Steve Jobs never hid the fact that he used drugs in his youth; he even explicitly stated that these experiences shaped his vision. Not only Jobs, but many names in the business world have been associated with such substances in the past or recently.
Here are the details:
Steve Jobs and the LSD Experience
Steve Jobs stated that he used LSD 10-15 times in the early 1970s (approximately between 1972-1974). He described this experience with these words:
“It was one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life.”
Jobs argued that LSD showed him “the other side of the coin,” clarified his priorities, and formed the foundation of Apple‘s “Think Different” philosophy. He also stated that he used marijuana in his youth, which he said relaxed him and increased his creativity.
Other Prominent Business People
Substance use in the business world (whether for addiction struggle or “mind-opening” purposes) has also come to light with different names:
- Oprah Winfrey: Years later, she confessed that she used cocaine in her early 20s and struggled with it for a period.
- Tony Hsieh (Former CEO of Zappos): Before his tragic death, his use of ketamine and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) came to public attention, with his family stating that these substances damaged his mental health.
- Elon Musk: His marijuana use during a podcast (Joe Rogan) was widely discussed. Furthermore, news has emerged in recent years that he has been using ketamine under medical supervision for depression treatment.
- Richard Branson (Virgin Group): He is a figure who openly states he is not against cannabis use and has tried it in the past, advocating for the relaxation of drug laws.
- Sigmund Freud: (As the father of modern psychoanalysis and an important figure of his time) He argued that cocaine was a “miraculous” substance and used it for a long time.
Current Situation: Silicon Valley and Microdosing
Today, many executives and engineers in Silicon Valley are turning to “microdosing” (taking very low doses of hallucinogenic substances) to increase focus and creativity. While this is seen as a modern and controlled version of Jobs‘s “mind-opening” tradition, it leads to serious medical debates.
When did he found the company?
Steve Jobs founded Apple on April 1, 1976.
Apple’s Founding Details
Here are some interesting details regarding the company’s founding:
- Founding Partners: It was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. (Wayne, fearing risks, sold his shares for $800 and left after only 12 days; those shares are worth hundreds of billions of dollars today.)
- Founding Location: The most famous part of the story is that the company’s foundations were laid in Jobs‘s family’s garage in Los Altos, California.
- First Product: The company’s first computer, the Apple I, was essentially just a circuit board and had no keyboard or screen. It was sold for an interesting price of $666.66.
Jobs was only 21 years old when he founded Apple. It is known that his spiritual journey to India shortly before founding the company (in 1974) and the experiences he gained there had a great influence on Apple‘s minimalist design philosophy.