Steve Jobs: an Anomaly in Business Leadership
Steve Jobs:
An Anomaly in Business Leadership
Introduction
Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur and inventor, best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Through Apple, he was widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution and for his influential career in the computer and consumer electronics fields, transforming one industry after another, from computers and smartphones to music and animated movies. Jobs also co-founded and served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, when Disney acquired Pixar. Steve Job’s Career and Route to Success
In 1972, Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College in Portland, Oregon at the age of 17. He spent several years traveling in India (dabbling in spiritual attainment and Zen) and working at Atari before founding Apple Computer with Steve Wozniak in 1976. In 1980, Apple Computer became a publicly traded corporation and in 1983, Jobs persuaded John Sculley from Pepsi-Cola to join and run Apple as the CEO.
The first commercially successful computer with a graphical user interface from Apple was called the Macintosh, and was launched in 1984. Unfortunately for Jobs, The computer industry hit a sales slump in 1984, and Apple was forced to conduct significant layoffs. The stress of the situation strained Job’s relationship with other Apple executives and in May 1985, after an internal power struggle, he was stripped of his duties by John Sculley (Apple CEO, 1983 - 1993) and ousted from Apple.
Jobs went on to found NeXT Computer later in 1985, which was also in the business of developing and commercializing computers. The company struggled to thrive when their expensive computers failed to fit mainstream wallets and needs. NeXT eventually transitioned into a software-only company.
In 1986, Jobs co-founded (with Edwin
An Anomaly in Business Leadership
Introduction
Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur and inventor, best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Through Apple, he was widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution and for his influential career in the computer and consumer electronics fields, transforming one industry after another, from computers and smartphones to music and animated movies. Jobs also co-founded and served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, when Disney acquired Pixar. Steve Job’s Career and Route to Success
In 1972, Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College in Portland, Oregon at the age of 17. He spent several years traveling in India (dabbling in spiritual attainment and Zen) and working at Atari before founding Apple Computer with Steve Wozniak in 1976. In 1980, Apple Computer became a publicly traded corporation and in 1983, Jobs persuaded John Sculley from Pepsi-Cola to join and run Apple as the CEO.
The first commercially successful computer with a graphical user interface from Apple was called the Macintosh, and was launched in 1984. Unfortunately for Jobs, The computer industry hit a sales slump in 1984, and Apple was forced to conduct significant layoffs. The stress of the situation strained Job’s relationship with other Apple executives and in May 1985, after an internal power struggle, he was stripped of his duties by John Sculley (Apple CEO, 1983 - 1993) and ousted from Apple.
Jobs went on to found NeXT Computer later in 1985, which was also in the business of developing and commercializing computers. The company struggled to thrive when their expensive computers failed to fit mainstream wallets and needs. NeXT eventually transitioned into a software-only company.
In 1986, Jobs co-founded (with Edwin
References: Bass,B. M,(1985) “Leadership and Performance.”, N.Y. Free Press. Schlender, Brent (2012) "25 most powerful people in business", CNN money. Simon, William L. & Young, Jeffrey S. (2005) “iCon: Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business.”, John Wiley & Sons. Deutschman, Alan (2001) “The Second Coming of Steve Jobs.”, Broadway.