SUMMARY

In a rediscovered 1995 interview, journalist Robert X. Cringely speaks with Steve Jobs about his early fascination with computers, founding Apple through ingenuity and blue boxing, Macintosh innovations, corporate struggles, and visionary tech future blending art and communication.

STATEMENTS

Steve Jobs first encountered a computer at age 10 or 11 via a time-sharing terminal at NASA Ames Research Center, sparking his lifelong passion.
Jobs cold-called Bill Hewlett at Hewlett-Packard at age 12, securing parts and a summer job that shaped his view of company culture.
Jobs attended Hewlett-Packard Palo Alto Research Labs meetings, where he first saw the HP 9100, the earliest desktop computer, igniting his programming enthusiasm.
Jobs met Steve Wozniak at age 14 or 15, bonding over electronics and collaborating on projects inspired by an Esquire article on phone phreaking.
Jobs and Wozniak built blue boxes to make free phone calls by mimicking AT&T signaling tones, realizing they could control vast infrastructure with simple devices.
The blue boxing experience taught Jobs and Wozniak that two young people could build something to influence billions in global systems, a lesson foundational to Apple.
Jobs and Wozniak designed and built their own terminal for free time-sharing access, evolving it into the Apple I as a personal necessity.
The Apple I was hand-built in garages, taking 40-80 hours each, leading to helping friends assemble them and eventually creating printed circuit boards for sale.
Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus and Wozniak his calculator to fund Apple I circuit boards, selling them to the Byte Shop, marking Apple's entry into business.
Mike Markkula joined as an equal partner after investing in Apple II, enabling tooling for the first fully packaged personal computer.
The Apple II debuted at the West Coast Computer Faire in 1977, showcasing advanced color graphics and stealing the show with dealer interest.
Jobs learned business by questioning "why" practices, discovering many were folklore without deep rationale, allowing rapid adaptation.
Programming teaches structured thinking, akin to law school, positioning computer science as a liberal art essential for everyone.
Jobs became worth over a million at 23, ten million at 24, and a hundred million at 25, but prioritized company, people, and products over wealth.
At Xerox PARC in 1979, Jobs was captivated by the graphical user interface, recognizing its inevitability for all future computers.
Xerox failed to commercialize innovations due to sales-focused leadership eroding product sensibility, missing dominance in computing.
IBM's entry scared Apple, but their genius was creating vested interests among partners to improve their initially poor product.
Jobs assembled a core team for Macintosh after Lisa's misdirection, reinventing manufacturing, distribution, and design for affordability.
The Macintosh team, like polishing rocks in a tumbler, refined ideas through intense collaboration, arguments, and passion.
Apple recruited A-players who self-select and propagate excellence, creating high-performing teams far superior to average ones.
Jobs directly critiqued work to maintain high standards, focusing on content over process, which benefited top talent despite intensity.
Apple pioneered desktop publishing by partnering with Adobe and Canon for the LaserWriter, becoming the world's largest printer company by revenue.
Jobs' departure from Apple in 1985 stemmed from conflicts with John Sculley during recession, where survival instincts led to his ousting.
Apple's post-Jobs stagnation eroded its lead, with minimal innovation despite R&D spending, leading to a slow decline.
Microsoft succeeded through opportunism and persistence, leveraging IBM's boost, but lacks taste, culture, and original enlightenment in products.
NeXT focused on object-oriented software, enabling 10x faster development, positioning it as a key supplier in a software-driven revolution.
The web fulfills computing's shift from calculation to communication, democratizing distribution and fostering innovation beyond Microsoft's control.
Humans amplify abilities through tools like bicycles; the computer is the ultimate such invention, ranking at history's pinnacle.
Great products steal from liberal arts—music, poetry, art—infusing spirit; Macintosh succeeded by blending diverse talents.
The hippie ethos seeks life's deeper meaning beyond materialism, channeling that germ into passionate, soulful technology creation.

IDEAS

Encountering computers in childhood as mysterious, powerful entities shaped Jobs' view of them as idea-executing machines.
Cold-calling industry leaders at 12 demonstrated audacity's power in accessing opportunities otherwise unreachable.
Company culture, exemplified by HP's employee perks like donut breaks, imprints lasting views on valuing people.
Blue boxing revealed that simple, homemade devices could hijack global infrastructures, empowering the individual.
Necessity drove innovation; building a terminal for free access evolved directly into the first Apple product.
Selling personal assets to fund prototypes underscores bootstrapping's role in startup origins.
Assembling products fully assembled shifted from hobbyist kits to consumer-ready devices, broadening markets.
Questioning business folklore uncovers inefficiencies, accelerating learning in uncharted territories.
Programming as a mirror for thought processes trains logical rigor, universal like legal training.
Wealth from success is secondary to impact through products that enable human potential.
Graphical interfaces at Xerox PARC were revolutionary, obvious in hindsight as computing's future direction.
Monopolies rot innovation by promoting sales over product genius, as seen in Xerox and IBM.
Partner ecosystems can salvage flawed entries, turning threats into collaborative strengths.
Core teams of visionaries bypass institutional inertia to seize paradigm shifts.
Process institutionalization confuses means with ends, dooming companies like IBM.
Intense team friction polishes ideas into brilliance, akin to rocks tumbling into gems.
A-player clusters self-perpetuate excellence, rejecting mediocrity for mutual elevation.
Direct feedback on work preserves quality without ego coddling among elites.
Killer apps like desktop publishing emerge from hardware-software synergies ignored by incumbents.
Leadership vacuums in crises amplify survival tactics, derailing visionary paths.
Stagnant R&D without direction yields little, eroding technological leads.
Opportunism plus persistence turns boosts into dominance, though lacking aesthetic depth.
Object-oriented tech revolutionizes software creation, amplifying productivity tenfold.
The web transforms computing into communication, equalizing small and large entities.
Tools like bicycles amplify human efficiency; computers do so mentally and exponentially.
Stealing across disciplines infuses tech with humanistic spirit, elevating products.

INSIGHTS

Early hands-on experimentation with technology fosters profound innovation by demystifying the abstract.
Audacious persistence in outreach unlocks mentorship and resources beyond conventional paths.
Valuing employees as core assets builds enduring company cultures that inspire loyalty.
Hacking systems teaches control over complexity, empowering creators against giants.
Bootstrapping from personal needs scales to markets through iterative problem-solving.
Challenging ingrained practices reveals opportunities for streamlined, efficient operations.
Logical thinking tools like programming cultivate universal cognitive discipline.
True success lies in enabling broader human capabilities, not mere accumulation.
Visionary interfaces inevitably redefine user paradigms, blinding to lesser advances.
Corporate monopolies prioritize short-term sales, eroding long-term inventive cores.
Strategic alliances turn competitive threats into amplified successes.
Elite teams thrive on content mastery over procedural rigidity.
Collaborative intensity refines raw concepts into polished excellence.
Self-selecting high-caliber groups enforce and expand superior performance.
Candid critique sustains peak output in merit-based environments.
Synergistic ecosystems birth transformative applications from overlooked integrations.
Crises expose leadership gaps, favoring survival over strategic evolution.
Innovation requires directed passion, not just financial input.
Relentless adaptation leverages advantages into market hegemony.
Aesthetic and cultural infusion elevates functional tools to inspirational artifacts.
Revolutionary paradigms like objects speed creation while enhancing quality.
Communication shifts in tech democratize access and spark creativity.
Amplified tools redefine human potential, positioning computing as pinnacle invention.
Cross-disciplinary theft enriches tech with profound, humanistic essence.

QUOTES

"Nobody had ever seen a computer to the extent that they'd seen them they'd seen them in movies and they were these big boxes with whirring."
"It was an incredibly thrilling experience um so I became very um captivated by by a computer."
"We could build something ourselves that could control billions of dollars worth of infrastructure in the world."
"I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer should learn a computer language because it teaches you how to think."
"It's it wasn't that important uh because I never did it for the money uh I I I think money is wonderful thing because it enables you to do things."
"It was the best thing I had ever seen in my life... it was obvious to me that all computers would work like this someday."
"The people that can make the company more successful are sales and marketing people and they end up running the companies and the product people get driven out."
"It's through the team through that group of incredibly talented people bumping up against each other having arguments having fights sometimes making some noise and working together they polish each other."
"I've built a lot of My Success off finding these truly gifted people and not settling for B and C players but really going for the a players."
"When you say is someone's work is you really mean I don't quite understand it would you please explain it to me."
"Their products have no Spirit to them their products have no sort of spirit of Enlightenment about them they are very pedestrian."
"The web is going to be the defining technology the defining social uh um the defining social moment for computer."
"The personal computer was the bicycle of the mind and I believe that with every bone in my body."
"Good artists copy great artists steal."
"There's something more going on there's another side of the coin that we don't talk about much."
"They've work with computers because they are the medium that is best capable of transmitting some feeling that you have that you want to share with other people."

HABITS

Cold-calling experts like Bill Hewlett to request parts and opportunities.
Attending weekly research lab meetings to explore cutting-edge technology.
Collaborating intensely with like-minded innovators on hands-on projects.
Questioning established business practices to uncover underlying reasons.
Building prototypes from scavenged parts to solve immediate needs.
Selling personal items to fund essential development steps.
Assembling small teams of top talent for focused, passionate work.
Providing direct, clear feedback on work quality to maintain standards.
Stealing and adapting ideas from diverse fields like art and humanities.
Visiting factories worldwide to learn manufacturing innovations.
Prioritizing content and craftsmanship over rigid processes.

FACTS

Jobs first used a computer at age 10-11 via a teletype terminal at NASA Ames.
At 12, Jobs got a job at Hewlett-Packard after calling Bill Hewlett.
Blue boxes allowed circling the world five or six times via phone networks.
Apple I circuit boards were funded by selling a bus and calculator for $1,300.
Jobs was worth $100 million by age 25 after Apple's IPO.
Xerox PARC demo in 1979 showed GUI, networking, and object-oriented programming.
Macintosh mouse was engineered in 90 days for $15, against predictions of $300 and five years.
Apple became the world's largest printer company by revenue when Jobs left in 1985.
NeXT had 300 employees and $50-75 million revenue in 1995, leading in object tech.
The web was poised to shift 15% of US catalog sales online by early 2000s.

REFERENCES

Esquire magazine article on Captain Crunch and phone phreaking.
AT&T technical journal from Stanford Linear Accelerator Center library.
HP 9100 desktop computer with CRT display.
BASIC and APL programming languages.
Blue box device for generating phone signaling tones.
Apple I and Apple II computers.
Xerox PARC's Alto computer network and email system.
Graphical user interface demo at Xerox PARC.
Object-oriented programming from Xerox PARC.
Lisa computer project.
Macintosh computer and automated factory.
LaserWriter printer with Canon engine and Adobe software.
Macintosh Office announcement in 1985.
NeXT object-oriented software platform.
World Wide Web and internet communication tools.
Scientific American article on locomotion efficiency.
Apple ad comparing PC to "bicycle of the mind."
Picasso's saying: "Good artists copy, great artists steal."

HOW TO APPLY

Start with personal curiosity: Encounter technology young and experiment hands-on to build passion.
Reach out boldly: Cold-call experts for advice, parts, or jobs to gain access and mentorship.
Form key partnerships: Collaborate with skilled peers like Wozniak to tackle complex projects.
Prototype necessities: Build tools for your own needs, like terminals, evolving them into products.
Fund creatively: Sell personal assets to cover initial costs without external dependency.
Iterate on feedback: Sell to early adopters like the Byte Shop, adjusting based on demands for assembly.
Question conventions: Ask "why" on business practices to eliminate folklore and innovate processes.
Recruit elites: Seek A-players who self-perpetuate high standards in small, intense teams.
Steal wisely: Adapt ideas from other fields, like Xerox GUI, to infuse originality.
Focus on content: Prioritize product essence over processes to avoid institutional pitfalls.
Provide direct critique: Clearly address subpar work to realign with team goals without undermining confidence.
Nudge trajectories: Early small changes in tech direction yield massive long-term impacts.

ONE-SENTENCE TAKEAWAY

Steve Jobs' journey reveals that blending audacious innovation, elite teams, and humanistic vision propels technology toward amplifying human potential.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Learn programming early to sharpen logical thinking as a foundational skill.
Build things from scratch to grasp control over complex systems.
Surround yourself with top talent who elevate mutual performance.
Challenge "that's how it's done" to rethink inefficient traditions.
Visit innovators like Xerox PARC to absorb paradigm-shifting ideas.
Focus on product craftsmanship over sales-driven metrics.
Use intense collaboration to polish ideas through friction.
Directly address work flaws to sustain excellence.
Partner across disciplines for culturally rich innovations.
Bootstrap with personal resources to maintain independence.
Anticipate web-like shifts for communication over computation.
Steal great concepts shamelessly to accelerate progress.
Prioritize long-term impact over short-term wealth.
Foster hippie-like quests for deeper meaning in work.
Nudge tech vectors early for profound historical influence.

MEMO

In 1995, as Silicon Valley hummed with the promise of digital frontiers, journalist Robert X. Cringely sat down with Steve Jobs for a rare, unfiltered interview—now rediscovered from a dusty garage tape. Jobs, then steering the niche software firm NeXT after a bitter exit from Apple, recounted his improbable path from a 12-year-old cold-calling Hewlett-Packard's Bill Hewlett for parts to igniting a revolution in personal computing. That summer job at HP, with its egalitarian coffee-and-donut breaks, imprinted on young Jobs a reverence for companies that prized people as their true capital, a ethos that would define Apple's early ethos.

The interview's heart pulsed with tales of youthful audacity: Jobs and Steve Wozniak, bonded over electronics, built "blue boxes" to phreak AT&T's network, dialing the Vatican as faux Henry Kissinger and circling the globe in free calls. This epiphany—that two kids could command billions in infrastructure—crystallized their conviction in individual ingenuity. Necessity birthed the Apple I: scavenging parts for a homemade terminal evolved into garage-assembled boards sold to the Byte Shop. Funding came from Jobs' Volkswagen bus and Wozniak's calculator, a scrappy pivot to printed circuits that eased assembly from days to hours, easing them into business without fanfare.

By 21, Jobs and partner Mike Markkula unveiled the Apple II at the West Coast Computer Faire, its color graphics dazzling hobbyists and dealers alike. Jobs dissected business as folklore-riddled, urging relentless "why" questions to dismantle antiquated costs like standard variances. Programming, he insisted, was no mere trade but a liberal art, mirroring thought processes akin to law school—essential for all to cultivate structured minds. Riches followed swiftly—$100 million by 25—but Jobs dismissed money's allure, fixating on products that empowered lives.

Xerox PARC's 1979 demo of graphical interfaces blinded Jobs to even networking's wonders, foretelling computing's intuitive future. Yet Xerox's "toner heads"—sales drones—squandered it, a cautionary rot monopolies breed when product vision yields to marketing. IBM's PC entry terrified nascent Apple, but alliances vested others in its success, salvaging mediocrity. Jobs rallied a Macintosh skunkworks post-Lisa's flop, a $10,000 mismatch for Apple's ethos, reinventing from Japanese factories to a $1,000 dream machine.

The Mac team's alchemy—talented souls clashing like rocks in a tumbler—forged beauty from friction, A-players self-policing excellence in 50-to-1 leaps over averages. Desktop publishing via LaserWriter and Adobe crushed skeptics, crowning Apple printer king. But CEO John Sculley's Pepsi-honed survival instincts scapegoated Jobs amid 1985's recession, exiling him despite pleas for a research haven. Apple's glide to death ensued, its 10-year lead frittered on stagnant R&D.

Microsoft's juggernaut, boosted by IBM, opportunistically dominated via persistence, yet Jobs mourned its tasteless, spiritless fare—McDonald's to Apple's enlightenment. NeXT, his refuge, championed object-oriented software for 10x efficiency amid software's siege on industries. The web, he prophesied, would eclipse it all, morphing computers into communication's ultimate channel, equalizing giants and minnows in a catalog-to-digital deluge.

Jobs invoked a Scientific American insight: humans, toolmakers, eclipse condors on bikes; the PC was mind's bicycle, history's apex invention. Steal from Picasso, poets, zoologists—Mac's geniuses did, infusing tech with liberal arts' soul. A self-proclaimed hippie, Jobs chased life's ineffable beyond materialism, urging products that transmit shared feelings. In this lost dialogue, Jobs' charisma endures, a vector nudged toward humanity's amplified flourish.