Former Apple exec had lunch with his boss Steve Jobs for 15 years—he says the late founder taught him that learning is more important than being right | Fortune

That’s the lesson that caught with Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief design officer, who labored alongside the late cofounder for almost 15 years in designing iconic merchandise like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

In his 2024 “Letters to a Younger Creator” submission not too long ago printed by The Steve Jobs Archive, Ive shared the mindset that formed certainly one of the most respected corporations in the world.

“We had lunch collectively most days and spent our afternoons in the sanctuary of the design studio,” Ive wrote in his letter. “Being curious and exploring tentative concepts had been far more important to Steve than being socially acceptable,” Ive continued. “For Steve, desirous to study was far more important than desirous to be right.”

Jobs’ “insatiable curiosity” wasn’t restrained by his in depth experience. Ive mentioned the tech pioneer was “ferocious, energetic and stressed” in learning new issues till the finish. And that mindset may very well be the secret sauce to launching trillion-dollar successes like Apple, which has offered over 3 billion iPhones worldwide and is certainly one of few corporations boasting a market cap over $4 trillion. After three pioneering a long time at Apple, he nonetheless harkens again to this knowledge as he leads his personal design agency, LoveFrom.

“Our curiosity united us. It shaped the foundation of our joyful and productive collaboration,” Ive defined. “I believe it additionally tempered our concern of doing one thing terrifyingly new.”

Even Brian Chesky and Tim Cook dinner credit score Jobs for shaping their work philosophies

Ive is simply certainly one of many tech founders and creatives who had been touched by Jobs’ work philosophy. 

Even Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, and cofounder and CEO of $78 billion short-term rental large, acquired some invaluable knowledge whereas talking with Ive on how the Apple cofounder led his legion of employees. Chesky has noticed that Jobs was infamous for being a detail-obsessed “micromanager,” however after speaking it over with Ive, it’s clear Jobs’ actions didn’t make him a helicopter boss. Above every part else, Ive mentioned Jobs was invested in rising his expertise. 

“I mentioned, ‘Do you ever really feel like Steve Jobs micromanaged you? As a result of he was in each element,’” Chesky instructed CNBC earlier this yr. “And he mentioned, ‘No. He didn’t micromanage me. He partnered with me. We had been engaged on issues collectively, and I felt like him being [into] the particulars made me higher.’”

Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner additionally credited Jobs for educating him abilities, like the significance of being in a position to evolve from previous beliefs—a trait he mentioned few leaders truly possess. Cook dinner defined that Jobs valued individuals who may admit they had been unsuitable, inspired energetic debates, and loved being challenged by different employees. Regardless that Jobs would play satan’s advocate to stimulate deeper concepts in dialog, Cook dinner believed this was the finest technique to study. 

“He beloved to debate, and he beloved somebody to debate him,” Cook dinner instructed The Wall Road Journal in 2024. “You may all the time change [Jobs’] thoughts in case you had the finest concept. We modified one another’s minds, that’s the motive it labored so properly.” 

Corning CEO Wendell Weeks additionally instructed Fortune that Jobs helped him confront his fears. Again in the mid-2000s, Jobs noticed potential in Corning’s technical capabilities to provide sturdy glass screens for its upcoming 2007 iPhone launch. Nevertheless, Weeks instructed Jobs that he couldn’t make it occur, apprehensive about scaling to satisfy Apple’s wants.

“Have you learnt what your drawback is?” Weeks recalled Jobs telling him. “You’re afraid I’m going to launch the largest product in historical past, and I’m not going to have the ability to do it since you failed, and I’m going to eviscerate you”

The fact verify was precisely what he wanted: Weeks admitted that he was afraid, mounted his mindset, and adopted by on the deal. Quick ahead to 2025, and Apple has dedicated $2.5 billion to provide all iPhone and Apple Watch cowl glass at the facility.