What would you do?
A Product Strategy Thought Experiment
In 1986 Steve Jobs left Apple Computer.
Just two years after introducing the Macintosh he was forced out of his own company by John Sculley, the CEO that he himself brought on board.
Over the next ten years Apple was struggling a lot, almost going bankrupt. In that period Apple lost a lot of talent. Customers and partners were losing faith in the future of the company.
In 1996 Steve Jobs returned to Apple.
About 10 years later. Through an acquisition of his company NeXT.
Apple was in such a bad shape at the time that Michael Dell famously recommended to shut the company down.
What would I do?
I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders—Michael Dell, Oct. 6, 1997, when he was asked what he’d do if he ran Apple.
Over the course of the next few years Apple did not only get back to profitability. Apple eventually became the most valuable company that ever existed. Why? Apple got back to incredible simplicity & clarity that fueled their product strategy.
Apple managed to execute that product strategy and introduced a range of game changing products.
OS X, iMac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad, …
What would you do?
From time to time it makes sense to take a step back. Get out of the day to day and think about the long run.
Vision.
Des Traynor of Intercom introduced me to two fantastic ideation questions to nudge you into long-term thinking.
What — other than making money — is the purpose of your company?
How will the world look different if you succeed?
Imagine you are returning to your own company tomorrow from a few years of absence. Finding it in its current position …
What are the changes that you would make
to get the ship into the right direction?How can you translate your vision into a product strategy?
How can you get this product strategy onto the ground?
