direevil.com

The greatness and success of any merchant, businessman or politician comes not from what he sells, but from the ideas that he spreads. Successful individuals are able to capture the minds and hearts of people. The best of the bunch manage to develop a cult with insane followers, as is the case with Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs is a genius. Not because he co-founded one of the biggest computer companies in the world. Not because he leads one of the most innovative and successful companies. But because he established a cult, a religion with fanatical following. That’s why.

Steve Jobs isn’t selling a computer, a music player or a cellphone. He is selling cool. He is probably the most successful and intelligent merchant of cool on the planet.

Jobs figured out that fancy touch screens, floating menus and other bouncy, shiny shit is what sells. The Mac is a powerful computer with a great performance, but that’s unimportant. What matters is that it looks cool. Its appeal lies in its aesthetic aspect. And add usability and user-friendliness to that and you’ve got a winner.

People like to buy cool shit. The main thing here that makes me wonder is: Did Steve Jobs know that he was going to have such a fanatical following? Were his decisions organized around the creation of cool? He is selling a story, a concept, not technology.

Most Mac users aren’t Mac users. They are rabid members of the Church of Apple. Have you ever talked about Apple products with a member of this cult? Have you ever entered into a discussion about technology with such an individual?

Members of the Church of Apple have a completely insane look in their eyes while they talk about their religion. They are capable of talking (barking, that is) about their objects of reverence for hours and hours. They will laugh at any other product (yes, it’s a thing, a product, nothing more than that), scorn people who disagree with them.

And that’s why Jobs is a genius. Imagine being the head of a company whose products have an insanely rabid following. What kind of person does one have to be to camp in front of a store to be able to lay their hands on a bunch of chips wrapped in plastic? Or to be willing to get into a heated debate because of a piece of technology? Insane. Cult members display this kind of behavior.

Hats off, Steve. You are one of the greatest merchants in the world.

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