Steve Jobs emphasizes the importance of collaboration and teamwork at Apple, which is recognized as an incredibly collaborative and worldwide company. Notably, Apple operates without committees, organizing itself like a startup. Each area, such as iPhone OS software, Mac hardware, iPhone hardware engineering, worldwide marketing, and operations, has an individual in charge.
Jobs describes Apple as the biggest startup on the planet, with teams meeting for three hours every week to discuss the entire business. The company fosters tremendous teamwork, which filters down throughout the organization. Trust plays a crucial role in this teamwork, as employees are trusted to fulfill their roles without constant supervision. Apple excels at figuring out how to divide tasks into effective teams that work together towards the same goal.
Regular touch bases help bring everything together into successful products. Jobs himself spends his day meeting with teams, working on ideas, and solving problems to create new products and marketing programs. He acknowledges that, aside from snarky journalists, people at Apple engage in wonderful arguments. While Jobs doesn't win every argument, he believes in empowering employees to make decisions and ensuring that the best ideas prevail. In addition to facilitating meetings, Jobs actively contributes his own ideas, recognizing the value of individual contributions in driving the company's success.