13A - Reading Reflection No.1
1. Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson
1. What surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most about Steve Jobs is how he dropped out of Reed college only after a year of attending. It was really interesting to me that he did not graduate college and was still able to create and run one of the biggest and most successful companies in the world. It just goes to show how as long as you have enough dedication, resources, connections and a little bit of luck you can do anything.
2. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
What I most admired about Steve Jobs was his obsession with simplicity as a brand for Apple. I liked that he realized how science and technology could be intertwined in an artistic fashion that could be neatly tied up. There was a quote by Leonardo DaVinci that Jobs thought represented Apple really well: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." This was also a great selling factor, as most people really like Apple products because they're simple and not hard to learn how to use.
3. What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
What I least admired about Steve Jobs was learning how at some points he would berate his employees for giving "stupid" ideas, but then present the idea weeks later as if they were his own. I think it would have been more effective and thoughtful if he listened and gave at least some credit to his employees for coming up with some of the ideas.
4. Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
Throughout his life, Jobs has faced many obstacles. He was put up for adoption, dropped out of college, had a daughter that he refused to believe was his for a couple of years, and ultimately lost his life after a long battle with cancer. Despite all the obstacles he faced, he was still able to become successful and created a legacy that will last for generations.
2. What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
I noticed that Steve Jobs strived for perfection in his work. While he was alive, he made sure every aspect of whatever he was creating, whether that be screens, internal processors, camera, etc. He really focused all of his time, effort and energy into perfecting his products and his company.
3. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
One part of the reading that was confusing to me was learning about Jobs' background since I did not really know much about him and his life story until reading the book. I was confused to learn that he was adopted and had a quirky and weird personality.
4. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
I would ask Steve Jobs if he ever wondered if he knew he'd be successful when he was younger. I'd ask this because I think I'd get an interesting answer from it. My second question would be what other thing would he have invented if he was still living. I feel like Apple would be run way differently if Jobs was still alive and I wonder what type of products he would have changed the world with.
5. What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
I believe that Steve Jobs was a major proponent of hard work, considering he started from the bottom and worked extremely hard to get to the top. Personally, I believe in hard work and dedication in any field that a person is in is a necessary facet of what makes us human. Even if whatever you do doesn't work out after putting in all the work, you can still be proud of how hard you worked trying to accomplish it, and thats very important to me.
1. What surprised you the most?
What surprised me the most about Steve Jobs is how he dropped out of Reed college only after a year of attending. It was really interesting to me that he did not graduate college and was still able to create and run one of the biggest and most successful companies in the world. It just goes to show how as long as you have enough dedication, resources, connections and a little bit of luck you can do anything.
2. What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
What I most admired about Steve Jobs was his obsession with simplicity as a brand for Apple. I liked that he realized how science and technology could be intertwined in an artistic fashion that could be neatly tied up. There was a quote by Leonardo DaVinci that Jobs thought represented Apple really well: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." This was also a great selling factor, as most people really like Apple products because they're simple and not hard to learn how to use.
3. What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
What I least admired about Steve Jobs was learning how at some points he would berate his employees for giving "stupid" ideas, but then present the idea weeks later as if they were his own. I think it would have been more effective and thoughtful if he listened and gave at least some credit to his employees for coming up with some of the ideas.
4. Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
Throughout his life, Jobs has faced many obstacles. He was put up for adoption, dropped out of college, had a daughter that he refused to believe was his for a couple of years, and ultimately lost his life after a long battle with cancer. Despite all the obstacles he faced, he was still able to become successful and created a legacy that will last for generations.
2. What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
I noticed that Steve Jobs strived for perfection in his work. While he was alive, he made sure every aspect of whatever he was creating, whether that be screens, internal processors, camera, etc. He really focused all of his time, effort and energy into perfecting his products and his company.
3. Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
One part of the reading that was confusing to me was learning about Jobs' background since I did not really know much about him and his life story until reading the book. I was confused to learn that he was adopted and had a quirky and weird personality.
4. If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?
I would ask Steve Jobs if he ever wondered if he knew he'd be successful when he was younger. I'd ask this because I think I'd get an interesting answer from it. My second question would be what other thing would he have invented if he was still living. I feel like Apple would be run way differently if Jobs was still alive and I wonder what type of products he would have changed the world with.
5. What do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
I believe that Steve Jobs was a major proponent of hard work, considering he started from the bottom and worked extremely hard to get to the top. Personally, I believe in hard work and dedication in any field that a person is in is a necessary facet of what makes us human. Even if whatever you do doesn't work out after putting in all the work, you can still be proud of how hard you worked trying to accomplish it, and thats very important to me.
Hey Ozzie, I thought your reflection on this book about Steve Jobs was very impressive. I liked your review on Jobs' and what you admired most about him, specifically the quote you added, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," that Jobs' thought best represented Apple, in which was said by Leonardo DaVinci. I really enjoyed reading your two questions that you would want to ask Steve Jobs and why you think it would be relevant to get him to answer these. I agree with you with when you say that Apple would be run differently if Jobs was still alive and coming up with new products. Overall, this reading reflection has positively sold me on wanting to read this book for a future reading reflection assignment. Great job!
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