A different tech
Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine | A new doc by Alex Gibney looks for the truth behind the hype…
“Lately it seems like I’ve been making films about stuff I don’t know a lot about,” admits Oscarwinning documentarian Alex Gibney. Not a particular expert on Apple or technology when he set out to make a film about Steve Jobs, Gibney soon discovered some unsavoury things about everyone’s favourite black polo neck wearer...
What was the biggest surprise for you in researching this film? I think the biggest surprise was that his genius wasn’t what I’d thought it was. He wasn’t an engineer; he wasn’t really an inventor; I think what he really was, was a great storyteller and a great performer. He sold those products better than anybody.
Have you seen Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs? I did. I liked it. I found it interesting that he focused on three product presentations, which I think seems right. He was obsessed with how to present the company, and how to perform that role as the grand vizier of Apple. When other high-ranking executives would talk to the press, he’d ream them out. Like, “What are you doing? I talk to the outside world, not you.” After a while people got comfortable with that idea, but it was pretty intense for a while, the way he had to be the only face of Apple...
In the film, [ former Apple employee] Daniel Kottke asks, “How much of an asshole do you need to be to succeed?” What do you think? A lot of people say, “Well, successful people aren’t always nice.” I really don’t think that’s the point. I think it’s about abuse of power. He was an extremely powerful person sitting astride the world’s most valuable corporation and a lot of his cruelty was not only unnecessary, but was part of the corporate ethos. Steve would say, “Look, our job is to make money for shareholders and to make beautiful products.” But honestly, in this day and age, when the Earth is burning up and we have a huge disparity between rich and poor, if you couch yourself as the company that thinks different, well, show me the ‘think different’.
Have you had much backlash from Apple fans over your criticisms of Jobs? Some people just get absolutely furious. It’s almost religious. I found that interesting because I’d just finished a film on the Church of Scientology, and there is an aspect of Apple which engenders a cult-like vibe.
Do you still use Apple products yourself? I do, and in the film I admit that I believed that Apple represented something different. I felt like I was taking on the Man when I used an Apple product. I feel a little bit differently now, although I still use Apple products. I see them more as tools than as an extension of myself. SD
ETA | 2 November Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine is out now.
‘Aspects of Apple engender a cult-like vibe’