Steve Jobs: On the origin of make something wonderful

The mood in the small room is buoyant as Steve enters, pours himself some water, and settles onto a stool. In January, in anticipation of a broadening product line and increased focus on retail and services, the company changed its name from Apple Computer Inc to Apple Inc. In June, the iPhone debuted to rave reviews and lines around the block. Revenues are up, profits are way up, and Steve marvels at how far the company has come. “People wanted $24 billion worth of the stuff that you guys thought up out of thin air and made,” he says. “I think that’s pretty cool.”

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Steve is in high spirits. The iPhone has just launched, profits are soaring, and he tells the team how amazing it is that people wanted 24 billion dollars worth of products they invented and built. An employee asks how Apple will protect its culture as it grows. Steve pauses, then says the deepest way to show respect for humankind is to make something wonderful and put it out into the world with great care.

This belief guided Steve all his life. It now guides the Steve Jobs Archive and inspired the title of their first book. On what would have been Steve’s 70th birthday, they hope it inspires you too: make something wonderful and share it.