How Steve Jobs could’ve kept his Job
Lock&Research to the Rescue
A visionary. A genius. A leader. Steve Jobs is perhaps one of the most heralded figures of our time, and his name will feature in our business textbooks for a long time to come. After first revolutionizing the computer industry with the Apple Mac II all the way back in the 70s, Jobs debuted the iPod in the early 2000s, disrupting the music industry in the process. As if that wasn’t enough, a few years later, Jobs launched the iPhone, popularizing the smartphone and in the process changing everyday life for most global citizens. The iPad and iWatch came next, creating new industries in their wake. Through his endeavors, Jobs transformed Apple Inc. from an also ran into the world’s premium brand, and, soon after his death, Apple became the most valuable company in the world.
But Jobs was far from perfect. Hated by his co-workers for his overbearing personality and lack of sympathy, Jobs was known to be an absolute control freak. Oftentimes he would take decisions without consulting his peers, leaving much of the Apple top brass in confusion.
One such decision led to his departure from Apple, back in 1983.
Soon after the company went public in 1981, Jobs was named Apple’s Chief Visionary, a role that would put him in charge of the team developing Apple’s next revolutionary product, the Macintosh computer. The Mac debuted in 1984 to rave reviews but disappointing sales, putting a financial strain on the company -– and fraying Jobs’ relationship with then CEO, John Sculley.
Jobs didn’t really care about collecting data on the state of the market. One of his most famous (or infamous, depending on your position) sayings is
“Don’t ask customers what they want, because they don’t know what they want.”
Therefore, within that prism of thought, the Macintosh was considered by American consumers at the time of its launch to be an over-priced piece of hardware that didn’t really fit a market need.
In the spring of 1985, John Sculley, backed by Apple’s board, fired Steve Jobs. The most iconic figure in business, hung out to dry by the company he co-founded nearly a decade earlier.
Could Lock&Research have prevented the sack?
The Macintosh was targeted primarily at younger consumers (i.e those aged between 18–30). The jewel in its crown was supposed to be the American education sector, with Jobs predicting that university students and educators would flock to the new ground-breaking computer. That he failed to collect any information whatsoever to prove his hypotheses was what led to the legendary visionary’s downfall.
Lock&Research is a platform that can survey thousands of students within a week.
Through Lock&Research, Apple would have been able to collect valuable data that either proved or disproved the Macintosh’s demand, its design specifications, its price point, and much more.
So yes, through a simple analysis, Lock&Research could very well have told Jobs exactly what he needed to hear. Data straight from students, which would’ve told the Apple supremo that the Macintosh was doomed to fail, would have kept him in his position at the company and prevented what Jobs himself refers to as “the lowest point in his life.”
In the realms of thinking, confidence and charisma, be like Steve. But do not accept his stubbornness and brazenness. Good leaders must learn to listen. Listen to your audience with Lock&Research.
