Guy Kawasaki

I just put it in the garage. I look at it. I don't need to pull up at some country club or some disco in my Lamborghini. In fact, I would never do that because I don't go to discos or play golf. But anyway.

I just put it in the garage. I look at it. I don't need to pull up at some country club or some disco in my Lamborghini. In fact, I would never do that because I don't go to discos or play golf. But anyway.

You should have him and me on and I will debate.

You should have him and me on and I will debate.

So anyway, so the next level of Apple, you get a free car. So I go into this job review, right? I think he was CEO of Apple at the time. And he starts by saying, you know, guy, the small developers, they just love you. These are the page makers and these companies you probably never heard of. You know, they love you. The small developers love you. You've championed them.

So anyway, so the next level of Apple, you get a free car. So I go into this job review, right? I think he was CEO of Apple at the time. And he starts by saying, you know, guy, the small developers, they just love you. These are the page makers and these companies you probably never heard of. You know, they love you. The small developers love you. You've championed them.

You helped them embrace Macintosh. They're bringing out these innovative products. And I'm thinking, man, should I get a Mercedes? Should I get a Porsche? Should I get a Lamborghini? Should I get a Ferrari? Which kind of car should I get? And then he says, but the big companies don't like you. Microsoft doesn't like you. Lotus doesn't like you. WordPerfect doesn't like you.

You helped them embrace Macintosh. They're bringing out these innovative products. And I'm thinking, man, should I get a Mercedes? Should I get a Porsche? Should I get a Lamborghini? Should I get a Ferrari? Which kind of car should I get? And then he says, but the big companies don't like you. Microsoft doesn't like you. Lotus doesn't like you. WordPerfect doesn't like you.

And Ashton Tate doesn't like you. And I'm thinking, here we go. No more car. And he says, they don't like you. And I'm an optimist. I'm still thinking, yeah. this is a strength of mine because Microsoft was copying our user interface, so they shouldn't like me. And Ashton Tate was doing a piece of crap software, so they too should not like me.

And Ashton Tate doesn't like you. And I'm thinking, here we go. No more car. And he says, they don't like you. And I'm an optimist. I'm still thinking, yeah. this is a strength of mine because Microsoft was copying our user interface, so they shouldn't like me. And Ashton Tate was doing a piece of crap software, so they too should not like me.

So I'm going down this list thinking, those big people should dislike me, and it's their fault, not mine. But he says, so since they don't like you, but your job as evangelist is to have all the companies like you, I'm not promoting you to director. Okay, so I walk out of that meeting and I see my friend Jean-Louis Gasset.

So I'm going down this list thinking, those big people should dislike me, and it's their fault, not mine. But he says, so since they don't like you, but your job as evangelist is to have all the companies like you, I'm not promoting you to director. Okay, so I walk out of that meeting and I see my friend Jean-Louis Gasset.

At the time, he was the vice president, but I was the manager, but we were more or less peers in a sense. So I go to Jean-Louis, I say, Jean-Louis, guess what, Jean-Louis? Yeah. I did not get Z promotion, Jean-Louis. And I said, you know, and this is why. And Jean-Louis, I think I'm just going to quit. And he says, guy, do not quit.

At the time, he was the vice president, but I was the manager, but we were more or less peers in a sense. So I go to Jean-Louis, I say, Jean-Louis, guess what, Jean-Louis? Yeah. I did not get Z promotion, Jean-Louis. And I said, you know, and this is why. And Jean-Louis, I think I'm just going to quit. And he says, guy, do not quit.

It'll be very useful for your career to leave Apple as a director as opposed to just a manager. And he said, listen, there's going to be a reorg and I'm going to be your boss. And you have another review in six months. And in six months, I'll make you a director. So for once in my life, I listened to somebody and I stayed for six months and then I got to be a director.

It'll be very useful for your career to leave Apple as a director as opposed to just a manager. And he said, listen, there's going to be a reorg and I'm going to be your boss. And you have another review in six months. And in six months, I'll make you a director. So for once in my life, I listened to somebody and I stayed for six months and then I got to be a director.

And then the next day I resigned. What? So now if you look at my LinkedIn profile, it says director of Apple. Only for one day, but I was director of Apple. So that's another piece of wisdom. Don't believe everything you read on LinkedIn. Yeah.

And then the next day I resigned. What? So now if you look at my LinkedIn profile, it says director of Apple. Only for one day, but I was director of Apple. So that's another piece of wisdom. Don't believe everything you read on LinkedIn. Yeah.

So if you're 35 to 65 and listening to this, I mean, one lesson to that is you quit on your own terms and you quit when it's good for you. And don't quit out of fury or hate. Calm down and think, what's the strategic move? When should I quit? And let me quit on my terms, not on the company's terms.

So if you're 35 to 65 and listening to this, I mean, one lesson to that is you quit on your own terms and you quit when it's good for you. And don't quit out of fury or hate. Calm down and think, what's the strategic move? When should I quit? And let me quit on my terms, not on the company's terms.