In this video, Steve Jobs emphasizes the importance of focusing by saying no and making decisions.
He discusses how Apple suffered from a lack of focus and the benefits of prioritizing what makes sense.
Jobs also shares his thoughts on handling criticism and disruptions, as well as a specific example of discontinuing a technology that didn’t fit with Apple’s goals.
Apple’s lack of focus
Apple suffered from poor engineering management and people working on different projects, leading to a lack of focus and a product that was less than the sum of its parts.
Focusing means saying no
Focusing is not about saying yes to everything, but about saying no.
Jobs emphasizes the importance of making decisions and prioritizing what makes sense.
And what happened was you look at the farm that’s been created with all these different animals going in different directions and it doesn’t add up the total is less than the sum of the parts. – Steve Jobs
Focus is about saying no… and the result of that focus is going to be some really great products where the total is much greater than the sum of the parts. – Steve Jobs
Discontinuing OpenDoc
OpenDoc, a technology that many had worked on, was discontinued because Jobs believed it didn’t fit with the rest of the technology world and that there were better alternatives in the Java space.
Handling criticism and negative press
By saying no, Apple had to face criticism and negative press.
However, Jobs is proud of the company’s ability to handle it like adults and continue to focus on their goals.
Temporary disruptions from employee departures
While some employees leaving the company may cause temporary disruptions, Jobs believes that the result of the company’s focus will be the creation of great products that exceed expectations.
