Image via Complex Original
As is often the case with great thinkers and innovators, Steve Jobs was a distinctly private individual. Save for his signature keynotes on stage at Apple events, his public appearances were few and far between. But Jobs was not a man of few words. In the select interviews he gave to reporters over his 35-year career, the co-founder of Apple and Pixar revealed himself to be sharp, passionate, funny, acerbic, arrogant, selfless and grounded — often all within a few sentences. In honor of his life and work, we present nine essential interviews, captured on video, that reveal the great American inventor and revolutionary in his own words.
1978: First TV Appearance
A scruffy-looking 23-year-old Jobs prepares for his first ever appearance on television. “God look at that! Look! I’m on television!”
2007: With An Old Rival
In an encounter that has become the stuff of legend, Jobs shared the stage with his greatest frienemy, Bill Gates, at the D5 conference in 2007. He was lively and magnanimous, but couldn't resist cracking jokes at the microsoft founder.
2001: The Apple Store
Like nearly everything else at Apple, their iconic retail stores were once merely a twinkle in Jobs's eye. Here he is giving an enthusiastic tour of the very first one, built in Tysons Corner, Virginia in 2001.
1994: Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal
In a revealing interview, Jobs talks about how Apple was founded by artists, and the importance of "exposing yourself to the best things humans have done."
1996: On Apple, From The Outside
Less than a year before being asked to return to Apple — then crumbling after 12 years without him — Jobs reveals his belief that the company can be great again... along with a specific plan of action.
2007: We Just Can't Ship Junk
Asked about the perception that Apple is for an elite market, Jobs reveals a viewpoint that he believes guides everything the company does.
2010: The World's Biggest Startup
Jobs discusses his workday, management style and the collaborative spirit that makes Apple work.
1996: Pixar
A post-Apple Steve Jobs and John Lasseter discuss the founding of Pixar and the creation of Toy Story, the world's first computer animated feature film. With Charlie Rose.
2003: The Circle Of Life
Jobs talks his greatest strength, greatest weakness and what went through his mind when he returned to Apple in 1997.
