An E-mail sent to Steve Jobs

[manning]

As a lark I sent this email to Steve Jobs at sj@pixar.com I sent it today, 8/12/07, at 2:30 PM and got a reply at 2:52PM.

When are you going to take steps to get rid of that bumbling idiot Iger and save Disney

It is going down the drain.

Or don't you care!!!!!

To my surprise I got this answer back:

Actually, Bob Iger is doing a wonderful job at bringing back Disney. I know, because I see it.


Steve



Don't know if the message was from him but I got an answer.



Anyone else care to try??

Another Voice--- go for it !!!

 

[EUROPACL]

To my surprise I got this answer back:

Actually, Bob Iger is doing a wonderful job at bringing back Disney. I know, because I see it.


Steve

Maybe he means bringing it back to Eisner levels? From a look at that 3Q report that was posted you can see Jobs' hand at work spending money on Software companies. In the past that has been a pretty big money hole for Disney. Go.com...Mickey Phone anyone?

 

[Wick]

Wow.. is that for real?

 

[granmanh603]

As a lark I sent this email to Steve Jobs at sj@pixar.com I sent it today, 8/12/07, at 2:30 PM and got a reply at 2:52PM.

When are you going to take steps to get rid of that bumbling idiot Iger and save Disney

It is going down the drain.

Or don't you care!!!!!

To my surprise I got this answer back:

Actually, Bob Iger is doing a wonderful job at bringing back Disney. I know, because I see it.


Steve



Don't know if the message was from him but I got an answer.



Anyone else care to try??

Another Voice--- go for it !!!

Hi I agree with you not Steve Jobs if you are looking for support. Iger is an idiot and will ruin Disney.

 

[Another Voice]

Steve Jobs is the very embodiment of baby-boomer cool – elitist, exclusive, superior-by-education, “look-at-me!” flamboyance, on to the next fad at the drop of a bong.

Disney represents everything middle class America – nostalgia, comfort, tradition, safety, permanence, keep your elbows of the table and be nice to Aunt Beatrice at Thanksgiving dinner.


The only thing they have in common is money. As long as they do that for each other, they’re joined at the hip. Jobs doesn’t care any more for “Disney” than Iger does – “Disney” is just another corporation.

 

[Wick]

Next time send a CC to Lasstter and Roy E.

 

[raidermatt]

Well, at least he, or whoever answered on his behalf, admitted that Disney needs to be brought back. That's more than a lot of fans will admit.

Still, I have to agree that thinking Iger is going to truly "bring Disney back" is a reach to say the least.

 

[Snowgod]

If Steve can do for Disney what he has done for Apple and Pixar then we will all be happy. After all, there is very little in the computer world that doesn't have his fingerprints all over it. As I sit here typing on my Windows PC I see nothing that wasn't first done on a Mac, so if he can do this for Disney, then the world will be following their lead.

 

[Another Voice]

Actually, it was all done first at XeroxParc...but Stevie doesn't like to talk about that little part of the story.

 

[mwehttam]

Actually, it was all done first at XeroxParc...but Stevie doesn't like to talk about that little part of the story.

That is very true. The man in charge invited a young Jobs over to take a look. Since nothing was patented yet, Steve took it a ran. The rest is history. My father-in-law worked for Xerox and worked on this project os I got the full story first hand.

-Matt

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

That is very true. The man in charge invited a young Jobs over to take a look. Since nothing was patented yet, Steve took it a ran. The rest is history. My father-in-law worked for Xerox and worked on this project os I got the full story first hand.

-Matt

If you watch any Steve Jobs Apple keynote speech where he intros products typically the first thing out of his mouth when showing a new jaw-dropping feature is something along the lines of, "boy have we patented it...." typically followed by audience giggles.

While SJ may have ripped off some ideas form Xerox, in my opinion Apple and Pixar led by SJ have done a phenomenal job with their products and innovation. I've always held firm that SJ being on Apple's BoD is a good thing. He has vision (and a penchant for making $). That's good for Disney in my opinion.

 

[rantnnravin]

That is very true. The man in charge invited a young Jobs over to take a look. Since nothing was patented yet, Steve took it a ran. The rest is history. My father-in-law worked for Xerox and worked on this project os I got the full story first hand.

-Matt

iirc, Steve took a look at what xerox was doing with the graphic interface and wanted to take it further.
those in charge said they"had no use for it", so Jobs asked if he could have it and got the ok from xerox - they gave it to him for the asking.

and the man knows what people want - before they even do, which is why his penchant for innovation is so often compared to Walt's.

 

[EUROPACL]

iirc, Steve took a look at what xerox was doing with the graphic interface and wanted to take it further.
those in charge said they"had no use for it", so Jobs asked if he could have it and got the ok from xerox - they gave it to him for the asking.
.

You recall incorrectly. Jobs was given access to the Xerox park for stock options in Apple. He saw the Xerox Alto (GUI and Mouse) and copied it for use on the Lisa (until he was kicked off the project). Xerox was using the GUI and mouse for Minicomputers (Not Personal) they did not give anything for Jobs to use...he took it and ran.....just as Gates did when he got a couple of preproduction Macintosh computers to develop software for...he inturn stole the GUI and Mouse for Windows.

 

[Wick]

You recall incorrectly. Jobs was given access to the Xerox park for stock options in Apple. He saw the Xerox Alto (GUI and Mouse) and copied it for use on the Lisa (until he was kicked off the project). Xerox was using the GUI and mouse for Minicomputers (Not Personal) they did not give anything for Jobs to use...he took it and ran.....just as Gates did when he got a couple of preproduction Macintosh computers to develop software for...he inturn stole the GUI and Mouse for Windows.

I'm not familiar with the story, but even if this is the case, so what? Clearly Jobs has the ambition and innovation necessary to carry his ideas into the 21st century. Because he an expanded on, as you claim, an already existing idea, SJ has impacted significantly the realm of technology geared towards the individual. I don't see how this necessarily spells out bad business for Disney.

 

[EUROPACL]

I'm not familiar with the story, but even if this is the case, so what? Clearly Jobs has the ambition and innovation necessary to carry his ideas into the 21st century. Because he an expanded on, as you claim, an already existing idea, SJ has impacted significantly the realm of technology geared towards the individual. I don't see how this necessarily spells out bad business for Disney.

Slow down there...go back and read what I wrote again. I was just telling the story correctly. I did not comment on what if anything it has to do with Disney, Jobs or imply that its bad for Disney.

Other than collecting a big check every now and then I'm not even sure at this point if Jobs is really going to get involved with Disney...and he hasn't made that clear either (as far as I know)...other than some Software company purchases I don't see Jobs that involved as of now.

 

[rantnnravin]

From PBS's "Triumph of the Nerds": (bolding and italics mine)

Adele Goldberg
Founder, PARC Place Systems
He came back and I almost said asked, but the truth is, demanded that his entire programming team get a demo of the Smalltalk System and the then head of the science centre asked me to give the demo because Steve specifically asked for me to give the demo and I said no way. I had a big argument with these Xerox executives telling them that they were about to give away the kitchen sink and I said that I would only do it if I were ordered to do it cause then of course it would be their responsibility, and that's what they did.

 

[wdwguide]

When are you going to take steps to get rid of that bumbling idiot Iger and save Disney

It is going down the drain.

Or don't you care!!!!!

Why exactly are you so upset with Iger? I don't really care about any aspect of the company other than the theme parks any more, but in that department there isn't much for me to complain about when compared to the Pressler/Eisner days (other than skyrocketing prices). Hell, they are actually doing maintenance these days instead of letting the place rot. They are even updating rides that haven't seen any love in decades and adding new ones that seem to be reasonably popular. That's got to count for something.

 

[EUROPACL]

From PBS's "Triumph of the Nerds": (bolding and italics mine)

You are misreading the term "giving away". Its more like someone in the crowd seeing the bar that holds up the women in the magic trick and then copies the act.

 

[rantnnravin]

You are misreading the term "giving away". Its more like someone in the crowd seeing the bar that holds up the women in the magic trick and then copies the act.

that would be an apt analogy if the other magician specifically asked for you to show him how you do your act and someone warns you that he will then be able to adapt the same technology you are using and you agree to show him anyway because you don't see any value or use for the trick in your act.

 

[EUROPACL]

that would be an apt analogy if the other magician specifically asked for you to show him how you do your act and someone warns you that he will then be able to adapt the same technology you are using and you agree to show him anyway because you don't see any value or use for the trick in your act.

So then Jobs must not have saw any value in the GUI and Mouse either when he "gave it away" to Gates?