Steve Jobs
Featuring Steve Jobs, John Sculley
In 1985, Apple's board fired the man who had built the company. He started over with an overpriced computer company few remember and a struggling animation studio he bought from George Lucas for roughly $10 million. Twelve years later, with Apple weeks from bankruptcy, the same board brought him back. He inherited a product line so fragmented that even Apple's own people could not explain it, and he walked in and started cutting.
For founders and operators, this is a case about focus as a weapon, not a virtue. It forces the hardest discipline in building anything: deciding what to kill while it is still alive, and refusing to ship anything that fails a standard most teams quietly lower. What he actually cut, and the rule he used to decide, is the part the app holds back for you to put to work.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Steve Jobs and what is he known for?
Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple and one of the most influential figures in consumer electronics. He is known for products like the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and for an obsession with focus, taste, and product design. After Apple's board fired him in 1985, he returned in 1997 with the company near bankruptcy and led one of the greatest corporate turnarounds in history.
What companies did Steve Jobs build or run?
Jobs co-founded Apple, then after being pushed out he started NeXT, a high-end computer company, and bought the animation studio that became Pixar from George Lucas for roughly $10 million. When Apple acquired NeXT in 1997, Jobs came back and eventually became CEO again. Pixar went on to reinvent feature animation.
Why was Steve Jobs fired from Apple and how did he come back?
In 1985 Apple's board sided against Jobs after a power struggle, and he left the company he had built. Twelve years later, with Apple weeks from bankruptcy and a product line so fragmented that even its own people could not explain it, the board brought him back. He walked in and started cutting products to refocus the company.
What can founders learn from Steve Jobs?
The core lesson is focus as a weapon rather than a virtue: deciding what to kill while it is still alive, and refusing to ship anything that fails a high standard most teams quietly lower. Jobs inherited a sprawling lineup and slashed it down to a handful of products people could understand. CaseBook turns this into a move you apply to your own company, with an AI coach that reads your answer.