Bob Frisch

[Anish Moonka @anishmoonka]

1996. Steve Jobs is asked on television what went wrong at Apple. He hasn't worked there in over a decade. Within a year, Apple will buy his company NeXT and bring him back. Within 18 months, he'll be running the place.

He doesn't know that yet. Nobody does. At this point, he's running NeXT, a small software company, and Pixar, which just released Toy Story. Apple is falling apart. The stock is collapsing. The company has lost over a billion dollars. Its market share has dropped from 18% to around 4%. WIRED will put Apple's logo on its cover, wrapped in barbed wire, with the word "Pray."

The interviewer asks Jobs what happened. His answer is one paragraph, and it's basically the entire turnaround strategy he'll execute a year later.

He says when he left Apple ten years earlier, they were ten years ahead of everybody else. It took Microsoft a full decade to copy what Apple had built. But Apple stopped. "Even though it invested cumulatively billions in R&D, the output has not been there, and people have caught up with it." He says Apple's advantage over Microsoft has eroded. And then this: "The way out is not to slash and burn. It's to innovate. That's how Apple got to its glory, and I think that's how Apple could return to it."

When Apple bought NeXT in December 1996 and brought Jobs back as an advisor, things got worse before they got better. By September 1997, Apple was about 90 days from running out of money. The board made Jobs the interim CEO. He cut 70% of the product line, but not to save money. He cut it so the remaining 30% could be great. He launched Think Different. He built the iMac. Then the iPod. Then iTunes. Then the iPhone. Then the iPad. Every single one of those products was the "innovate, don't slash and burn" philosophy from this interview, applied over and over for 14 years.

He also says something in this interview that stands out. He says the most exciting thing in software is the internet, and the reason is "no one owns it. It's a free-for-all. It's much like the early days of the personal computer." He says if any one company gets a dominant position, "the rate of innovation is going to drop precipitously." He's talking about Microsoft. But he could be talking about 2026.

Apple is worth about $3.7 trillion today. When this interview was filmed, Apple was worth about $3 billion and falling fast. Jobs walked back into Apple nine months later with no title, no authority, and the same diagnosis he gave on camera in this clip.

Video: Steve Jobs Television Interview, 1996. Original broadcast footage.

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@FarroYossi Has the pleasure of being Jeff’s neighbor in the Newton community for many years. He and Debbie are truly modest and understated. The enormous magnitude of their caring and generosity will never be known - just as they intend. So glad you composed this small tribute.

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@blinkdotnew blink

[Blink.new @blinkdotnew]

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[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@kevin2kelly @AndyAyrey As I remember it, HyperCard popularized the entire concept of "links".
While Hypertext had already been described by Ted Nelson, the folks at CERN were HyperCard users when they were describing the WWW and heavily influenced by Bill Atkinson's invention.

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@BrianRoemmele Pretty sure the HP12c calculator is unchanged as well. I bought that digital device in 1981.

That being said, the Casio is truly iconic and certainly the longest continually produced digital watch.

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@davidsenra Brilliant! So simple and elegant.

The "Hell, yes" approach to personnel management...

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@garrytan A few years ago Cary Greene, Rob Galford and I wrote a book - Simple Sabotage - documenting how the behaviors the OSS recommended to help bring down organizations were alive and well in businesses today.

@garrytan is spot on!

https://t.co/azz1wbZ5Kc

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@akochowi @EdwardTufte Check out the video: https://t.co/BYu0G7duy0

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@LynchieWCVB You were playing for the Big Blue under Coach Stan Bondelevich back then. One of the great high school sports dynasties Mike!

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@MattHennessey nailed it. Since we're in a sea of change anyway, why not use it to your advantage?

Not only can't you afford to put off those "30,000 foot" conversations with your team, accelerate them and design your future.

https://t.co/6fOXU1aZ5b https://t.co/PpU8yZGlhP

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

There were two speeches given at Gettysburg in 1863. The first was a two hour masterpiece of oratory by Senator Everett of Massachusetts. The second was two minutes long.

We remember Lincoln’s.

Less is more when your message is clear.

https://t.co/MikunGR8sC

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

Fantastic way of visualizing population - by nation and continent - over time. Growth of Africa and India and decline of the Americas and Europe over the next 50 years is staggering, as are the implications for organizations large and small. https://t.co/7LReboVF2R

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@RayDalio's 9 Common Sense Rules for Getting the Most Out of Meetings

#9 The main purpose of a discussion is to achieve completion and get in sync, which leads to decisions and/or actions. Conversations that fail to reach completion are a waste of time.

https://t.co/yISK1i5WJH

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

Amazing perspective on the birth, rise and decline of world powers over the centuries. Gives new meaning to the concept of “empire” - watch London during the industrial revolution. https://t.co/7UjmZXmvWW Great model, and fantastic visualization @jburnmurdoch

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

2019 World best airport list out today. No LGA? EWR? ATL? ORD?? But seriously - no BOS??? I am shocked. Shocked! https://t.co/7Qm05qKyjn. BTW - should add YTZ, eh?

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@TamarakeithNPR had a nice piece on Obama meeting Congressional leaders - can't say they're poised for success http://t.co/BMBKGPlkj0

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@TamarakeithNPR had a nice piece on Obama meeting Congressional leaders - can't say they're poised for success http://t.co/ylyAMHwsQz

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@TamarakeithNPR had a nice piece on Obama meeting Congressional leaders - can't say they're poised for success http://t.co/37ybDLRrqo

[Bob Frisch @OffsitesGuy]

@RishiPDave Never been live tweeted during an offsite before...not sure anyone has! Bigger meetings, yes, but a first for an offsite.