[Akumulator]

I watched a show on PBS the other night about video games. I never knew that Jobs and Woz created the game Breakout for Atari (I guess that why it's on the iPod). You learn something new everyday.

So anyway, I looked it up just now online and found this:

The ultimate in Pong, Breakout was designed by "this non-degreed engineer, but sharp kid from Palo Alto, "explains Steve Bristow, "named Steve Jobs. "(Do you know him? He's only the iCEO of Apple Computer.) Jobs had an unusual working arrangement with Atari at the time. Bushnell would describe a game and specify a certain number of integrated circuits (ICs) he wanted jobs to use. For every IC he saved he received a $1OO bonus. Jobs turned out a very compact prototype of what turned into Breakout. "I think he brought it down from 80 to 30 ICs, " says Bristow. "It wasn't common but that's how that one happened. " In truth it was Job's friend Steve Wozniak who designed Breakout, not Jobs. However jobs received a $5,000 bonus and told Wozniak it was only $700 and gave Steve Wozniak his "50%" ... $350. Years later this truth would come out and it would add to the already increasing friction between the two which eventually lead to Steve Wozniak quitting Apple. Meanwhile at Atari, the Breakout design was ingenious, however no one could figure it out so production could not begin, so it had to be redesigned all over again by someone else.

http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogame.../arcade75.html

I've highlighted in red what's relevant to the topic. What other asshole things has he done?

[Hobbes]

Steve has always been a wee bit sneaky.

[ast3r3x]

I'm not sure if this was in Pirates of Silicon Valley or if it was just in a report I read on jobs, but yeah, he's a dick.

Woz said he didn't really care about the money, but he was hurt Jobs lied to him.

[NeverFade]

Yeah, I have read that in Apple Confidential 2.0.

Great book BTW. I strongly recommend it.

[Wraven]

Wow - that is really shitty to sell out a friend for $2150.

[ast3r3x]

Originally Posted by Wraven Wow - that is really shitty to sell out a friend for $2150.

Keep in mind the year though. It's not $2150 today. I know it's not like it was 1900, but it's still makes a difference.

[HHogan]

Woz didn't quit Apple over that, he only found out like 10 years ago what happened. By then Steve was already out of Apple, and Woz had long quit (and re-hired, let go, etc)

But Woz did say he cried after he found out what Steve did.

[Messiahtosh]

Yeah, I read that in a book. Apple Confidential 2.0.

Sometimes Jobs is

[Luca]

Yeah, I think being a dick really helps when it comes to running a successful business. I'm not excusing what Jobs did - that's an awful thing to do, and to a friend no less! I think it says something about the two men that Jobs has decided to stay a part of big business and is a multi-billionaire, while Woz had the ethical integrity to get out of it. Hell, it's not like Woz is hurting for money. No one needs billions. Jobs has the same craving for power as anyone in his position. He doesn't need the money as much as he needs the ability to dominate everything he sees.

[HHogan]

^^ It's true. You got to be a dick to be successful in the world these days. Only CEO that's supposedley really nice is John Chambers, but thats the exception, not the rule.

[Messiahtosh]

Originally Posted by Luca Yeah, I think being a dick really helps when it comes to running a successful business. I'm not excusing what Jobs did - that's an awful thing to do, and to a friend no less! I think it says something about the two men that Jobs has decided to stay a part of big business and is a multi-billionaire, while Woz had the ethical integrity to get out of it. Hell, it's not like Woz is hurting for money. No one needs billions. Jobs has the same craving for power as anyone in his position. He doesn't need the money as much as he needs the ability to dominate everything he sees.

Okay, shut up. Everyone knows that. Are you a fucking retard?

[Zodiac]

At least he isnt some pansy girly guy who can't run anyhing for the life of him.

[SonOfSylvanus]

Originally Posted by Wraven Wow - that is really shitty to sell out a friend for $2150.

Depends how friendly they really were. If they were really good friends, then that is just cold, man. But for a run-of-the-mill friend, I'd do it too.



But then I am a dick.

[johnq]

Posting Guidelines

Quote: Do not make insulting references the Divine Leader. Do not make threads for such obvious things such as "The sky is blue" or "Steve Jobs is a dick"

[Luca]

I think this post adheres to the guidelines. If the post had been titled "Guess who is a dick..." or "PBS tonight said..." or something like that, then it would be bad.

Akumulator, you have a good title. No need to change it.

[johnq]

I changed my post to make it more clear I was kidding.