When Steve Jobs Told Me to F*!K off..Twice!

It was 1986 and I was 25 years old, a young and ambitious technical sales specialist at Texas Instruments, handling a unique semiconductor product. At that time, Apple was on an unstoppable rise, a burgeoning powerhouse in the tech world, and securing a meeting with them felt like a golden ticket. I had managed to arrange a presentation with Rich Page, who was then Steve Jobs’ VP of Engineering. The opportunity was monumental, and I was determined to make the most of it. Winning this opportunity at Apple would have propelled my career into warp speed.? I had spent the last 6 months making it to Rich’s short list of semiconductor suppliers to partner with. This was the final meeting to award us a big contract potentially.

As the day of the meeting approached, I meticulously prepared my presentation. The weight of the opportunity had my palms sweating, but beneath the nerves, there was a bubbling excitement. I knew this could be the start of something big. The meeting commenced, and I began my pitch with all the confidence I could muster. The room was charged with potential, and everything seemed to be going remarkably well.

Then, in an unexpected twist, the door swung open. There he was, Steve, in the flesh. At 31, only 6 years older than me, he was already a legend. He had graced the cover of Time Magazine and guided Apple through a groundbreaking IPO. His entrance was electrifying, and for a moment, I thought this was it – the deal was as good as closed with him taking an interest.?

His first words were, “Texas Instruments? Fuck them. I don’t want to do business with them.” He closed the door and left. The room fell into a stunned silence. Rich Page’s face turned several shades of discomfort, and I stood there, speechless. The abrupt end of the meeting left us all in a state of shock. It was only later that I learned the source of his animosity. In the early days of Apple, when he had sought free samples from semiconductor companies, Texas Instruments had refused, while Motorola and others had obliged. Steve was not one to forget or forgive easily, and that grudge had festered until his firing from Apple. I eventually sold a lot to Apple after his departure.?

Two years later, I had a second chance to cross paths with Steve, who was then at the helm of NeXT. Rich Page once again reached out, remember we had a unique technology advantage. ?He had convinced that only Texas Instruments had the technology to rescue them for a critical launch of the NeXT computer.? He likely instructed Steve to be on his best behavior even though he harbored a grudge against Texas Instruments. This time Steve was seeking a meeting between our CEO and him. They needed our technology to resolve a critical supply chain issue for an upcoming product launch. By then, I was a first-time district sales manager, and the prospect of another encounter with him was both thrilling and daunting.

The CEO of Texas Instruments, The VP of Marketing, the VP of Operations, the head of the business unit, my salesperson and I arrived at NeXT headquarters for an 8:30 a.m. meeting, armed with optimism and anticipation. However, our enthusiasm quickly turned into a test of patience. We waited nearly two and a half hours, with Steve nowhere to be found. When he finally appeared, his entrance was as unorthodox as ever. Freshly showered, hair still damp, and dressed very casual clothes and flip-flops, Steve exuded a nonchalant confidence that contrasted sharply with our formal attire. Despite the wait, his presence was undeniably commanding. This time he was all smiles and had on his charm personality.

As we settled into the meeting, business cards were exchanged, and the room seemed poised for a productive discussion. He was extremely cordial and all smiles. ?But he had other plans. He started the meeting with “Today, I’m not buying anything, so I don’t need to be sold or marketed to. Anyone with a sales or marketing title can leave the room.” For the second time, I found myself kicked out by Steve. I spent the rest of the time outside with the VP of Marketing, my salesperson outside the NeXT office headquarters in Palo Alto California, waiting for our CEO and he to wrap up their meeting.

These two encounters were humbling, yet profoundly illuminating. His management style was not something I aspired to replicate in its entirety, but it left an indelible mark on my approach to leadership. Being decisive, swiftly cutting through the noise, and asserting your position, was a powerful takeaway. It was a lesson in the importance of having the courage to make quick, firm decisions and to remain unapologetically true to oneself.

Meeting Steve – twice – may not have resulted in immediate business success, but it offered invaluable insights. His ability to make swift, decisive judgments, often with little regard for conventional diplomacy, underscored the essence of leadership that drives innovation. It was a reminder that in the pursuit of excellence, one must sometimes be unapologetically oneself, willing to ruffle feathers, and unafraid to speak one’s mind.

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