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London Sunday Times profiles Steve Jobs over Apple objections

by Mel Martin Aug 17th 2009 at 6:00PM

The London Sunday Times has done an interesting profile of Steve Jobs that is a good read, even though it may infuriate some and please others.

There's nothing really groundbreaking in the piece, but it brings together a lot of material and a bit of pop psychology to try an illuminate the mysterious and mercurial Apple CEO.
Jobs is, in the words of the psychiatrist and scholar of leadership Michael Maccoby, "a productive narcissist". To Jobs, the world is an epiphenomenon, a side effect of the existence of Steve. Or rather, it is a pyramid with Jobs at the top, a few bright people just beneath him, and then the rest of us - the "bozos". The customer bozo is not, to him, always right...
"The very striking thing about productive narcissists, particularly men" [said Maccoby], is that they grow up in families where there is an absent or weak father figure. You can see this in narcissistic presidents like Obama, Clinton, Reagan and Nixon. They struggle with their identity and view of the world. So they tend to come up with a very original view of things and are then driven to find followers.
There is also plenty of positive insight:

I swim through Apple newsfeeds like a whale swims through krill," says Elmer-DeWitt. Yet the company continues to surprise and amaze. I don't want Jobs to die because my computers and iPhone are, indeed, "insanely great" compared with the dismal competition but, more importantly, because he is an extraordinary figure. I don't use the word "genius" about businesspeople, but in Steve Jobs's case I'm prepared to make an exception.

It's worth reading all of the profile. Steve Jobs doesn't like being written about, and Apple did all it could to kill the piece.

See what you think, and come back and share your thoughts.



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The London Sunday Times has done an interesting profile of Steve Jobs that is a good read, even though it may infuriate some and please...
 

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22 Comments

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wwhatford

British Tabloid 'journaljism' at it's finest. Rambling, full of fatual errors, snide, and blatanly plagerised. Never mind Steve, he'll have to take a number - the author of iCon should be first to sue this hack.

August 22 2009 at 7:10 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Philip Elmer-DeWitt

I didn't use the word "genius." The Times writer did.

August 19 2009 at 5:52 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Timepilot84

I find it amusing that Elmer-DeWitt thinks Jobs is a genius for taking the best products in the field of computing and translating that into a 4% market share. Kudos, genius businessman.

How about taking a third rate product and making it into the far and away world standard? This guy's heads going to explode when he does his Bill Gates profile.

August 18 2009 at 8:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Timepilot84's comment
mrtotes

I genuinely believe Apple (read Steve Jobs) has absolutely no interest in market share above about 5-10%. They are (He is) looking to sell elite premium products to discerning consumers. Porsche aren't worried about competing with Skoda.

Most of the article seems to have come straight from "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" with a little extra medical info thrown in to make it current. I'd imagine it was the statements about a tablet got most Apple excited as everything else was out there on the interwebs anyhow.

August 19 2009 at 7:53 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Edsel

The business world is filled with productive narcissists; this is a good thing. Our political world is filled with unproductive narcissists which costs us dearly.

No one should be surprised by the Times article.

August 18 2009 at 11:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Callum Alden

damn straight the customer isn't always right... if you deal with the great unwashed in matters of technology / creativity as much as i do you tend to become a little Hitlarian.

turning the story round and aiming the piece at a lack of male role model is a little trite though... i'm interested in who Job's role models are today, there's a story there.

August 18 2009 at 10:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
cdyson

It's not 'London Sunday Times' - it's 'The Sunday Times'!
The Sunday Times is a national newspaaper.

August 18 2009 at 1:49 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to cdyson's comment
Sam

I came here to make that gripe and i'm happy to find someone has done it for me.

August 18 2009 at 11:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mark

'The Times' is 'The London Times' to our friends across the pond...

August 18 2009 at 12:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Trevor

"WTF listens to a psychiatrist? They're nothing but scam artists. Their is nothing scientific about their job. All they do is prey on people for profit." So, as a Scientologist, do you know Tom Cruise personally? Because I'd really like to get his autograph.

August 18 2009 at 1:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rudy

great article, dont let your fanboism blind you. apple is great but it sure as hell isnt perfect.

August 17 2009 at 11:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Hickeroar

It's a very insightful, frank, and altogether accurate article. I love apple, but only a blind fanboi would look for a fault there.

August 17 2009 at 8:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jimbo

WTF listens to a psychiatrist? They're nothing but scam artists. Their is nothing scientific about their job. All they do is prey on people for profit.

August 17 2009 at 8:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Jimbo's comment
tdowling

What are you, a Scientologist or something?

August 18 2009 at 7:36 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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