Steve Jobs’ tenure at Pixar profiled in upcoming book

Steve Jobs is known for his role as CEO and co-found of Apple, but he also played a major role at Pixar Animation Studios. In a new book to be released next week that was previewed by Gizmodo, Former Pixar president and co-founder Ed Catmull talks about Steve Jobs and his role in the company. Jobs looked fondly upon his time at Pixar because of the effect movies can have on a culture. Unlike hardware, which eventually ends up in the dumpster, a film can “dig for deeper truths” and have a lasting impact on the world. His experience with Pixar was part of this change. Steve aspired to create utilitarian things that also brought joy; it was his way of making the world a better place. That was part of why Pixar made him so proud—because he felt the world was better for the films we made. He used to say regularly that as brilliant as Apple products were, eventually they all ended up in landfills. It was during those years at Pixar that Jobs matured, claims Catmull, changing from a perfectionist who demanded the same of his employees to a someone who recognized others for their “value as contributors to the creative process.” While he never lost his intensity, we watched him develop the ability to listen. More and more, he could express empathy and caring and patience. He became truly wise. The change in him was real, and it was deep. Though he may have mellowed with age, Jobs never lost his edge claims Catmull. Jobs was efficient at ever, but changed how he handled the people around him. Some people have said that he got mellower with age, but I don’t think that’s an adequate description of what happened; it sounds too passive, as if he just was letting more go. Steve’s transformation was an active one. He continued to engage; he just changed the way he went about it. The book, Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration, is available for pre-order from Amazon. It goes on sale April 8, 2014. [Via MacRumors and Gizmodo] Continue reading →

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