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Steve Jobs

A fitting tribute

by nick on October 6, 2011

It’s easy to gush more wonderful adulation to Steve Jobs, but there’s a far better tribute to be made: start something.

A friend said tonight that it’d been a moving day. But he was also inspired when he thought of Jobs and the founding of Apple and Pixar. So inspired in fact that he registered two companies that he and his team had been talking about for months. These companies will move from mothballed thoughts to job-creating realism.

This is what our dire economy needs: innovation, inspiration and action (and perhaps that £75 billion in Q.E.).

Thanks for the virtuoso performance, Steve.

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Tech transfer windows

by nick on January 23, 2011

Three isn't a crowd at Google

Two of the world’s top tech companies announced overhauls at the top this week. Sadly, Steve Jobs’ health will see him step aside for an as-yet unannounced successor at Apple (Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook will stand in at least in the short term). And Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO, surprised most of us by tweeting, “Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed! http://goo.gl/zC89p”

Ten years ago Mr Schmidt was brought in to appease Wall Street. The inmates weren’t going to run the asylum; the kids would be looked after by a mature business brain. He’s done an incredible job but of course there are still some who will criticise saying Google is a little slow to react, that their search isn’t as good or as strong as it should be, that they acquire rather than create. But when you’re in this league, they’ll criticise you no matter what. His decade at the helm has been pretty flawless by any standard.

Product trumps business
Just like the footballers that are shuffling around the country this month, tech CEOs need to be product people. It’s easy to say from my chair, but the business side of Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, Google etc becomes a poor second to the products themselves. Without great products you wont find reach. Without reach you wont have take up. Without take up there is no scale. Without scale there is no money to be had – just look at Delicious’ closure by owners Yahoo!.

I believe product input and knowledge is why Google didn’t look outside for Schmidt’s successor. Just look at the emphasis on product in this excerpt from Schmidt’s blog post on the announcement:

Larry [Page] will now lead product development and technology strategy, his greatest strengths, and starting from April 4 he will take charge of our day-to-day operations as Google’s Chief Executive Officer. In this new role I know he will merge Google’s technology and business vision brilliantly…

Sergey has decided to devote his time and energy to strategic projects, in particular working on new products. His title will be Co-Founder. He’s an innovator and entrepreneur to the core, and this role suits him perfectly.

So we know Larry is definitely a product man. The question is can he change and become more media-friendly under crushing scrutiny, or, is he going to be typically Googlesque and rip up the rules, creating a whole new cult CEO playbook? Plus, what’s the odds on Apple promoting from within for Mr Jobs’ eventual succession?

Your thoughts?

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This is really hot

by nick on July 2, 2010

Steve Jobs said, “This is really hot,” when he unveiled the iPhone 4 at his Worldwide Developers Conference last month. He wasn’t joking.

It took Apple 72 days to sell a million of their original iPhone when it launched in 2007. Last year, the iPhone 3GS sold a million units in three days, a benchmark it took the iPad took 28 days to achieve. But all these look positively lethargic compared to the iPhone 4 and Apple’s most successful launch in its history: they’ve sold over 1.7 million phones in just three days since its release on June 24.

Estimates for Q3 claim sales of 10.2 million units, rising to 12.2 million for Q4.

The really interesting thing is that 77% of those early sales were to existing iPhone owners. Over three-quarters of sales are to folks who are upgrading! That’s the very definition of a want, not a need.

As Seth Godin might say, seek out committed customers and harvest a tribe by finding/making products for them. Inspire and reship.

Steve Jobs is the ultimate tribe leader. Love him or loath him, make no mistake you’re watching the Pied Piper of tech, folks.

Image from Wired magazine.

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Au revoir (ish)

by nick on January 18, 2009

My business hero list is short but distinguished. Toward the top – probably at the pinnacle – sit Ron Dennis of McLaren and Steve Jobs of Apple.

These guys have proven themselves entrepreneurs, figureheads, statesmen, leaders and visionaries. Their products embody people’s emotions. Both are bowing out of their current roles: SJ to hopefully improve his health; RD to look after the bigger picture at McLaren Group. SJ is planning to return in June, RD is an always-listening ear to call on.

Game-changers like this pair don’t need my luck but I certainly wish it.

“The real leader has no need to lead – he is content to point the way.” Henry Miller

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