This idea states that it is the "great men" who are responsible for making the world we see today, through their force of will, powerful ideas and charisma.
And as it happens, that's how the public sees Steve Jobs today. So it's good to hear him tell a story that reminds us that he had a very different perspective on this idea.
I don't know about that. He was reacting against the mythology of the idea and ignorance of execution. It still might be (and I would argue in some cases it was with him) that there exist "great men" such that if you remove them, the product is wildly shittier, whereas if you remove almost anybody else in the process, the product is not necessarily that much worse.
Since reading Peter Thiel's excellent essay on secrets [1], I've been more constantly thinking if what people _seem_ to do or say, is actually how it is.
For example it can be good for Apple that public (and competition) saw Steve through the great man theory. Public loves heroes, and competition where thrown off with the possibly false explanation for their success ("we can't beat the great Steve").
I've been wondering if the same thing is happening with Elon Musk today. He plays the loveable underdog hero part well for PR (whether it's true or not) and doesn't never mention his staff or anyone by name or what they have done.
(When your hero dies, it can be a problem. Except if you make people believe that the hero's ideals still live through the others that we're close him/her.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Man_theory
This idea states that it is the "great men" who are responsible for making the world we see today, through their force of will, powerful ideas and charisma.
And as it happens, that's how the public sees Steve Jobs today. So it's good to hear him tell a story that reminds us that he had a very different perspective on this idea.