Steve Jobs Handling a Tough Question at the 1997 WWDC

In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple as an advisor and was guiding sweeping change at the company. At the Worldwide Developer Conference, he faced a tough question from an attendee, which led to a memorable and insightful response.

A Challenging Question

This is where Steve Jobs began his response

The attendee asked Steve Jobs to express in clear terms how Java addressed the ideas embodied in OpenDoc, and what he had been doing for the last seven years. Steve Jobs took a deep breath and launched into a thoughtful and detailed response.

Focusing on the Customer Experience

Steve Jobs emphasized the importance of starting with the customer experience and working backwards to the technology. He noted that it's easy to get caught up in the latest and greatest technology, but ultimately, the customer doesn't care about that. They care about what benefits the technology provides.

Here, Steve Jobs stresses the importance of customer benefits

The Right Path to Take

Steve Jobs shared his own experiences and mistakes, acknowledging that he had made errors in the past by focusing too much on the technology and not enough on the customer. He emphasized the need to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology, rather than the other way around.

Steve Jobs reflects on his own mistakes and lessons learned

The Hardest Thing

Steve Jobs noted that one of the hardest things when trying to affect change is that people like the gentleman asking the question are often right in some areas. He acknowledged that there are many things in life that he didn't know or understand, but emphasized the importance of supporting the team working hard to make change happen.

Steve Jobs discusses the challenges of affecting change

Supporting the Team

Steve Jobs expressed his admiration for the team working hard to execute on Apple's vision, emphasizing that they were doing their best and making mistakes along the way. He encouraged the audience to support the team and acknowledged that some mistakes would be made, but that it was a necessary part of the process.

Steve Jobs concludes his response, emphasizing the importance of supporting the team

Conclusion

Steve Jobs' response at the 1997 WWDC highlighted his commitment to putting the customer experience first and his willingness to learn from his mistakes. His words of wisdom continue to inspire and motivate developers and entrepreneurs today.