How fortunate all of us are to belong to the same generation as Steve Jobs and see him unravel his genius over and over!
I was lucky to see Steve Jobs in person.
Apple has invited our email tributes to Steve.
I emailed this personal story to share the spark that Steve brought to my life.
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From: Ram Kedlaya
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 12:49 AM
To: 'rememberingsteve@apple.com'
Subject: Thank you Steve, for the Spark!
Dear Steve,
I still remember the fascinating experience I had as a young man, when I first saw you in person. The year was 1984. I was a Master’s student in the Computer Science department at University of Texas, Austin. There you were, in a classroom auditorium, full of confidence, charming us with your stories and your smile.
You started off with a story that I have recalled many times in my life whenever I needed inspiration. At the time, Apple considered IBM as its primary competitor and the “enemy”, with their PCs that competed with the Mac. The public rivalry got a lot of press coverage for several months.
You said, “there is a company that makes chips. Frequently, their sales reps visit the retail stores and verify that their products are displayed properly on the shelves. While they are there, they nudge the competitor’s products gently to the side or to the rear. That company is called (pause) … Frito-Lay.”
Audience laughs...
A pause…a wry smile from you and then you said, “We also make chips!”
Our jaw dropped!
Audience roared in applause
We all knew you were referring to IBM, but you referred to a ‘competitor’ brilliantly without mentioning their name.
This was my first opportunity to see a stunning exhibition of storytelling!
Like so many of us around the world, I became an instant fan of "Steve Jobs", the charismatic, boyish looking genius.
When the Mac IIx arrived in 1989 with a version running AU/X, Apple’s UNIX version, I was an early adopter of the dual boot operating system. I used Framemaker on Mac OS to create brochures and flyers for my wife’s dance performances (boy…was she proud of me for making the right investment on a computer by not choosing a PC!) and Unix to make my living.
I loved the GUI with the mouse and the clicks. Reminded me of the Xero Alto machines I had used at Margaret Jacks Hall in Stanford’s computer science department!
When I started my own company in 1991, as a founder, I was constantly looking to learn from other leaders. I considered you one my virtual mentors. I would read everything written by the press about you. You had stated, “you hire someone to do what you are doing now, so you can do bigger things.” This stuck in my mind when I was trying to build leadership capacity in my company and throughout my career.
Today, I run a Leadership Development company across the world. Your wisdom and inspiration is something I share with aspiring leaders.
Thank you Steve, for dazzling us, for showing us how to create objects of beauty and for igniting the spark in us!
I look forward to seeing you in heaven!
Ram Kedlaya
Founder & CEO,
Group Tminus
