Wherever smart people work, doors are unlocked.
Steve WozniakRead
If I designed a computer with 200 chips, I tried to design it with 150. And then I would try to design it with 100. I just tried to find every trick I could in life to design things real tiny
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of simplicity and efficiency in design.
Steve Wozniak's quote reflects a philosophy of striving for minimalism and efficiency in technology design. By illustrating his approach of starting with a larger number of components and then intentionally reducing them, he highlights the pursuit of elegance and functionality in engineering. This mindset fosters innovation and encourages a focus on what truly matters, leading to more effective and streamlined solutions.
In practice
In a tech conference presentation about software optimization, this quote can illustrate the importance of simplicity in code.
Wherever smart people work, doors are unlocked.
Our first computers were born not out of greed or ego, but in the revolutionary spirit of helping common people rise above the most powerful institutions.
At our computer club, we talked about it being a revolution. Computers were going to belong to everyone, and give us power, and free us from the people who owned computers and all that stuff.
My goal wasn't to make a ton of money. It was to build good computers. I only started the company when I realized I could be an engineer forever.
Every dream I've ever had in life has come true ten times over.
My dream was actually just to have a computer some day. If I'd imagined that it meant starting a company to sell them, I probably would have avoided the whole thing.
With 'The Social Network,' I got into it at first because frankly I thought there was a cool courtroom drama to be had with the intellectual properties. And then what further drew me in was that the most extraordinary social networking device ever created was created by the world's most antisocial person. I liked that story.
None of us today know how to get computers to learn with the speed and flexibility of a child.
For me, it matters that we drive technology as an equalizing force, as an enabler for everyone around the world. Which is why I do want Google to see, push, and invest more in making sure computing is more accessible, connectivity is more accessible.
Engineers and entrepreneurs are fundamentally dissatisfied with the way the world is and want to make it better. There are so many things you could do with technology if you can match it up with real problems.
The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.
If every sector of business and society will be driven by software - how does that get enabled? By highly-paid computer scientists funded by risk capital in Silicon Valley? Or by lots of engineers who can build it themselves?
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.