Yeah, Steve spent much of his Apple fortune on NeXT and Pixar. Both could have easily failed.
So Jobs was a billionaire in 1995. I wonder what would have happened if Microsoft hadn't invested $150 million in Apple in 1997?
So Jobs was a billionaire in 1995. I wonder what would have happened if Microsoft hadn't invested $150 million in Apple in 1997?
(Assuming that's the figure, I don't remember myself.)
The hardware was a marketing mess, and the software was stuck in R&D hell with no prospect of escape.
There were some interesting ideas, but execution and management were all over the place.
I don't think Jobs is an example of survivor bias. I think Jobs was an extremely talented marketer with an unusual aesthetic sense.
Sociopaths are more likely to kill their companies than make them grow. They love drama, abuse, and terror for their own sake.
Jobs was more of a narcissist. He lacked empathy, but he wasn't constantly trying to destroy other people because he enjoyed it.
It was more that he knew what he wanted - his own vision of himself as a guru of consumer technology, aesthetics, and creativity - and he didn't care what it cost to get it.
Personal and business relationships were all disposable. The vision wasn't.
It's more likely the undisclosed sum (well higher) that kept Apple from the brink of bankruptcy.
But this was't completely luck. It was negotiated by Jobs.