Why Apple Inc founder Steve Jobs nearly declined to give a commencement speech, which turned out to be the best ever

Why Apple Inc founder Steve Jobs nearly declined to give a commencement speech, which turned out to be the best ever

Jobs woke up on the morning of the 12th riddled with anxiety. “I’d almost never seen him more nervous,” Laurene Jobs would tell Schlender and Tetzeli. Even on the short drive from his home to the stadium – their three kids in the back – he rode shotgun in the family SUV, still tweaking the speech. When they tried to get to the VIP parking lot, they couldn’t find the pass that would gain them entry. They had trouble convincing the guard that the frazzled guy in a black T-shirt and ripped jeans was actually the commencement speaker, but they finally got through.

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Newly released materials show how Apple Inc founder Steve Jobs went from hopelessly flailing to delivering greatest graduation speech ever

Newly released materials show how Apple Inc founder Steve Jobs went from hopelessly flailing to delivering greatest graduation speech ever

Jobs dreaded giving this speech. The Jobs I knew stayed in a strictly policed comfort zone. He thought nothing of walking out of a meeting, even an important one, if something displeased him. His exacting instructions to anyone charged with preparing his meals rivalled those for the manufacture of iPhones.

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