Even after building a multi-trillion-dollar tech giant, Steve Jobs never pretended to have all the answers.
That’s a lesson learned by former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive, who spent nearly 15 years working alongside his late co-founder to design iconic products such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
In the recently released 2024 “Letter to Young Creators” from the Steve Jobs Archives, Ive shares the mindset that shaped one of the world’s most valuable companies.
“We had lunch together most of the time and spent afternoons in the sanctuary of the design studio,” Ivey wrote. “For Steve, staying curious and exploring experimental ideas was far more important than being accepted by society,” Ivey continued. “For Steve, wanting to learn was more important than wanting to be right.”
Jobs’s “insatiable curiosity” was not limited by his breadth of expertise. Ivey said the tech pioneer was “fierce, energetic and restless” in his pursuit of learning new things until the end. This mentality may be the secret to multi-trillion dollar successes like Apple, which has sold more than 3 billion iPhones worldwide and is one of the few companies with a market capitalization of more than $4 trillion. After three decades at Apple, he still takes this wisdom to heart as he leads his own design firm, LoveFrom.
“Our curiosity unites us. It forms the basis of our enjoyable and productive collaboration,” explains Ivey. “I think it also eased our fear of doing something scary new.”
Even Brian Chesky and Tim Cook credited Jobs with shaping their work philosophy
Ive is just one of many technology founders and creatives who have been moved by Jobs’ work philosophy.
Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, the $78 billion short-term rental giant, gained some valuable wisdom while talking to Ive about how the Apple co-founder leads his army of employees. Chesky observed that Jobs was notorious for his attention to detail, but after discussing it with Ive, it became clear that Jobs’ behavior did not make him a helicopter boss. Most importantly, Ive said, Jobs was committed to cultivating his talents.
“I said, ‘Have you ever felt like Steve Jobs was micromanaging you? Because he paid attention to every detail,'” Chesky told CNBC earlier this year. “He said, ‘No. He’s not micromanaging me. He’s working with me. We figure things out together, and I feel like he [into] Details make me a better person. “
Apple CEO Tim Cook also credits Jobs with teaching him skills such as the importance of being able to evolve from past beliefs — a trait he said few leaders truly possess. Cook explained that Jobs valued people who could admit their mistakes, encouraged vigorous debate, and enjoyed being challenged by other employees. While Jobs would play devil’s advocate and stimulate deeper thinking in conversations, Cook believes this is the best way to learn.
“He loves to debate, he loves having people debate with him,” Cook told reporters. wall street journal 2024. “You can always change [Jobs’] If you have the best idea, please mind. We change each other’s minds, which is why it works so well. “
Corning CEO Wendell Weeks also said wealth Jobs helped him face his fears. As early as the mid-2000s, Jobs saw the potential in Corning’s technological capabilities to produce durable glass screens for its upcoming 2007 iPhones. However, Weeks told Jobs that he couldn’t achieve this goal because he was worried about scaling up to meet Apple’s needs.
“You know what your problem is?” Weeks recalled Jobs telling him. “You’re worried that I’m going to launch the biggest product in history and I can’t do it because you failed and I’m going to eviscerate you.”
The reality check was just what he needed: Weeks admitted he was scared, adjusted his mindset, and followed through with the deal. Fast forward to 2025, and Apple has committed $2.5 billion to produce all iPhone and Apple Watch cover glass at the factory.
This story originally appeared on Fortune.com
