A Simple Piece Of Advice From His Dad Helped Steve Jobs Build Apple — ‘Even Though Nobody Will See It, You Will Know’

In a 2011 interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Steve Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson shared what he told him about his father, Paul. He advised his son Steve: “You’ve got to make the back of the fence, that nobody will see, just as good looking as the front of the fence. Even though nobody will see it, you will know, and that will show that you’re dedicated to making something perfect.” 

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The advice came when Paul showed his son how to build a fence around their Mountain View, California home. As Isaacson wrote in his “Steve Jobs” biography, the valuable lesson about attention to detail significantly shaped Jobs’ approach to his work at Apple.

The CEO of Apple himself emphasized how his father loved doing things right, and he applied this principle at Apple rigorously, ensuring every detail, no matter how small, met the highest standards. Jobs even insisted that the insides of microchips had to be aesthetically pleasing and that every screw “had expensive plating.” This constant drive for perfection helped build Apple’s reputation for high-quality and beautifully designed products.

However, Paul Jobs wasn’t his biological father. Born in 1955 to Abdulfattah “John” Jandali and Joanne Schieble, Steve Jobs was adopted by Paul Jobs and Clara Hagopian and grew up unaware of his biological roots. Jobs started looking for his biological family only after his adoptive mother passed away in 1986 when he found and met his biological mother and sister.

On the other hand, Jobs often went to a restaurant run by a Syrian man, not knowing that this man was his biological father. “I shook his hand, and he shook mine, and that’s all,” Jobs mentioned in an interview. “I found out a bit about him, and I didn’t like what I learned.”

Jobs famously had a complicated relationship with his daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs. Initially, he denied being her father and wasn’t involved in her early life. However, as she grew older, they started to reconnect. Despite moments of tension and misunderstandings, they eventually formed a bond, and Lisa even lived with him during her teenage years.

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