Steve Jobs: A Pioneer of Globalization
When we think of Steve Jobs, the first thing that comes to mind is Apple, the company he co-founded and turned into a global behemoth. But Steve Jobs was more than just a tech visionary; he was also a pioneer of globalization, a term that refers to the growing interconnectedness of economies, societies, and cultures across the world.
Jobs' impact on globalization can be traced back to the early days of Apple when he and Steve Wozniak built the first personal computer in a garage in California. At the time, computers were seen as tools for big businesses and governments, but Jobs had a different vision. He believed that computers could be used by ordinary people to create and communicate and that they could change the world in ways that no one had imagined before.
This vision led Jobs to launch a series of groundbreaking products, including the Macintosh, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. Each of these products was a game-changer in its own right, but what made them truly revolutionary was their ability to connect people across the globe. With the Macintosh, people could create and share documents with others anywhere in the world. With the iPod, they could listen to music from artists in every corner of the planet. With the iPhone and the iPad, they could access the internet and communicate with anyone, anytime, anywhere.
But Jobs' impact on globalization went beyond his products. He also played a key role in shaping the way we think about technology and its place in the world. He believed that technology was not just a tool, but a way of life and that it had the power to transform society in ways that we could not yet imagine. He also believed that technology had the power to bring people together, break down barriers of language and culture, and create a more connected and harmonious world.
This vision of globalization is reflected in Apple's operations today. The company has a global supply chain that spans multiple continents, and it relies on a network of suppliers, partners, and employees from around the world to produce its products. Apple's retail stores are also a testament to its global reach, with locations in more than 20 countries and customers from every corner of the planet.
Jobs' legacy of globalization extends beyond Apple as well. His influence can be seen in the way other tech companies operate today, from Google and Facebook to Amazon and Microsoft. These companies all rely on global networks of users, partners, and suppliers to create their products and services, and they all share Jobs' vision of technology as a force for good in the world.
In conclusion, Steve Jobs was not just a tech visionary; he was also a pioneer of globalization. Through his products, his ideas, and his vision, he helped to connect people across the globe and to create a more interconnected and harmonious world. His impact can be felt in every corner of the tech industry today, and his legacy will continue to shape the way we think about technology and its role in the world for years to come.
To understand the spirit of Steve Jobs, there is no better place to start than his 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University.
In this speech, he recounts how he dropped out of Reed College after 6 months. He didn't want to waste his parents' hard-earned savings. But he stayed on and sat in on other classes like calligraphy. While it was of no immediate use in his life, he found calligraphy beautiful, historical, and artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture.
But ten years later, it all came back to him when he designed the Mac, the first computer with beautiful typography. Thus, if Jobs had not followed the calligraphy course, personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.
His lesson is about "connecting the dots" in his life from calligraphy to the Mac -- "... you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
The second story in his speech is about love and loss. He was lucky. He found what he loved to do early in life. He created Apple. But then he got fired. Being still in love with his job, he started again.
As it turned out, getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened. It freed him to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. He started a company named NeXT, and another company named Pixar and fell in love with the woman who would become his wife. He believes that the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
His third story is about death. Remembering that he'll be dead soon was the most important tool to help make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
He says "Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new".
His final advice for these students was "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish", drawn from a publication called The Whole Earth Catalog.
Of the many other things that have been said of and quoted from Steve Jobs, his comments on boredom struck me. "I'm a big believer in boredom", he once told Steven Levy of Wired Magazine. "Boredom allows one to indulge in curiosity, and out of curiosity comes everything". He even worried about the future of boredom -- "All the technical stuff is wonderful, but having nothing to do can be wonderful, too".
As we reflect on whether Steve Jobs is a uniquely American product, or whether he could have succeeded anywhere, the comments of crooner Tony Bennett on Piers Morgan tonight are worth reflecting on. According to Bennett, America is ahead of all other countries because it does not have just one philosophy and one way of doing things. America is a country of many different philosophies, people, and ways of doing things.
Although Bennett did not make a link with Jobs, this rich diversity and complexity of American society is one of the great drivers of its innovation. Jobs was himself a microcosm of this rich diversity and complexity with his natural father from Syria, Buddhist religion, travels to India and experimental youth. And Silicon Valley is also such a microcosm.
