@StartupArchive_: Jony Ive explains the Steve Jobs product philosophy that saved Apple from bankruptcy in 1998 “Our job isn’t to make mon…

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Jony Ive recounts Steve Jobs' product philosophy that prioritized making great products over making money, which saved Apple from bankruptcy in 1998.

Jony Ive explains the Steve Jobs product philosophy that saved Apple from bankruptcy in 1998 “Our job isn’t to make money for Apple. Our job is to try and make the very best products we can.” Jony is aware that this sounds simplistic and easy to say given that Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world today. But he points out that Steve Jobs stuck to this philosophy when Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1998: “When Steve came back, that’s how he articulated what the goals of the company needed to be… It takes a tremendous courage when you’re losing fabulously large amounts of money to say ‘Our goal isn’t turnaround. Our goal is to make a great product.’ That’s not a natural reflex to that situation. The reflex is: let’s not spend this money and let’s try to get a little bit more because we’re about to go out of business.”
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Jony Ive explains the Steve Jobs product philosophy that saved Apple from bankruptcy in 1998

“Our job isn’t to make money for Apple. Our job is to try and make the very best products we can.”

Jony is aware that this sounds simplistic and easy to say given that Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world today. But he points out that Steve Jobs stuck to this philosophy when Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1998:

“When Steve came back, that’s how he articulated what the goals of the company needed to be… It takes a tremendous courage when you’re losing fabulously large amounts of money to say ‘Our goal isn’t turnaround. Our goal is to make a great product.’ That’s not a natural reflex to that situation. The reflex is: let’s not spend this money and let’s try to get a little bit more because we’re about to go out of business.”

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