Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen described Steve Jobs as a demanding yet transformative force while describing the Apple co-founder’s leadership style.
What Happened: Speaking on the “a16z Speedrun” podcast, Andreessen said popular stories about Jobs range from portraying him as a saintly figure to depicting him as a tyrant who belittled employees. In reality, Andreessen explained, Jobs was “somewhere in the middle.”
Andreessen noted that Jobs expected “first class work” and possessed little patience for anything subpar. Those who met his standards often produced the finest work of their careers, thanks to his high expectations and deep respect for quality.
At the same time, Jobs famously had his share of missteps — including the Lisa computer and his ouster from Apple in 1985 — but Andreessen believes these failures helped shape him into a great leader.
During Jobs’ “wilderness years,” he founded NeXT and invested in Pixar, endeavors that saw slow starts and forced pivots. Though NeXT’s computer flopped, Jobs pivoted to software and struggled to keep his team motivated through what Andreessen calls “12 years of failure.” This period, Andreessen argues, was essential to Jobs’ growth, allowing him to develop vital management skills.
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By the time Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he had combined the “innovation skillset” from his first run with the rigorous management lessons learned at NeXT. Andreessen suggests it was this fusion of creative genius and hard-won discipline that enabled Jobs to transform Apple into one of the world’s most successful companies, leaving a lasting imprint on technology and business.
Why It Matters: Apart from being known as the legend who made Apple super successful in the long run, Jobs is also hailed as a genius in terms of his presentation skills. Previously, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates also applauded his speech prowess, saying, “Steve Jobs was a natural, although he would rehearse.”
Gates also recently attacked the idea of comparing Jobs’ ‘genius’ to Elon Musk’s, suggesting that lumping them into the same category of visionary leaders is a “kind of gross oversimplification” that misses the point.
The Apple co-founder is also credited for launching some of Cupertino’s iconic products, including the iPhone and iPad.
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