STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISH STEVE JOBS QUEST

 

STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISH

Q.1 What does Jobs say about his mother?

Ans. Jobs said that his mother was a young, unwed college graduate student. She had put him up for adoption. But she strongly wanted that Steve should be adopted by college graduates.

Q.2 How did his foster parents adopt him?

Ans. Steve’s biological mother had arranged the adoption for him to a college graduate couple. When Steve took birth, the couple changed their mind and said they wanted a girl. So, the next couple on the waiting list was called in the middle of the night and asked if they were ready to adopt a baby boy. They agreed to adopt Steve. But later his biological mother found out that his foster parents were not graduates. So she didn't sign the adoption papers. She signed it only when the couple promised that they would send Steve to college.

Q.3 What does he say about his studies at Reed College?

Ans. Steve said that he spent a good amount of his parent's hard earned money on his college tuition fee but didn't find it worthy. After six months he left it. He was confused what he was really looking for from his life and how his college was going to help him figure that. So, he decided to drop it thinking things would work out eventually. He further added that since he had dropped out, he was not required to attend classes that didn't interest him. Instead he attended the ones that looked interesting to him.

Q.4 Why did he drop out from college?

Ans. Steve's parents had spent their hard-earned savings in Steve's college tuition fees. He had chosen quite an expensive college, yet after six months, he couldn’t see any value in it. He was confused as to what he wanted to do with his life and how his college was going to help him figure that out. Thus, he dropped out of college hoping things would 'work out OK’. Also the reason for his dropping out was that the classes he was required to attend did not interest him at all.

Q.5 What difficulties did he face after he dropped out?

Ans. After Steve dropped out of college, he thought things would be ‘OK’. But that wasn’t the case. He didn’t have a dorm room to sleep in. So he slept on the floor in friends' rooms. He returned coke bottles for the 5Ȼ deposits, so that he could buy food. He would walk the 7 miles across the town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. He also got involved into some other things by chance, by following his curiosity and intuition.

Q.6 Why did he decide to learn calligraphy?

Ans. Steve dropped out of college, thus he was not required to take the classes that didn't interest him. Instead he took the ones that looked interesting. So once he learned that Reed college at that time offered the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label was beautifully hand calligraphed. Thus, he decided to attend those calligraphy classes and learn different combinations. He found them beautiful. historical. artistically subtle and found them very fascinating.

 Q.7 How did his knowledge of calligraphy help him?

Ans. After learning calligraphy, he didn't hope of using it practically. But ten years later, when his team was designing the first Macintosh computer, he designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. It had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. This way the personal computers had that wonderful typography too.

Q.8 What does he mean by connecting the 'dots'?

Ans. By connecting the ‘dots’, Steve meant relating past event with the present. He maintained that past events would always have their meaning or justification with the current present time. But those events would not seem to be connected if one would see them immediately after their occurrence. After longish period of time, when one would look backward at the course of time then he would be able to see the connection between the events and thus would be able to connect the dots. To drive home his point, he cited two examples from his life. First was dropping out of college, which he later termed as "one of the best decisions I ever made." He had never thought thus while leaving, but only after ten years he appreciated his decision. Second was his learning calligraphy. He had never thought while learning that he would use it practically in his life. But he did and it proved to be a brilliant idea. But he could never had related any two events looking forward. He was able to associate them with each by looking backward, when good amount of time had passed.

Q.9 How did Jobs set-up the Apple Inc.?

Ans. Early in life, Jobs had found out what he loved to do. So, he along with his friend Woz started Apple in his parents garage, when he was just 20 years old. He worked hard and in 10 years span, Apple Inc. had grown from two of them in a garage to a 2 billion company with over 4000 employees.

Q.10 How did he lose his position in the Apple Inc.?

Ans. Steve had founded Apple Inc. and with his hard work, he turned it into a 2 billion company. As the company grew he hired someone whom he thought was very talented to run the company with him. First year with him went well, but then their vision of future began to diverge. Eventually they had a falling out and somehow Board of Directors didn't took Steve's side. Thus, he was thrown out of the company that he had founded.

Q.11 How did he feel about his dismissal?

Ans. Steve was devastated after his dismissal. All that had been the focus of his entire adult life was gone. He didn't know what to do for a few months. He felt he had upset the previous generation of entrepreneurs who had dropped the baton to pass it to him. He even apologised the prominent people of the company for spoiling the things. He saw himself as a public failure and thought of running away from the valley.

Q.12 How did he return to the Apple Inc.?

Ans. After leaving Apple Inc. something ignited him-he still loved what he used to do. Leaving Apple couldn't change his passion, thus he decided to start over again. In the next five years he started two companies named NeXT and Pixar. Pixar created world's first computer animated feature film, Toy Story and became the most successful animated studio in the world. Eventually, Apple bought NeXT and Steve too returned to Apple Inc.

Q.13 How did the quotation on death affect Jobs?

Ans. Steve read a quote “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.” It made to huge impression on him for the rest of his life. To follow this quote religiously, Steve would stand in front of the mirror every morning and would ask himself: if that day were the last day of his life, would he be doing that he was about to do that day. When the answer had been ‘No’ for many days then he knew that something needed to be changed.

Q.14 How did consciousness of death inspire him?

Ans. Steve realised that death was a universal fact and he too would be dead soon. This realisation was the most important tool to him which helped him make big choices in his life. According to him everything: all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure, all these things were nothing in front of death. That left one with what really mattered. He added that remembering that everybody would die one day was the best way to avoid the trap of thinking one had something to lose. Everyone would be naked in front of death, thus there was no reason not to follow one’s own heart.

Q.15 What was the doctor’s advice to him when he was diagnosed with cancer?

Ans. The doctor told him that he had only three to six months to live, thus he told him what Steve considered a “doctor’s code for prepare to die.” The doctor told him to go home and manage his pending affairs in order. The doctor meant that Steve had to tell his kids everything in a few months what he had thought he would say to them in next 10 years. The doctor meant to arrange things in such a manner that it would be easy for his family after him. It meant to say goodbye to everybody.

Q.16 How does Jobs view death?

Ans. Jobs had a close encounter with death, thus he was sure death was a useful and purely intellectual concept. He viewed death as the destination that all humans shared. No one had ever escaped it nor would be able to do that. He maintained that death was very likely the single best invention of life. He regarded it as life's change agent, that cleared out the old and made way for the new.

Q.17 What is more important in face of death?

Ans. Steve explained to his audience that everybody has limited time to live. So, one should not waste it living according to someone else. One should not be trapped by the dogma which was living according to other people's thinking. One should not let the noise of other's opinion shut their own inner voice. And above all, he added that one must have the courage to follow their heart and their own intuition, as they somehow already know what they truly want to become.

Q.18 What was Jobs’ farewell message?

Ans. Jobs wished the graduating students to “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” By this he meant that one should not be contended or satisfied with what one has already achieved, but should always feel hungry to do more. Also one should never think that one has learnt everything. If they thought so they were still foolish.