Steve Jobs on Teams & Collaboration: The Hard Part
What Jobs talks about
In this short recording, the speaker recalls asking Steve Jobs what the best product he ever created was. Jobs doesn’t choose the Macintosh or the iPhone.
Instead, he says the best thing he created was the team that made those products. The point is that building a great team is harder than making any single product.
The transcript highlights the people Jobs brought together, including Jony Ive, Tim Cook, Eddie Cue, and Phil Schiller, underscoring how central teams were to Apple’s success.
A narrator/interviewer introduces the quote; Jobs is quoted within the transcript.
In his words
“The best thing I ever created was the team that made those products.”
“And that's the hard part is creating a team.”
“From Johnny Ive to Tim Cook and Eddie Cue and Phil Schiller.”
Key points
- The best thing Jobs created was not a product, but a team.
- Great products are hard, but building the right team is harder.
- Apple’s strength came from bringing together top talent across roles.
- The transcript points to key leaders like Jony Ive, Tim Cook, Eddie Cue, and Phil Schiller.
- Leadership means creating the conditions for a team to make great work.
Full transcript
When I asked Steve Jobs at one point, what was the best product you ever created? I thought he'd say, maybe the Macintosh or maybe the iPhone. He said, no, those products are hard. The best thing I ever created was the team that made those products. And that's the hard part is creating a team. And he did, you know, from Johnny Ive to Tim Cook and Eddie Cue and Phil Schiller.
Transcribed from the audio with OpenAI Whisper. Timestamps link to the video above. Errors are possible.