As Pixar recently released the first trailer for "Toy Story 5" and introduced a new character—the tablet computer "Lilypad"—the Steve Jobs Archive released a long-forgotten interview to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the classic Pixar animated film "Toy Story." In the interview, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs shared his management philosophy at Pixar and explored the relationship between "technology" and "story" in depth. His views remain thought-provoking even in today's AI era.
The CEO's role: Located at the grassroots level, serving the talent pool.
Steve Jobs left Apple, which he founded, and started the computer company NeXT. Later, in 1986, he acquired about 70% of George Lucas's computer animation effects studio in Emeryville, California, for $1000 million, which became Pixar Animation Studios, which later operated independently. In 1995, Pixar released the world's first feature-length animated film presented in full 3D, "Toy Story".
When asked how he led Pixar to become an industry leader, Steve Jobs demonstrated a unique management philosophy. He believes that in the creative and technology industries, "the hierarchy of power is reversed, and the CEO is actually at the bottom."
Jobs explained that the real creators of outstanding results are the frontline artists and engineers, and these top talents are very scarce. "If you don't treat them well, they can find a job in 10 minutes." Therefore, the job of management is no longer to give orders, but to support them, remove obstacles for them, and create an environment where they can thrive.
Merging Silicon Valley and Hollywood: Using "carrots" instead of "sticks"
Jobs also spoke about Pixar's unique corporate culture, which he described as "a fusion of Hollywood and Silicon Valley cultures."
He pointed out that Hollywood is accustomed to using the "big stick" model, relying on contracts to bind talent. Silicon Valley, on the other hand, tends to use the "carrot" model, allowing employees to become shareholders through stock options.
Steve Jobs made it clear that he preferred the Silicon Valley model: "We all have the same goal: to create shareholder value, so no one wants to leave."
He went even further, saying, "If they don't want to work at Pixar, then they should leave, whether they have a contract or not." This open and respectful attitude has become the key to Pixar's continued ability to attract top creative and technical talent.
Technology may become obsolete, but good stories last forever.
The most touching part of the interview was Steve Jobs's view on "content value." As a pioneer who drove the personal computer revolution, he frankly admitted that technological products have short lifespans: "If they have a lifespan of one or two years, that's lucky. Sooner or later they will become part of the sediment."
Instead, he cited Disney's *Snow White* as an example, pointing out that the 1937 film still resonates with his children 60 years later. Jobs believes that *Toy Story* is being rewatched 60 years later not because of its advanced computer graphics, but because it tells a good story about friendship.
He emphasized, "No amount of technology can turn a bad story into a good one." This is also Pixar's ironclad rule.
Interestingly, Steve Jobs' theory, mentioned in the interview, that "visual ambitions grow at a rate that matches technology" (for example, rendering time per frame remains at 3 hours, but complexity increases a hundredfold), seems to have found a new validation in today's rapidly developing generative AI landscape. Although he did not foresee the AI wave, his insistence on the core values of "people" and "story" undoubtedly provides the best inspiration for contemporary creators.
