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The opening paragraph: In 1984 a besuited 20-something American executive on a visit to France offered Europeans a few tips for corporate success. Entrepreneur

The opening paragraph: In 1984 a besuited 20-something American executive on a visit to France offered Europeans a few tips for corporate success. Entrepreneurs needed to be given a second chance if they failed and government bureaucrats made for lousy investors, he told a television interviewer. His advice was sage. But European companies ruled the global corporate roost alongside those of America and, occasionally, Japan. Why should they take advice from this uppity Californian newcomer? Nearly four decades later the company founded by that young upstart, Steve Jobs, is worth more than the 30 firms in the German blue-chip dax index combined. As someone who grew up in the California Bay Area and programmed Macs and other computers my whole life, reading that gave me great enjoyment.

xwolfi 5y ago
As someone who grew up in Normandy, it does little to me obviously. Except the part on what we lack and should do which is still so damn hard to convince people is the solution. People in France care so much more on raising their kids, having good friends, living somewhere fun or interesting, having time away from work than they forget us the little busy bees who have to pay for all that. I gave up after 3 years of work and taxes and being called "rich" by everyone around me for earning 40k usd/year. Moved to Hong Kong, tripled my salary and fuck these hedonists. Life is a purgatory where you must suffer away from your family to build great consumer objects, like California taught us. You can be proud.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  > People in France care so much more on raising their kids, having good friends, living somewhere fun or interesting, having time away from work Ironically, working for a North American company in Europe lets me do all this better than if I worked for a local company.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- okareaman 5y ago
  > Life is a purgatory where you must suffer away from your family... I would amend your statement to "Young life is a purgatory..." Mark Zuckerberg famously said he wouldn't hire anyone over 30. Silicon Valley is built on young people trying to strike it rich, which befits a state that started because of a gold rush. It's also built on companies exploiting young people who want to make it big. The same is true of the film industry in Los Angeles. It's a bargain young people are eager to take. China seems to have become successful by copying everything about Silicon Valley, including IP, but they still have stifling control at the top. Let's hope Democrats in D.C. don't do something similar and kill the goose who laid the golden egg.
- lashloch 5y ago
  Sorry, but I'm having a hard time sympathising with you rather than the people spending time with their friends and family and enjoying life. Life is not a purgatory unless you believe there is an afterlife, which many people do not. You are free to derive joy from hard work or whatever, but do not think yourself better than those who do not share your priorities.
  - gryn 5y ago
    the point he's probably trying to convey is that lifestyle is subsidized by the rest who aren't and wouldn't be possible otherwise.
    - JKCalhoun 5y ago
      > you must suffer away from your family to build great consumer objects, like California taught us. I assumed it was sarcasm.
    - berkes 5y ago
      Which is countered by the fact he did not subsidize, but moved away, rather than sharing. I think it's either sarcasm or bullsh#t
    - sudosysgen 5y ago
      I'd rather give up the Californian consumer objects actually.
- Ericson2314 5y ago
  I wish this to be sarcasm. Absolutely grade A if it is.
  - JKCalhoun 5y ago
    Of course it is. ;-)
underwater 5y ago
On the other hand, Steve Jobs rejected conventional medicine when he became sick, which may have contributed to his premature death.
- threatofrain 5y ago
  I guess in the sum of all things, the motions of Steve Jobs could only amount to what it did. One might consider him a genius, if not for the difficulty of determining the true distribution of efforts and talents at Apple.
- 238475235243 5y ago
  Or it may have lengthened it. Oncologists are still in la la land about the genetic (as opposed to metabolic) theory of cancer, it's not clear when they will wake up.
  - anchpop 5y ago
    Can you elaborate on this?
    - 238475235243 5y ago
      Cancer as a metabolic disease by Prof. Seyfried. Available on Amazon. Good starting point.
- andrewxdiamond 5y ago
  It’s almost as if experts in one area (business) are often novices in other areas (medicine)
  - systemvoltage 5y ago
    It's almost as if experts in one area (business) often listen to experts in other areas (medicine). Except, Steve Jobs.
  - isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago
analog31 5y ago
Yet they moved their taxable entity to Ireland, if I understand things correctly. I'm not sure what it means to say that they're an "American" company. And what do we actually gain from having companies nominally located in the US?
- okareaman 5y ago
  With the Apple mothership, Google, Facebook and Twitter headquarters just a few miles from my house, it's hard not to feel hometown pride and really, why should I? I'm aware of their problems but I have normal human emotions. Yet they moved their taxable entity to Mars, if I understand things correctly. I'm not sure what it means to say that they're an "Earth" company. And what do we actually gain from having companies nominally located on Earth?
  - berkes 5y ago
    Not trying to put you down, but isn't it weird to feel pride for something you contributed nothing to? Maybe you are very old, and built the infrastructure those successful companies now used, in which case I'm wrong and some pride is warranted. I also cannot understand nationalism for the same reason. Other than a marketing scam or massive delusion, that is.
    - okareaman 5y ago
      I can't say if my code is still in use, but it had an impact on a lot of people for awhile
      - j_wtf_all_taken 5y ago
        Every person that ever committed a patch to the Linux Kernel probably has more impact. Not because if the code itself but Linux is just so much more important than Apple, Facebook and Google altogether.
        okareaman 5y ago
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

xwolfi 5y ago

As someone who grew up in Normandy, it does little to me obviously. Except the part on what we lack and should do which is still so damn hard to convince people is the solution. People in France care so much more on raising their kids, having good friends, living somewhere fun or interesting, having time away from work than they forget us the little busy bees who have to pay for all that. I gave up after 3 years of work and taxes and being called "rich" by everyone around me for earning 40k usd/year. Moved to Hong Kong, tripled my salary and fuck these hedonists. Life is a purgatory where you must suffer away from your family to build great consumer objects, like California taught us. You can be proud.

chrisseaton 5y ago
> People in France care so much more on raising their kids, having good friends, living somewhere fun or interesting, having time away from work Ironically, working for a North American company in Europe lets me do all this better than if I worked for a local company.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
okareaman 5y ago
> Life is a purgatory where you must suffer away from your family... I would amend your statement to "Young life is a purgatory..." Mark Zuckerberg famously said he wouldn't hire anyone over 30. Silicon Valley is built on young people trying to strike it rich, which befits a state that started because of a gold rush. It's also built on companies exploiting young people who want to make it big. The same is true of the film industry in Los Angeles. It's a bargain young people are eager to take. China seems to have become successful by copying everything about Silicon Valley, including IP, but they still have stifling control at the top. Let's hope Democrats in D.C. don't do something similar and kill the goose who laid the golden egg.
lashloch 5y ago
Sorry, but I'm having a hard time sympathising with you rather than the people spending time with their friends and family and enjoying life. Life is not a purgatory unless you believe there is an afterlife, which many people do not. You are free to derive joy from hard work or whatever, but do not think yourself better than those who do not share your priorities.
- gryn 5y ago
  the point he's probably trying to convey is that lifestyle is subsidized by the rest who aren't and wouldn't be possible otherwise.
  - JKCalhoun 5y ago
    > you must suffer away from your family to build great consumer objects, like California taught us. I assumed it was sarcasm.
  - berkes 5y ago
    Which is countered by the fact he did not subsidize, but moved away, rather than sharing. I think it's either sarcasm or bullsh#t
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    I'd rather give up the Californian consumer objects actually.
Ericson2314 5y ago
I wish this to be sarcasm. Absolutely grade A if it is.
- JKCalhoun 5y ago
  Of course it is. ;-)

underwater 5y ago

On the other hand, Steve Jobs rejected conventional medicine when he became sick, which may have contributed to his premature death.

threatofrain 5y ago
I guess in the sum of all things, the motions of Steve Jobs could only amount to what it did. One might consider him a genius, if not for the difficulty of determining the true distribution of efforts and talents at Apple.
238475235243 5y ago
Or it may have lengthened it. Oncologists are still in la la land about the genetic (as opposed to metabolic) theory of cancer, it's not clear when they will wake up.
- anchpop 5y ago
  Can you elaborate on this?
  - 238475235243 5y ago
    Cancer as a metabolic disease by Prof. Seyfried. Available on Amazon. Good starting point.
andrewxdiamond 5y ago
It’s almost as if experts in one area (business) are often novices in other areas (medicine)
- systemvoltage 5y ago
  It's almost as if experts in one area (business) often listen to experts in other areas (medicine). Except, Steve Jobs.
- isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago

analog31 5y ago

Yet they moved their taxable entity to Ireland, if I understand things correctly. I'm not sure what it means to say that they're an "American" company. And what do we actually gain from having companies nominally located in the US?

okareaman 5y ago
With the Apple mothership, Google, Facebook and Twitter headquarters just a few miles from my house, it's hard not to feel hometown pride and really, why should I? I'm aware of their problems but I have normal human emotions. Yet they moved their taxable entity to Mars, if I understand things correctly. I'm not sure what it means to say that they're an "Earth" company. And what do we actually gain from having companies nominally located on Earth?
- berkes 5y ago
  Not trying to put you down, but isn't it weird to feel pride for something you contributed nothing to? Maybe you are very old, and built the infrastructure those successful companies now used, in which case I'm wrong and some pride is warranted. I also cannot understand nationalism for the same reason. Other than a marketing scam or massive delusion, that is.
  - okareaman 5y ago
    I can't say if my code is still in use, but it had an impact on a lot of people for awhile
    - j_wtf_all_taken 5y ago
      Every person that ever committed a patch to the Linux Kernel probably has more impact. Not because if the code itself but Linux is just so much more important than Apple, Facebook and Google altogether.
      - okareaman 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]