The Obsessive Focus and Genius of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs exemplified relentless focus and obsessive dedication to transforming good ideas into extraordinary products.

### The Obsessive Genius of Steve Jobs: Focus, Detail, and Creative Process
* 🎯 Steve Jobs was a remarkably focused individual, embodying a **relentless dedication to his work** that was evident in every aspect of his projects.
* 🛠 He often emphasized the importance of **saying no to even the most enticing ideas** to maintain focus on a singular goal, demonstrating a level of **single-mindedness that was unparalleled**.
* 📦 Jobs was intricately involved in **every detail of product design and user experience**, from the moment a customer walked into an Apple store to the unboxing experience of an iPhone.
* 💪 "Steve was a **god of perspiration**," tirelessly applying his intellectual gifts to solve complex problems until he achieved **perfection in his products**.
* 💡 He had a unique ability to translate good ideas into finished products, understanding that "**translating a good idea into a great product is unbelievably hard**."
* 🔄 Jobs was open to persuasion and would quickly pivot to the best idea, prioritizing **excellence over his own initial opinions**.
* His obsessive-compulsive nature, combined with an aesthetic sensibility, allowed him to assemble **intricate systems like the iPad**, making him a **unique figure in the tech industry**.
* 🌟 Ultimately, Jobs was not motivated by wealth or fame, but rather by a **deep passion for the creative process** and the desire to **build beautiful, innovative products**.

[Music] Steve was the most remarkably focused person I've ever met in my life. And the thing with focus is it's not sort of like this thing you aspire to or you just, you decide on Monday, you know what, I'm going to be focused.

It is an every minute, a 'why are we talking about this? This is what we're working on.' You can achieve so much when you truly focus. And one of the things that Steve would say, because I think he was concerned that I wasn't...

He would say, 'How many things have you said no to?' And I would, honestly, I would have these sacrificial things because I mean, I'm wanting to be very honest about it. And so I say, 'Oh, I said no to this and no to that.'

And um, he, but he, he knew that I wasn't vaguely interested in doing those things anyway. So there was no real sacrifice. What focus means is saying no to something that you, with every bone in your body, you think is a phenomenal idea, and you wake up thinking about it.

But you say no to it because you're focusing on something else. He had a single-mindedness and an attention to detail unlike anyone I've ever seen. He wanted to engineer every aspect of the user experience, let's say for the iPhone.

Including what happened when you walked into the store, how you paid for it. Yeah, uh, uh, uh, or how you paid for an iPad with your, uh, I looked, you saw it in the store, you know, obviously bought it from AT&T, uh, going, uh, how you paid for an Apple product with...

your credit card in the store uh how uh if if the iPhone was sent to you or the iPhone was delivered to your iPod delivered to you what it looked like in the box the detail of the box was like to open the box what what you saw when you

first opened the box how you bought an application how you um how you connected to the network I mean every excruciating detail he was personally involved in I don't think people really understand you know Edison had this comment you know it's one percent inspiration

and 99 perspiration Steve was a god of perspiration I mean Steve worked incredibly hard it wasn't just his intellectual gifts which were enormous but how he took that horsepower and applied it tirelessly until the entire problem was solved I've

never seen anyone like that he would just not let go of a problem that was solved I guess that's the best way to describe it it's not that he just put in the area if he had to stay up all night if he stayed up night after night every night I would

get he would call me up and say Larry let's get together we saw each other a lot and I'd come over to my house I'd go over to his house I said see I'm not coming over if you make me watch Toy Story again

I've watched 73 different versions of Toy Story now I know the new version of RenderMan is four percent better than the one I saw last week but I'm not watching this thing again so Larry you got to see you you won't believe the

Shout out the different the shadows look I don't care you don't understand I'm not coming unless you promise me that I don't you're not going to make me watch it I I promise but just a little of it [Laughter] This is before the movie came out

Before the movie came out and and that was that was Steve and I we go over there and we go he'd have to mock up at this of the Apple stores and we go over to the warehouse and is it and Oracle did the software for by the way

For the output for the retail software and he's just complaining about it to me Steve it's Sunday you're you're you're you know you're saying how terrible the Oracle is off where is the juggernaut I'm your stupid store in the warehouse

Let me tell you I mean how many times I've come around Sunday and we're walking through the checkout of you know you know but that was Steve until it was perfect and then once it was perfect and then he moved on to the next problem

But working working obsessively until he had a solution that was insanely great is what Steve was all about and an idea I'll go back to the network computer you know we had this idea you know I had this idea simple device attached to the internet

Uh I'm now done you know that the you know idea idea now fully formed you know boy that was a good idea what do you think Steve this is a good idea building that thing is really hard let me tell you what you have to do a b is you know

and then Steve then proceeds you know to come to build the iPad there's a big difference there's a reason ideas good ideas there are a lot of good ideas there are a lot of good ideas there are a lot of good ideas translating a good idea

into a great product is unbelievably hard there are so many details people accuse Steve of stealing you know the Macintosh from Xerox you know with the Alto computer I was at Xerox Park so I used the Alto a lot finishing the Alto

and turning that into the Macintosh was enormously complicated and you there were so many things that had to be done that Xerox had not done there were a few good ideas in uh in the Xerox machine but Steve would translate good ideas not always his good ideas

but he would translate good ideas into finished product unlike anyone in our industry you'd have to I mean Henry Ford didn't invent the car but he made it cheap and he made it popular and he made it accessible to the American people Steve would translate

good ideas into finished brilliant products I've had discussions with Steve and Steve's dean Steven meetings where he didn't agree in the beginning and he was persuaded and he and when he changes he changes like that boom this is what Tim Cook was saying

yeah and hey bang I mean he'll just move over to the best idea what he wants is the best idea the best product the best movie the best store the best you know the best everything and if he thinks someone's better than he is in a certain area he'll I mean he's very

good at listening uh if he thinks uh you're full of it he'll tell you [Music] if there's an unsolved problem and you're at work can you think about anything else so if you want to know if you're like Steve Jobs

if you are unable to think about anything about this problem so if you want to go to the movies yeah and it has nothing to do with being successful you're not thinking about oh my god if I'm Steve Jobs I can go out with this person I can date this person

and I could buy this house and if you think about the benefits of being famous and rich then you're missing the whole point if you want to know you're like Steve Jobs it's very simple you are unable to think about anything about these serious problems at work

and you just that's all you can do and you obsess about it until you solve it and then you move on to the next thing and you obsess about that until you solve it and then you obsess about this until you solve it uh it is you know that obsessive compulsive

personality uh combined with this incredibly and obsessive compulsive personalities are not all that rare amongst successful people the obsessive compulsive personality combined with this peculiar genius of Steve's which was both aesthetic you know we talked about the building you know he loved architecture

and design you know he loved I mean I mean he was an amateur architect he loved product design he wasn't an engineer though he wasn't a coder he wasn't he wasn't a programmer you know and I'm you know I'm a programmer and

and but he had enough knowledge of what went into you know you know what went into the into the product whether it was uh the microprocessor or the operating system he had a pretty deep knowledge about all of that technology very smart boy he learned very fast might have not might

not have been a professional programmer but his understanding of the complete system the gestalt the whole thing the whole system and how to fit those pieces together I mean he would take this this puzzle and assemble these pieces into the iPad and that's a lot of complicated

software pieces and he'd work with the engineers and he was a great editor he was a wonderful editor at least you know in terms of editing the software and user interface as it was developed now he was a great editor of process in the stores he would constantly review things

in continuously make them better until he was marginally satisfied and then they could release the product if you have that kind of obsession combined combined with Picasso's aesthetic and Edison's inventiveness then you were the next Steve Jobs Apple became the most

valuable company on earth and it wasn't even one of Steve's goals he never you know he wasn't trying to be rich he wasn't trying to be famous he wasn't trying to be powerful he was obsessed with the creative process and building something that was

All You Need To Work Like Steve Jobs | Jony Ive and Larry Ellison

Wisdom Kindred

Steve Jobs's Remarkable Focus and the Importance of Saying No

Steve Jobs was exceptionally focused, a trait not easily achieved through simple aspiration.

True focus involves constant prioritization and eliminating distractions.

Jobs questioned the speaker about how many things they had said 'no' to.

Real focus means rejecting even phenomenal ideas to concentrate on priorities.

Steve Jobs's Attention to Detail and Obsessive Work Ethic

Jobs's attention to detail extended to every aspect of the user experience, from store design to product packaging.

He was incredibly hardworking, applying his intelligence tirelessly until problems were solved.

Jobs relentlessly pursued solutions, often working late into the night.

The speaker recounts numerous instances of Jobs's obsession with perfection, exemplified by his repeated viewings of Toy Story.

Jobs's dedication continued until the product was perfect, after which he moved on to the next challenge.

Translating Good Ideas into Great Products and Steve Jobs's Legacy

Jobs's ability to transform good ideas into exceptional products was unmatched.

The development of the Macintosh from the Xerox Alto exemplifies the complexity of this process.

Jobs's approach was similar to Henry Ford's in making products accessible and popular.

Jobs was open to changing his mind if presented with a better idea.

Apple's success was a result of Jobs's obsession with the creative process and building beautiful products, not wealth or fame.