User:CepheusCetus/sandbox
Steve Jobs | |
|---|---|
 Jobs in 2010 | |
| Born | February 24, 1955 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 5, 2011 (aged 56) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, industrial designer |
| Known for | Co-founder of Apple Inc., NeXT, Pixar |
| Notable work | Macintosh, iPhone, iPad, iPod |
Steve Jobs and the Influence of LSD refers to the acknowledged impact of psychedelic experiences on the creative outlook and design philosophy of Steve Jobs (1955–2011), co-founder of Apple Inc.. Jobs described LSD as a profound and formative experience in his early life, one that shaped his approach to product design, business, and personal philosophy.
Background
[edit]In the early 1970s, Jobs was a young college dropout living in California and deeply influenced by the counterculture movement. He adopted a minimalist lifestyle, practiced Zen meditation, and traveled to India seeking spiritual enlightenment. During this period, Jobs also experimented with various psychedelic substances, particularly LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), which was then still legal in certain research contexts.
Jobs' interest in altered states of consciousness paralleled his broader pursuit of intuition, aesthetic purity, and meaning—principles that would later become central to Apple’s product ethos.
Psychedelic Experiences
[edit]In multiple interviews, Jobs acknowledged taking LSD in his late teens and early twenties. According to Walter Isaacson's authorized biography, Steve Jobs (2011), he took the drug “once or maybe ten or fifteen times” between 1972 and 1974.[1]
Jobs reflected on the significance of these experiences in shaping his worldview:
"Taking LSD was a profound experience, one of the most important things in my life." — Steve Jobs, as quoted in Isaacson (2011)
During a 1988 FBI background investigation for a potential government appointment, Jobs admitted past LSD use but stated he had not used any illegal drugs since 1977.[2]
Impact on Creativity and Design
[edit]Jobs claimed that LSD helped him understand the importance of creativity, intuition, and “thinking differently.” This mindset, coupled with his Zen Buddhist influences, contributed to Apple’s emphasis on user-centric design, simplicity, and elegance. Critics and fans alike have pointed to Apple’s revolutionary product designs—the Macintosh, iPhone, and iPad—as manifestations of Jobs' unique blend of spirituality, artistry, and technology.
Journalist John Markoff, in What the Dormouse Said (2005), noted that Jobs was part of a broader culture of early Silicon Valley innovators who believed psychedelics opened the mind to new ideas, forming an unlikely connection between 1960s counterculture and the tech revolution.[3]
Legacy
[edit]Jobs never publicly renounced his use of LSD, and his statements are often cited in modern discussions about the role of psychedelics in creativity and innovation. In the early 21st century, as interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy and cognitive enhancement has grown, Jobs’ reflections have gained renewed attention.
In 2018, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak also commented on Jobs’ psychedelic experiences, suggesting they gave Jobs a “different way of looking at things.”[4]
See also
[edit]- Counterculture of the 1960s
- Steve Jobs
- Human–computer interaction
- Psychedelic drug
- Psychedelic therapy
References
[edit]- ^ Isaacson, Walter. Steve Jobs. Simon & Schuster, 2011. ISBN 978-1451648539.
- ^ Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Steve Jobs FBI File."
- ^ Markoff, John. What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry. Viking Press, 2005.
- ^ CNN Business. "Steve Wozniak says Steve Jobs' LSD use shaped Apple." 2018.