I'm not a fanboy...of anything, especially Apple products. But after hearing The Woz speak on Tuesday morning at ESC Silicon Valley, I can see why people are drawn to him.
The conversation was between Brian Fuller, director of EELife at EEtimes, and The Woz (or Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer if you're new to the game as I recently was). It was a 'fireside chat', which means they basically got to sit on couches while they talked, a great format.
Brian asked some great questions throughout about Steve's history with Apple, his experience as a design engineer and where he sees the market moving. Throughout it all, I found some themes that The Woz really emphasized and have really stuck with me since hearing the talk.
- Creativity -- As a design engineer, especially on important products such as the early Apple computers, the Woz was well in tune with what it takes to create an innovative product. He emphasized that product ideas that are handed down and on a product schedule aren't the way to truly innovate. Instead, you need to give you engineers freedom to explore ideas and push them back to the top. Give you engineers resources, even in their offtime to just play around with new ideas, and often great things will come of it. It was easy to hear in Steve's experiences that he digs into design problems for the sheer joy of it. That in his younger days he would create and re-create new designs just in order to see if he could optimize it with fewer parts or create something in a whole new way. As a true testament, he said that rather than being complemented on the overall design of a new product, he would much rather have someone walk up and say to him, "I read your code...it was unbelieveable!"
- Education -- Steve kept coming back to the importance of education throughout his talk. In fact, he revealed (perhaps for the first time, I'm not sure), that he has been secretly teaching elementary and middle school classes for a number of years. His viewpoints in his own education and the education of others were strongly in favor of a hands on approach with lots of feedback to the student. In doing so, he also emphasized that the feedback should not be restrictive to ideas. There is no one "right way" and telling (younger) students that they all have to get to an answer (or that there is an answer at all), will hurt the student's desire to learn. It was easy to see that Steve instead favors the way he learned, but trying something, failing, trying again and finally figuring out what you're looking at. He also put forward the idea that perhaps some day in the future there could be a social, responsive computer that is individualized to the student (for the one on one help) but can also help guide the student when they are in need.
- Passion -- This is not something Steve talked about directly, but it was apparent in everything he described working on. He talks excitedly and knowledgeably about every subject, even those outside of technology (education, for example). When describing his younger days as a design engineer, he mentioned how he eschewed management positions (although offered) becuase he wanted to stay close to the technology. He gladly handed the reigns off to the equally or more famous Steve...Jobs (for the business and marketing aspects) in order to be an "engineer for life". Wanting to stay in the thick of it and being willing to forego the "success" associated with moving up in the chain really spoke to his passion of working with technology.
- Gratitude -- For someone so successful in the field of technology and who has been part of such a monetarily and commercially successful venture, Steve Wozniak seems like a down to earth engineer, yet another reason he is so endearing to the 800 or so watching him speak yesterday. He was appreciative to all of those that helped him get where he is and has given back on multiple fronts to these schools and institutions (monetarily and through volunteer work). He even mentioned that he gave away a large portion of the stock that he receieved when Apple was doing well, because he recognized all of the people in supporting roles around the company that allowed them to be successful. Finally, when Brian Fuller asked about his mentors, hearing the gratitude he had for his father was amazing. The teaching relationship between father and son was interesting (how many dad's sit down with blackboards and explain transistors to children?) and Steve's gratitude towards it was humbling.
The Woz is a fixture in the technology industry for a reason: He's been a big part of the successes of the past. Don't believe me? I'm sitting in a hotel that's on the corner of a street called "The Woz Way". But he's also pushing technology into the future, whereas he easily could have sat back and retired comfortably. Most of all, he's an ambassador for the enjoyment of product design and for that, I'm grateful I had the opportunity to hear him speak. Thanks to Element 14 for sending me out to ESC!
