Steve Jobs on Stealing Great Ideas
What Jobs talks about
In this short excerpt, Steve Jobs reflects on the origins of the Macintosh and Apple’s willingness to borrow strong ideas. He points to work done at Xerox PARC and innovations from the Lisa as part of that story.
He then repeats Picasso’s line that great artists steal, using it to frame Apple’s approach to product development. The moment is notable for how openly he embraces adaptation as part of innovation.
The clip ends with a playful introduction that underscores Jobs’s larger-than-life reputation. Even in a brief passage, it captures his mix of candor, wit, and self-confidence.
An unidentified speaker introduces Jobs; Jobs speaks in the middle of the excerpt.
In his words
“Good artists copy, great artists steal.”
“We have, you know, always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”
“Been shameless about stealing great ideas.”
“On the day, only one man was claiming paternity for the Mac.”
Key points
- Apple built on ideas from Xerox PARC and the Lisa.
- Jobs embraces borrowing as a legitimate part of innovation.
- He invokes Picasso: great artists steal.
- He says Apple was shameless about stealing great ideas.
- The excerpt highlights Jobs’s confidence and humor.
Full transcript
Forget the brilliant work done at Xerox PARC and the innovations borrowed from the Lisa. On the day, only one man was claiming paternity for the Mac. I mean, Picasso had a saying, he said, good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have, you know, always been shameless about stealing great ideas. Been shameless about stealing great ideas. Been shameless about stealing great ideas. So it is with considerable pride that I introduce a man who's been like a father to me, Steve Jobs.
Transcribed from the audio with OpenAI Whisper. Timestamps link to the video above. Errors are possible.