EP07 苹果早期员工：我们是怎么把Macintosh推上市的？

苹果早期员工：我们是怎么把Macintosh推上市的？
Gazing into the Crystal Ball: A Futurist’s View on Emerging Tech, with James Canton

    在一次聚会上，我结识了这样一位前辈：可能是因为喝到了兴头上，也可能是我们这一桌的年轻面庞让他回想起了自己的过往，他满面红光地和我们侃起了他早年间的求职经历，并语重心长地跟我们讲：年轻人要敢想敢做；一腔热血尚不够，还要能判断形势、抓住机遇。
    前辈带我们回到了1981年，那时的他刚刚离开校园，听闻美国加州有一个研发电脑的初创公司正在招人。虽然自己是个电脑盲，但他被这家公司想要“人人都能用上电脑”的愿景深深吸引，便一拍大腿入了伙，帮其拓展全球市场。这个公司就是苹果。我想，那他至少得是苹果前一百号员工吧？于是我让前辈给我好好讲了讲，他当年是怎么“火眼金睛”认准了苹果这家公司。前辈还跟我透露了苹果在1984年首次推出Macintosh时，市场团队耍的一个小心机，他们也是借此收获了一票来自媒体的好评。前辈在科技公司的最大收获莫过于对商业和技术的敏锐嗅觉，后来他离开了苹果，成立了自己的智库，帮助企业和政府机关判断未来趋势、推动业务转型。我不禁想起了我小时候特别爱读的《小灵通漫游未来》，这本1978年出版的科幻小说可谓“神欲言”，书中所畅想的隐形眼镜、翻译软件、炒菜机器人、人造蛋白和许多其他关于人类衣食住行的“脑洞”，如今都早已成为我们生活中的稀松平常。所以前辈依靠什么数据和逻辑来预测科技的走向和社会的演变？当下他最关心哪些危机和机遇？我们个人又该如何确保自己在时代的潮流里不掉队？

Whether you are fresh out of college or going through a mid-career crisis, you might feel the urge to stay on top of emerging trends and join a startup in one of those fields. What the company hopes to achieve can be risky, but what if “the only risk is not taking risk at all”? Dr. James Canton came across an offer like this in his twenties and fortunately he said yes! Though a computer newbie, he joined Apple in 1981 to help mange its global business market as he felt personal computers would “change our civilization in fundamental ways — how we work, relate, buy, sell and most of all how we create”, and turns out they did. Later, working with other high tech companies and learning how they saw the future led to the foundation of his own think tank, which helps government and businesses better prepare themselves for the future. As a futurist, Dr. Canton himself is also excited about the next big thing and he invites all of us to hop on that revolution. 

In this episode, Lulu talks with Dr. James Canton, former Apple Computer executive / CEO & Chairman of the Institute for Global Futures. The Economist recognizes him as one of the leading global futurists for advising three White House Administrations and over 100 companies.

You’ll hear about:
• What is a Futurist and how to become one?
• What was it like to work at Apple during its early days? 
• How did Macintosh win the press’s heart?
• What’s coming in the next 100 years?

Music used:
Franz Schubert - Piano Sonata D. 850 in D (Gasteiner), Mov. IV

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