Steve Jobs on Apple Turnaround: A ship with a hole in the bottom
This clip is an excerpt from a longer recording: Steve Jobs on the Future of Computing: D5 with Bill Gates.
What he talks about
In this short clip, Jobs uses a stark metaphor to describe Apple’s condition: "a ship with a hole in the bottom, leaking water." He frames his role as steering the company back on course.
The line captures his blunt style and his focus on urgent turnaround work rather than rhetoric. Even in a few words, it reveals how he saw the scale of Apple’s problems and his mission.
It matters because the quote distills Jobs’s leadership mindset during a difficult period: diagnose the problem honestly, then point the ship in the right direction.
Jobs speaks throughout.
In his words
“Apple is like a ship with a hole in the bottom, leaking water.”
“And my job is to get the ship pointed in the right direction.”
Key points
- Apple is in serious trouble, like a leaking ship.
- Jobs sees his job as redirecting the company.
- The metaphor suggests urgency, not gradual change.
- His leadership is about course correction.
- The line shows his blunt, memorable communication style.
Full transcript
Apple is like a ship with a hole in the bottom, leaking water. And my job is to get the ship pointed in the right direction.
Transcribed from the audio with OpenAI Whisper. Timestamps link to the video above. Errors are possible.