Real Man

What was she going to say?

Yoo-hyun decided to focus on the important matter, as she had said.

He had a meeting with Steve Jobs the next day.

The greatest CEO of this era.

The icon of innovation.

The magnificent creator.

The adjectives that described Steve Jobs were all focused on his brilliant appearance.

Many people thought that Apple would collapse after he died.

Because there was no longer a genius navigator to lead the huge ship called Apple.

Yoo-hyun, who had dreamed of becoming a global leader influenced by Steve Jobs, had the same expectation.

But he soon realized that his thought was wrong.

Apple, which seemed to fall apart soon, grew even after 10 years, and people around the world were more enthusiastic about Apple.

It felt as if Steve Jobs’ innovation had taken root in the whole Apple.

How was that possible?

Yoo-hyun, who had become the president of Hansung Electronics, had wondered about that, and Yoo-hyun, who had started anew as a new employee with his colleagues, had also wondered about that.

He wanted to know that method, even if it was for the sake of creating a company where everyone could work together.

That was why Yoo-hyun stepped into Steve Jobs’ residence.

The two-story house located in the center of Palo Alto looked very modest for a millionaire’s mansion.

It had a very old-fashioned feel, unlike Steve Jobs, who pursued modern design.

Yoo-hyun looked at the red brick house from under the shade of the apple trees stretched out beyond the fence.

Then he heard a dull voice behind him.

“It was built in 1920. It’s over 90 years old.”

“Long time no see, Steve.”

Yoo-hyun greeted Steve Jobs, who walked over with support.

His body was much thinner than before, but his eyes were still deep.

He briefly thanked the person who supported him, and approached Yoo-hyun.

“People who are invited always look at the house from here. They don’t come to the front door and ring the bell.”

“I had some time left.”

“Shouldn’t you come in early then?”

“I was afraid I might disturb you.”

Yoo-hyun answered calmly, and Steve Jobs asked with a playful expression.

“Are you saying that the president who came the other day did the same?”

“He might have. He must have heard of your bad reputation.”

“Haha! You’re still funny.”

It was not a joke at all, but Yoo-hyun did not bother to add.

Yoo-hyun gave a gift to his son, Reed Jobs, and followed Steve Jobs.

Yoo-hyun, who entered the backyard of the mansion, sat on a wooden chair in front of a small stream.

There were medical staff waiting at a distance, probably because of his health problem.

Steve Jobs, who had barely settled his body, chatted lightly with Yoo-hyun.

“When I first saw the retina display…”

“What I focused on at that time was…”

From the Apple product review to the iPhone 4 antenna issue.

He listed the moments when he was impressed by Yoo-hyun.

Yoo-hyun also remembered those moments vividly, as they were so intense.

The conversation naturally flowed to the reason for Yoo-hyun’s visit.

Steve Jobs raised his eyebrows at Yoo-hyun’s straightforward reason.

“You want to know how to make a lasting company?”

“Yes. I’m curious about the magic you put into Apple.”

He chuckled as if it was out of the blue.

“You’re saying the same thing as Larry Page, who came the other day.”

“Did he?”

“He did. He asked me that even though he knew I had a grudge against Google. He was cheeky.”

“What did you do?”

“What do you think I did?”

Steve Jobs asked back, and Yoo-hyun answered without hesitation.

“I think you told him.”

Yoo-hyun did not intend to shake out his curiosity to the person who was facing the end.

He was not as rude as to ask for what he wanted from someone who was dying.

-I regret that I couldn’t help the next generation of entrepreneurs more. I also had a duty to pay back, as I received a lot of support.

He just knew the inner thoughts that Steve Jobs had revealed through his memoirs before his death.

That’s why Yoo-hyun thought that Steve Jobs would have given an answer to Larry Page, the CEO of Google.

As if to prove that fact, Steve Jobs nodded.

“That’s right. I owed it to Bill Hewlett (HP founder), who helped me a lot when I was young.”

“Can you share your wisdom with me?”

“I can’t say no. First of all…”

Steve Jobs’ philosophy, which was contained in Apple, flowed out of his mouth.

How to choose the right people, how to run a company, how to eliminate unnecessary things, how to identify the focus, etc.

It was a theoretical story that could be accessed by books, if seen coldly.

It was not a magic that would change Yoo-hyun drastically.

Rather, some of his philosophy was in conflict with Yoo-hyun’s current values.

“Most importantly, you have to be composed of only A-class talents for success. If B-class or lower losers are mixed, you can’t make a perfect product.”

“Can’t B-class become A-class?”

“Well. It’s not impossible, but do you have time to wait for that? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on the essence of the product in that time?”

“I guess you can think that way.”

Like this, Steve Jobs’ value on employees was similar to Shin Kyung-soo’s elitism.

But there was a fundamental difference.

It was the focus on the essence.

Steve Jobs used A-class talents as a means to create great products that would change the world, not to rule the company as he pleased.

Yoo-hyun focused on his product philosophy, which had brought about countless innovations.

Thanks to Yoo-hyun’s long experience, maybe?

The living experience of the world’s top CEO, which could be hard to accept, melted into Yoo-hyun’s heart.

It made Yoo-hyun’s values stronger, while giving him a chance to grow.

That’s when Yoo-hyun was immersed in Steve Jobs’ story.

Steve Jobs, who had been telling his long experience, said with a nostalgic expression.

“I was lucky in both work and life. I did everything I could.”

“Your work also contributed a lot to humanity.”

“That’s a nice thing to say. How about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you enjoying the same luck as me?”

He asked if he was doing what he really wanted to do now.

Yoo-hyun did not hesitate to recite what he had in mind.

“Yes, I enjoy working with my colleagues.”

“What makes them good colleagues?”

“They all have great ambitions and abilities. They inspire me a lot.”

Yoo-hyun thought of his past and present colleagues as he spoke.

They were the ones who taught him the value of the company in a different way than before.

Steve Jobs, who was listening, tilted his head as if he did not understand.

“Hmm… Is that enough for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I wonder if that’s what you really wanted to do.”

“It’s what I couldn’t do and regretted. That’s why I wanted to fix it.”

Yoo-hyun gave the answer that he had in his heart to Steve Jobs’ question.

But this was not the answer that Steve Jobs wanted.

“Is there nothing else? I mean, your own goal that you truly desire, not your colleagues.”

“My own…”

Yoo-hyun wanted to answer right away, but his mouth did not open.

Steve Jobs, who was looking at him carefully, flashed his eyes.

“Don’t tell me you asked me about a company that can last, because you meant Hansung as an employee?”

“Is that wrong?”

“It’s not a matter of right or wrong. It’s a matter of whether your passion is satisfied with just Hansung or not.”

Steve Jobs was someone who could belittle Hansung as ‘just’.

Just by comparing the corporate values, Hansung was not even a competitor to Apple.

Yoo-hyun did not argue about that, but focused on why he said that.

“Do you think I won’t be satisfied?”

“Why do you think I called you when I’m facing death?”

“Because you promised.”

“Yes, I promised. And the reason I made that promise was because I thought you were the same kind as me.”

“The same kind?”

Steve Jobs answered Yoo-hyun’s question with another question.

“Don’t you want to contribute to the advancement of humanity, as you told me? Don’t you want to pursue something in the huge wave that changes the world?”

“…”

Yoo-hyun’s pupils shook for a moment at the question that he could not help but waver.

Steve Jobs gave him some advice.

“There must be a flame burning in your heart. Your colleagues are nice, but I hope you find that flame. If my life doesn’t look so bad to you.”

“…”

“Maybe this is the only advice I can give you.”

At Steve Jobs’ words, Yoo-hyun felt a spark in his chest.

It would be a lie to say that he did not have a desire to reach out to the far end of the world.

Yoo-hyun also wanted to leave a great legacy like Steve Jobs.

But, there was a prerequisite for that.

He had to do it with his precious colleagues, not alone.

That was the only way to correct his past mistakes and live a meaningful life.

Yoo-hyun did not bother to refute, but reaffirmed his firm determination in his heart.

Two days later, the Apple presentation was held as scheduled.

Yoo-hyun attended the presentation hall with Kim Young-gil, his manager.

Except for Park Seung-woo, his other manager who was absent, the seats were the same as last year.

But there was something different.

It was the presenter.

The keynote speech was not given by Steve Jobs, but by Tim Cook.

The introduction of the new service, Apple Cloud, was done by Eddy Cue instead of Steve Jobs.

Even in the long-awaited announcement of the new iPhone 4s, Steve Jobs did not appear.

“Ah…”

Instead of cheers, disappointed voices were heard from here and there.

The people who hoped for ‘one more thing’ were let down by the bland presentation.

Kim Young-gil, who watched the presentation until the end, also looked unsatisfied.

“Steve Jobs didn’t show up after all.”

“His health is not good. It’s too much for him to come to this place.”

Steve Jobs had a lot of conversations with Yoo-hyun, but he was sitting down.

He was so weak that he could barely walk, and the medical staff was on standby.

Kim Young-gil knew this too.

“I know, but it’s still a pity. The Apple presentation was always Steve Jobs’ job.”

“We have to share it now.”

“Will it work? I’m pessimistic after seeing today’s presentation.”

“Why do you think so?”

“They released the iPhone 4s, not the 5. Everyone will probably criticize Apple for having no innovation. They will say it’s because Steve Jobs is gone.”

The reporters who were sitting in the corner were already uploading their articles.

The audience’s reaction was also incomparable to last year.

But Yoo-hyun shook his head.

“No. Steve Jobs’ legacy is still there. And true innovation is not about changing the appearance.”

“Then?”

“Innovation starts from understanding the essence of the product. No one does that better than Apple.”

There would be no company that could surpass Apple in the next 10 years.

That’s how powerful Steve Jobs’ legacy was.

“Well, that’s true. Steve Jobs didn’t make something out of nothing.”

“Yes. He recreated what already existed for the customers.”

“Then, can’t we do the same?”

Kim Young-gil asked casually, and Yoo-hyun shook his head.

“That won’t be easy.”

Why?

Because Hansung did not have the capacity to do that yet, objectively speaking.

They had to maximize their hardware strength to compete with Apple.

For that, they needed to have semiconductors as well as displays.

Of course, they also had to innovate their software.

It was not an easy task for Hansung, no matter how you looked at it.