Behind the walls of Apple: Chapter 1

Let me picture you a regular Monday WIP meeting with Steve Jobs from the early days of NEXT

The invitee list for these meetings was small. On the agency side were the creative people, the account director, and the media director. On the Apple side were Steve, Phil Schiller (product marketing), Jony Ive (design), Allen Olivo (marketing communications), and Hiroki Asai (Apple’s in-house creative).

One particular day, there appeared a woman from Apple with whom everyone was unfamiliar. Steve breezed into the boardroom. The meeting began. “Before we start, let me just update you on a few things,” said Steve, his eyes surveying the room. “First off, let’s talk about iMac—” He stopped cold. His eyes locked on the one thing in the room that didn’t look right. Pointing to the woman, he said, “Who are you?”

She was a bit stunned to be called out like that, but she calmly explained that she’d been asked to attend because she was involved with some of the marketing projects we’d be discussing.

Steve heard it. Processed it.

“I don’t think we need you in this meeting, Lorrie. Thanks,” he said.

He was not averse to discomfort. Clarity propels his organization. Not occasional clarity but pervasive, twenty-four-hour, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners clarity.

He liked to keep it simple, no hogwash & had no bones in being honest.

The small-group principle is deeply woven into the religion of Simplicity. It’s key to Apple’s ongoing success and key to any organization that wants to nurture quality thinking. The idea is pretty basic: Everyone in the room should be there for a reason. There’s no such thing as a “mercy invitation.” Either you’re critical to the meeting or you’re not. It’s nothing personal, just business.

Steve Jobs actively resisted any behavior he believed was representative of the way big companies think —even though Apple had been a big company for many years. He knew that small groups composed of the smartest and most creative people had propelled Apple to its amazing success, and he had no intention of ever changing that. When he called a meeting or reported to a meeting, his expectation was that everyone in the room would be an essential participant. Spectators were not welcome. This was based on the somewhat obvious idea that a smaller group would be more focused and motivated than a large group, and smarter people will do higher-quality work.

There is a general perception that Steve Jobs was a nasty tyrant who demanded allegiance, barked commands, and instilled fear of God in those around him. While Steve certainly did exhibit these behaviors, this portrait is incomplete.

You wouldn’t want to think of Steve as a man, nice or mean, approving or disapproving, or even cruel. Just straight. Not brutal, Just brutally honest. Steve didn’t like complexity in his working relationships any more than he liked extra buttons on his iPod. Blunt is simple, easy doesn’t waste time & effort too.

By no means am I saying that Simplicity is the sole factor behind Apple’s success. Leadership, vision, talent, imagination, and incredibly hard work may have just a bit to do with it. But there’s one common thread that runs through it all. That’s Simplicity. It’s what drives Apple to create what it creates and behave as it behaves. It’s Apple’s devotion to Simplicity that forms an unbreakable connection with its customers and inspires customers to evangelize to colleagues, friends, and family

Outside is what you called Brand. Inside is what you called Religion.