Movie Reflection - Pirates of the Silicon Valley

After watching the movie “Pirates of the Silicon Valley” I was amazed, the story narrates how Apple and Microsoft came to be.

What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur?

First, we will discuss about the success of Steve Jobs as a technopreneur, we will enumerate his traits and the factors.

Being a visionary

            Steve Jobs really is a visionary, he sees things in advance, in a futuristic way. It all began with his passion, he sees things differently.

Wozniak then comments that "Steve was never like you or me. He always saw things differently. Even when I was in Berkeley, I would see something and just see kilobytes or circuit boards while he'd see karma or the meaning of the universe."

Being an technopreneur

            Steve Jobs is a technopreneur in mind, he has a brilliant mind and came up the idea of building the first computer. And of course, he sees an opportunity to earn money as they developed the computer, so they started producing many copies of it and sells it to companies.

Being an opportunist

           

            Steve Wozniak: Where's your beard?

Steve Jobs: In the bathroom sink. I shaved it off.

Steve Wozniak: Well, how come?

Steve Jobs: 'Cause banks don't like beards.

In the conversation above, which is part of the movie when they launch their first computer to public viewing, Steve Jobs sees an opportunity to the bankers and investors.

Being an artist

           

            Good artists copy, great artists steal. A signature line also said by him, and I think copying is somewhat stealing, but stealing is more weighted than copying. He is an artist in mind because of his colourful ideas. He can draw ideas out of nowhere, or sort of copying ideas and stealing ideas from others.

Being a perfectionist

            He wants his works to be perfect, with no mess even one. That’s why many people recognized him in a few span of time.

Steve Jobs: Are you sure this thing is even gonna work?

Steve Wozniak: If it doesn't catch fire.

Steve Jobs: Don't even joke.

The conversation above between the two friends, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs I guess don’t like jokes when talking about his stuff or business. You should be serious if you meet him.

Now let’s go to the factors and traits that lead to his failure.

Being a irresponsible father

           

            I think this is one of the factors that lead to his failure. He did not take the responsibility of his baby in his girlfriend and thus, he experience karma. As a technopreneur, this responsibility is not far from his expertise, it is also a part of life. He was still immature to deny the truth and pretend to be tough.

Being a rude boss

           

            Since their company grew big, his head also became big. He was irritant and always wants his “wants” to be achieve. He even once, (I don’t know if once), but He was cruel about his workmates or shall I say employees at that time. He wanted them to work for hours even night, he wanted perfection.

Mac Designer: Yes, I'm listening! I am so sick of your abusiveness. That's all you know. Tearing people down, throwing tantrums. You miserable son of a bitch.

(Sorry for the word, citation only)

            The conversation above happened when Steve Jobs was angry at that time, he has no control of his feelings. And it was a bad personality of him that lead his people to hate him.

Being a spoiled friend

He became spoiled in the later part of the movie, he always insist about his plans, that his plans were great and his plans are awesome. He didn’t even have the time to listen to the opinion of Steve Wozniak anymore.

Steve Wozniak: [to Jobs] All I'm doing now is being a brake pedal for you as you're heading for the wall.

            Steve Wozniak is still concerned with his friend, but again, Steve Jobs wanted to be perfect, wanted power, he chokes his teammates and employees. This attitude of Steve Jobs is the worst.

Being selfish

Bill Gates: I don't understand - how does the hardware handle the mouse/cursor display?

Gilmore: No, it's all right here in the software...

Steve Jobs: Enough!

[angrily mashes button, closing the Macintosh display]

Gilmore: Sorry, Steve.

Steve Jobs: There's no use torturing our guests with what they can't have.

The conversation above depicts the selfish desires of Steve Jobs.

And that is all I can share about his success and failure as what I have understood about the movie.

How do you see yourself as a technopreneur?

            I see myself as a technopreneur by seeing things beyond their appearance. As a student also, I learned that many opportunity comes but we take them for granted. Because we are scared, I learned that like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, it is normal no take risks, the dangerous ones, for me I take risks but not more than dangerous, I just go with the flow. About being an entrepreneur and a technologist at the same time is difficult, so as being a technopreneur. I think I have the capacity to be one, just believe in myself and everything’s gonna be alright. It is not really my field of expertise but all people can draw potentials from themselves if accompanied by their will power and faith.

            If I will be someday, a technopreneur(really someday), I will be happy at least I could help people, and that’s important, to really help other people. Because in a business world, greediness these days are everywhere, they make business for their own sake, for their own richness, but what about the others? I think business is not only helping yourself up, but also building connections to other people so that when you fall, you have someone to hold on. That is my point of view.

Would you take the same career path that Steve Jobs took? Why or why not?

          For me, I will take the same career path that Steve Jobs took, in the “right way”. Why? He is almost the ideal type of technopreneur, but his attitude makes him worst. In his career he was so successful, he was blessed, but he ruined them all because of his selfishness. Truly, when you are not in control of your overwhelming feeling, just like Steve Jobs, you be lost, and realize you ruined everything.

            For me, the right way is that being the same person as you are(the good one), when anything happens, you know in your heart that remaining in goodness produces goodness in life.

            “A strong wind blows, others build walls, others build windmills.”

I got the conversation lines, excerpts, and citations above here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_Silicon_Valley

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168122/quotes?ref_=ttalt_sa_4