IMO this is a disingenuous take on Steve Jobs. No, all of us are not as horrible to other people as Jobs, who was notorious for his abusiveness. This is like saying, we all tell lies, so how can we criticize Trump? There's a huge difference between normal human foibles and extreme antisocial behavior. Perhaps Jobs calmed down a bit as he got older, but the reports from his coworkers at NeXT for example were ugly. Some of them retained a lifetime of bitterness, and his death was a kind of catharsis for them, not that they wished him dead but rather they could finally let go of the old emotions.
Even good-natured Woz was pained when he finally learned years later that Jobs had cheated him on a pre-Apple business deal. The problem wasn't the money, which Woz was always happy to give away. It was the betrayal of trust and friendship. Jobs was not a normal dude. He was a deceitful narcissist; this is on the public record in an FBI background check: https://vault.fbi.gov/steve-jobs (credit to the book "Steve Jobs in Exile" for the link)
[–] stasomatic 3 days ago
[–] lapcat 3 days ago
Does the end justify the means? That's an ethical question.
Also, how much did we really need what we have now? We can ask whether dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified, but in any case the stakes were extremely high, already life and death, world war. The stakes are not nearly the same when we're talking about luxury consumer tech gadgets. How much do workers need to be abused just to produce those?
[–] stasomatic 3 days ago
I've listened to the most recent books, e.g. "Apple in China", "Steve Jobs in Exile", "Apple the first 50 years". By all accounts, he was a very difficult persona, but somehow folks gravitated to him or he changed gravity. Not trying to idolize the guy but failing, but I'll tell you I cried and my heart sank when I heard the news of his passing.
Who can you name now at the helm of any tech company today that has anywhere same gravitas? The charlatans at the 2 top AI firms? Certainly not MSFT, Google, Amazon and FB ether, imo. Nobody cares about their CEOs.
The stakes are not nearly the same when we're talking about luxury consumer tech gadgets. How much do workers need to be abused just to produce those?
But on this, vote with your wallet. This is not luxury though, this is - https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/prod293940005
Neiman Marcus The 2026 Fantasy Gifts Star Wars Legacy Experience $182,500
iPhones are just phones at a different price point at a different quality point with different levels of support. Some like Hondas, others - Lexus'. I can't say about abuse, I haven't been to China or India, but do you think any people on Android assembly lines fare better off? Not arguing, just spitballing.
[–] Ryder123 2 days ago