Jony Ive, the renowned former chief design officer at Apple, recently shared his experiences of working under the leadership of Steve Jobs, calling it the most extraordinary time of his life.
"Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could," Jobs once said a quote that evoked his influential role at Apple.
Ive, who joined Apple at the young age of 25, played a pivotal role in designing iconic products like the MacBook, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Alongside Jobs, he transformed Apple from a struggling company into a global leader in innovation and design. Ive left Apple in 2019 to start his own design firm, LoveFrom, based in San Francisco.
In a recent podcast interview on "Life in Seven Songs," Ive reflected on his career at Apple, highlighting the fulfillment he found in working with Jobs. Despite starting at Apple during Jobs' absence, their meeting five years later sparked a powerful creative synergy.
Ive described their collaboration from 1997 to 2011 as "the most joyful and extraordinary 15 years of his life." He noted that Jobs' return brought a new focus and transparency to Apple's creative process.
Ive praised Jobs' remarkable ability to articulate complex ideas and feelings effortlessly, which significantly shaped Apple's design philosophy. "Steve had an uncanny ability to describe complex feelings and ideas effortlessly," Ive recalled.
