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Comment on "Wired on Bill and Steve: Part Two"
by Andy Lee — Feb 03
"Street Cred Cast as 'Hero Worship'" -- I like that.

I saw this over on ValleyWag too, in a posting titled "When will journalists decide Jobs isn't God?" Upon reflection, the whole thing seems to me to be more of the time-honored tradition of trying to pass off cheap shots as insights.

As for the "rock star" persona, here's the comment I posted at ValleyWag:

Why is *any* celebrity worshipped? Jobs is often described as a rock star, and that's what he is within the computer industry. He's highly creative, driven, and charismatic, and he knows how to work his fans. He's treated as a saint by some, but he also has a reputation for being a major asshole -- as do some rock stars.

If you think it's all about some sterile notion of business competence (or ruthlessness or luck) and nothing else, you're missing the real phenomenon. Yes, he "revived a for-profit, stockholder-beholden company"; but I'd hardly say "That's all." He did it by generating excitement in elegant products, and by applying his talents as a showman and as a negotiator.
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