Investors, Apple fans, and Microsoft's board of directors continue to stew over Steve Jobs' health. Jobs, the CEO of Apple, recently began a six-month medical leave due to undisclosed complications to his health. This has served to fuel rumors about Jobs' future with Apple, and Apple's future without their irreplaceable leader.
I hope Steve Jobs gets well soon.
As a devoted Apple fan and Mac user, I'm a member of the tribe. Somehow, Mac people get more than just a functional and beautiful user experience out of our computers- we get identity. This is bigger than marketing (though it clearly is marketing), bigger than the latest trend. Those of us in the club are smart, unique (just like everybody else!), creative, productive and cool. At least we think we are. (Just try to visit a Mac fanboy site and say otherwise!)
Steve Jobs created the tribe.
Nevertheless, we need to keep in mind that Steve Jobs isn't a real person. No, I'm not one of the conspiracy theorists who believe that Jobs died back in 2004 and that Apple is using a double or clone or robot in his place. But I am realistic about the role one man can play in a thing like this. I know that most of who we believe Steve Jobs to be is projected upon this otherwise normal guy.
Steve Jobs is a pretty private person. Not much is known about his personal life. But that doesn't stop his fans from assuming a lot about him. He gets credit for the hardware, the software, the animated films. He's intelligent, collected, calm, witty, and self-aware. He's a nice-guy multi-millionaire geek hero. He's a genius at design. Brilliant in marketing. He's the type of guy who lives with one foot in the future and one foot in the distant future.
Except he's not.
Jobs works with a team of brilliant people. He's a strong personality. He may be a Buddhist, but he's also been known to blow a gasket every now and then. He can be elitist. He doesn't often mingle with us regular folk. He makes mistakes. He lets us down. Steve Jobs still wears mock-turtlenecks.
The persona of Steve Jobs is projected on him by his fan base and the computer company that built it.
My point is this: Steve Jobs is the creation of the tribe that he created. The tribe decides who gets to be Steve Jobs. Up until this point, that person has conveniently been the actual Steve Jobs. But if, heaven forbid, something should happen to him, the tribe will project the same hero persona on the next guy, too.
Interesting article. It is amazing how much on an iconic leader he is. I hope he makes a full recovery...but if he doesn't it will be fascinating to see if Apple can maintain it's hip, tribal brand or if the new leader will dilute the brand.
Posted by: Grady Bauer | January 28, 2009 at 05:33 AM
Great blog! It's normal to think the best about the heros we create. But what about "Lisa" the flop of a computer he created and named after his illegitiment daughter. Then, refused to pay child support while Lisa lived on welfare. Ah yes. The heros we create...
Posted by: archie rhines | March 27, 2009 at 06:52 AM