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Very surprising to read this. Was there anything in particular that bugged you about it? To me, Gruber captures Jobs as both a loving family man and a visionar

Very surprising to read this. Was there anything in particular that bugged you about it? To me, Gruber captures Jobs as both a loving family man and a visionary who is selective with his attention to detail. This is a nice lesson, as I often spend time focusing on the wrong details. Even the structure of the article -- a vignette with a narrative device built from a small detail -- is a tribute to Jobs's legendary focus on details. Beautiful on multiple levels.

dmm 15y ago
> a loving family man He denied paternity of his daughter Lisa, even testifying in court that he was infertile. Lisa's mother was on welfare for a time because of this. So if you are going to say he was a loving father, you should also mention that he was a neglectful one. Hero worship is empty. If you want to admire something, admire the man, not some two dimensional pr bullshit.
- achompas 15y ago
  He denied paternity of his daughter Lisa, even testifying in court that he was infertile. Lisa's mother was on welfare for a time because of this. So if you are going to say he was a loving father, you should also mention that he was a neglectful one. You left out the part where he accepted paternity, supported his daughter financially, and had a very strong relationship with her until his death. No one is perfect, but how can you hold mistakes he made decades ago (this happened in the 1980s) and subsequently rectified against him?
- xuki 15y ago
  When he was 23. I think Lisa and her mother would forgive him for that long time ago. In his own words about his biography: I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, such as getting my girlfriend pregnant when I was 23 and the way I handled that. But I don’t have any skeletons in my closet that can’t be allowed out.
Tyrannosaurs 15y ago
Personally I loved the observation about the grass stains and how they just weren't important enough to be something Steve cared about, but I thought the image of him walking hand in hand through the grass with his family was a bit saccharine. It's enough just to invoke the idea that Steve had found time to get outside - whatever he was doing and whoever he was doing it with and that he did so by focusing on what was truly important but part of great writing is leaving a little bit to the reader and I felt he could have left it there. But hell, what do I know, I post the odd thing on HN, Gruber earns six figures blogging... (Don't get me wrong, I like Gruber and I like the piece, just that paragraph).
- achompas 15y ago
  I'd agree, that last part was a bit saccharine. On net though, I thought it was great too.

dmm 15y ago

> a loving family man He denied paternity of his daughter Lisa, even testifying in court that he was infertile. Lisa's mother was on welfare for a time because of this. So if you are going to say he was a loving father, you should also mention that he was a neglectful one. Hero worship is empty. If you want to admire something, admire the man, not some two dimensional pr bullshit.

achompas 15y ago
He denied paternity of his daughter Lisa, even testifying in court that he was infertile. Lisa's mother was on welfare for a time because of this. So if you are going to say he was a loving father, you should also mention that he was a neglectful one. You left out the part where he accepted paternity, supported his daughter financially, and had a very strong relationship with her until his death. No one is perfect, but how can you hold mistakes he made decades ago (this happened in the 1980s) and subsequently rectified against him?
xuki 15y ago
When he was 23. I think Lisa and her mother would forgive him for that long time ago. In his own words about his biography: I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, such as getting my girlfriend pregnant when I was 23 and the way I handled that. But I don’t have any skeletons in my closet that can’t be allowed out.

Tyrannosaurs 15y ago

Personally I loved the observation about the grass stains and how they just weren't important enough to be something Steve cared about, but I thought the image of him walking hand in hand through the grass with his family was a bit saccharine. It's enough just to invoke the idea that Steve had found time to get outside - whatever he was doing and whoever he was doing it with and that he did so by focusing on what was truly important but part of great writing is leaving a little bit to the reader and I felt he could have left it there. But hell, what do I know, I post the odd thing on HN, Gruber earns six figures blogging... (Don't get me wrong, I like Gruber and I like the piece, just that paragraph).

achompas 15y ago
I'd agree, that last part was a bit saccharine. On net though, I thought it was great too.