Macintosh barely evolved despite billion-dollar R&D, outpaced by Microsoft's opportunistic Windows leapfrog. Jobs critiqued Microsoft's "no taste," likening it to McDonald's—functional but spiritless—while praising their persistence. At NeXT, he championed object-oriented software for 10x faster development, fueling business wars like MCI's billing edge. The web thrilled him as computing's communicative rebirth, equalizing small firms in a catalog-to-digital commerce shift, free from Microsoft's grip.

Jobs' philosophy transcended code: computers as the "bicycle of the mind," amplifying human locomotion's efficiency per a Scientific American article that captivated his youth. "Good artists copy, great artists steal," he echoed Picasso, blending musicians, poets, and zoologists into Apple's teams for products users loved. Identifying as a hippie, he sought life's deeper "spark" beyond materialism—the 1970s counterculture's germ that questioned routines, infusing tech with transcendent feeling. "Computers are the medium... best capable of transmitting some feeling," he said, a hippie-nerd fusion driving enlightenment.

This lost interview, unearthed from a garage VHS, captures Jobs' charisma at its peak—candid, visionary, unflinching. A year later, he'd return to revive Apple, proving his warnings prophetic. His lessons endure: nurture curiosity, hire brilliance, steal boldly from arts, and nudge technology toward human flourishing, lest monopolies dull its edge.