Arrogance

ID:31620
 
Jun 15 2007, 5:23 pm
Keywords: apple
The story of a shareware company's brief encounter with Apple's Steve Jobs highlights where that company gets its arrogance.
Today I came across the story of Audion, a shareware application developed by a small 2-man company called Panic. In the early 2000s, Apple approached Panic about acquiring Audion as the basis for iTunes, but the timing didn't work out and Apple quickly moved on to use a competitor's product.

Shortly before the debut of iTunes in 2001, Apple once again contacted Panic and set up a meeting. The Panic developers had no idea that iTunes existed or was based on their competition until attending the Macworld keynote that unveiled it, just days before their scheduled meeting with Apple. But this is not the interesting part of the story.

It is the tale of the small company's brief encounters with Apple's Steve Jobs that I found particularly fascinating. Jobs obviously wasn't afraid to tell them what he thought. Some might call it confidence; others would call it arrogance, or maybe ego. Regardless, it's clear where Apple gets the hubris to make its boldly misleading advertising claims: straight from the top.

I believe that while it's good to be passionate about your work and even believe that you're the best, a little humility wouldn't hurt every now and then. But I guess humility doesn't sell products or make you obscenely rich. Just ask fellow billionaire Bill Gates.

A couple of key quotes from the story (emphasis mine):

[Immediately after the debut of iTunes, which caught the Panic guys by complete surprise]

"Hi Steve, it's Cabel, from Panic."

"Oh, hey Cabel! Nice to meet you. So tell me, what'd you think of iTunes?"

"Well, I think it looks great! You guys have done a great job with it. But, you know, I still feel we'll do all-right with Audion."

"Oh, really? That's interesting, because honestly? I don't think you guys have a chance."


[At the scheduled meeting a few days later in Apple's board room]

We also seem to remember Jobs painted us a vibrant (but genuinely honest) picture of how he viewed Audion fairing against iTunes:

"It's like you guys are a little push-cart going down the railroad tracks, and we're a giant steam engine about to run you down."


The complete story is here: http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/

I skipped the first half, which just recounts the original history of the Audion software. Scroll down to "The Big E-Mail" about midway through the page to read about the encounters with Apple and Steve Jobs.
Jun 15 2007, 5:31 pm (Edited on Jun 15 2007, 5:36 pm)
Off topic, but your blog looks hot. Especially that dog at the top.

asl?

[edit] I should also be asking the breed!
Jun 15 2007, 6:35 pm
hes offered these guys a job at the second meeting as well, but they turned it down, just incase you skipped that part.
Jun 15 2007, 6:47 pm
.crimson.Taint wrote:
hes offered these guys a job at the second meeting as well, but they turned it down, just incase you skipped that part.

I'd be turning it down too if I was them. Why would you want to work with an arrogant guy like Steve Jobs?
Jun 15 2007, 7:09 pm
Smoko wrote:
.crimson.Taint wrote:
hes offered these guys a job at the second meeting as well, but they turned it down, just incase you skipped that part.

I'd be turning it down too if I was them. Why would you want to work with an arrogant guy like Steve Jobs?


other than tons of money? no reason

they say money can't buy happiness, but it can buy pretty much everything else.
Jun 15 2007, 7:19 pm
.crimson.Taint wrote:
other than tons of money? no reason

they say money can't buy happiness, but it can buy pretty much everything else.

I'd still rather try and make it on my own.
Jun 15 2007, 7:25 pm
Smoko wrote:
.crimson.Taint wrote:
other than tons of money? no reason

they say money can't buy happiness, but it can buy pretty much everything else.

I'd still rather try and make it on my own.

ok go ahead?
Jun 15 2007, 7:30 pm
Now I remember why Mac sucks. I honestly would rather see that money go to Windows or Linux, or just something more useful.
Jun 15 2007, 8:33 pm
Kunark wrote:
Now I remember why Mac sucks. I honestly would rather see that money go to Windows or Linux, or just something more useful.

Wow. How arbitrary. So basically:

1. Microsoft isn't arrogant? Sure. ;) I'd say theirs is much worse: Microsoft believes that they should rightfully dominate the world, through any means necessary. Apple just believes they have the best products in the world. Neither one is right, but I'd say Apple's is much more forgivable.

Indeed, it's hard to be successful if you don't believe in your products and put on a good show so that your customers believe in them. I'd go so far as to say that every single person who's climbed to the top, whether it's in business, politics, entertainment, sports, etc, has gotten there in large part due to their arrogant belief in themselves. If you're too humble, you lose. Which is why I'm a loser. ;)

2. Apple products aren't useful because Steve Jobs is arrogant? Too bad. I like to judge products on their own merits, not on the personalities of the people producing them.

3. If you haven't read the relevant part of the story, it shows that there's more than Apple/Jobs being a bunch of jerks. They were very impressed with these guys and wanted to work with them, offering them some sort of jobs or partnership. They were also brutally honest, which comes off as arrogance; thus my post.

I just found the whole thing fascinating. I'd personally never have the guts to say things like that to people's faces, even if I were thinking them. In a way, it's commendable to be that honest. It all depends on how you look at it.
Jun 15 2007, 8:39 pm
By the way, one other sample quote I meant to include in my post (dang, knew I forgot something):

I remember he asked, "Do you have any other ideas for apps you want to work on?" I replied, genuinely, "Well, we've got an idea for a digital photo management program..." and he replied with a simple, "Yeah. Don't do that one."

This, of course, was referring to Apple's forthcoming iPhoto application. I found it almost comical that they were so confident in this product that wasn't out yet that they told these guys not to even try.
Jun 16 2007, 6:27 am
Sounds like business. This shouldn't surprise anyone, I mean, Apple is a business, and Audion is a competitor. It's not ballsy or arrogant, it's just business.