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Steve Jobs’ 12 Principles of Success

John Sculley, Apple’s ex-CEO, talks for the first time about Steve Jobs.


In 1983, Steve Jobs wooed Pepsi executive John Sculley to Apple with one of the most famous lines in business: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?”

Jobs and Scully, co-CEOs of Apple, had brought world-class technology, world-class advertising, and world-class design. However, cooperation between the two sides did not last too long, the end result being that Scully was forced out of Apple.

Now, for the first time, Sculley talks publicly about Steve Jobs and the secrets of his success. It’s the first interview Sculley has given on the subject of Steve Jobs since he was forced out of the company in 1993.

Scully said: “I think Steve Jobs has not changed from first principles, but he was getting better and better application of these principles.” He also said: “I have no contact with Steve Jobs. He is still on the 22 Apple out the door to heart years ago. And I have become experienced in the history of Apple. ”

Scully said in an interview that Steve Jobs talked about the 12 principles of success:

1. Beautiful design

Scully said that he and Steve Jobs like a beautiful design, but Jobs also that it should be from the perspective of the user experience to begin design. They had to learn Italian designers, including automotive designers. They learn all aspects of vehicle design, including comfort, materials and colors, etc., when no one in Silicon Valley to do so. Scully said that this was not his idea, but the idea of Steve Jobs, but when his professional background is design. Apple did not just computers, but also product design and marketing design, this is a problem of positioning the company.

2. User Experience

Jobs will always consider such a problem that the product user experience is? End-user experience is a system, but also with product manufacturing, supply chain, marketing and retail related.

3. Not by a panel discussion

Jobs said: “If a person does not know what a computer-based graphics, and I asked him how could a computer-based graphics should look like? No one has ever seen before such a thing.” Jobs believes that the others show a calculator will not help to explain the way computers work, because the cross is too large.

4. Perfectionism

Jobs that every step must be done, all things are fastidious about his methods, and very cautious. Steve Jobs is actually a perfectionist.

5. Forward-looking

Jobs believes that the computer will become consumer products. In the early ’80s, this is a startling idea, because when people believe that the personal computer is just a little small mainframes. This is IBM’s view. Others believe that the personal computer may be similar to the game, because it was already available in several games.However, a completely different view of Steve Jobs, in his view the computer will change the world, helping people to acquire the ability of previously unthinkable.Computer games is not, nor is the small mainframe.

6. Minimize

Jobs was unusual in that way, he considered the most important decision is not what you should do something, but what you should not do something. He advocates a minimum. Jobs are always some elements in the cut, so that products meet the most simple level. Of course, Jobs is not so simplistic product, he only make the complex system simple.

7. Recruit the best talent

Jobs can always find the best and brightest people. He has leadership qualities, able to attract others to join his team. In addition, he has no real product in the case so that people accept his views. Jobs is always to reach out to those in his opinion, the best talent in a field. He is always personally responsible for their own team of recruitment, rather than hiring others to do the work.

8. Perfect details

Jobs, a concept is “to change the world,” Jobs also very concerned about the other details, such as how to develop products, how to design software, hardware and systems, and products should have any peripheral devices. He was always personally involved in advertising, design and everything.

9. To maintain a smaller scale

Steve Jobs does not like big companies, big companies he believes is full of bureaucracy, lack of efficiency. The companies he called “idiots.” Jobs used to think, Mac team members should not exceed 100 people, so if someone wants to join, then someone must leave. Jobs said: “I can not remember more than 100 names, and I only hope to work with familiar people. So if the scale is more than 100 people, then we must change the organizational structure, and I can not work that way. I I like to work have access to everything. ”

10. Refuse to work bad

Scully believes that Apple is like an artist’s studio, and Steve Jobs is a skilled craftsman. Jobs shows an engineer who has just written to the software code, but after browsing for Jobs, said: “not good enough.” Jobs are always forcing others to do the best they can achieve the level of So Apple is always able to complete some of the staff originally thought that they could not be done.

11. Good taste

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (Bill Gates), who’s a major difference is that Steve Jobs has a good taste. Gates, who is always concerned about those who can capture the market of products, the introduction of the product is always to seize the market. But Jobs never did that, he thought it to be perfect.

12. To consider the issue from a system perspective

iPod is a good example to show the Jobs of the user experience, and the entire end to end system’s attention. Jobs are always concerned about the end to end system, he is not a designer, but a good system thinkers. This is rare in other companies, they only want to do their part to do that, and outsource the rest.