Why I work in the ‘design’ field, not in the ‘tech’ field:

Steve Jobs was intensely passionate about Apple being recognized first and foremost for design over technology. He saw Apple at the intersection of liberal arts and sciences, blending artistry and technical innovation. Steve would get irritated when people referred to Apple as merely a technology company rather than a design company.

In his view, ‘technology’ was just a means to an end — the tools to execute on groundbreaking experiences. He cared about how products made people feel rather than specs alone. Steve believed exquisite design and human detail were Apple’s secret sauce, not just engineering prowess.

He insisted Apple’s values were those of artists as much as engineers. Steve felt calling Apple a ‘tech company’ diminished attention to quality. Whenever someone called Apple a tech company, it was very clear they had zero knowledge of the DNA of the company.

Steve knew that good design derived from intuition and creativity as much as technical skills. He felt Apple’s interdisciplinary collaboration made them so much more than a typical tech company. Steve was adamant that human-centered design was Apple’s core advantage, the secret to products that felt unlike anything else. He ensured Apple was appreciated first for elegant design, seeing technology as only a means to that end.