Pirates of Silicon Valley

Directed by: Martyn Burke
(1999)

Apple Computer vs Microsoft. Steve Jobs vs Bill Gates. This made-for-television film showcased the rivalry between two of the most influential people when it comes to the computer age. It also unveiled the rise and fall of the Apple Computers and how both Jobs and Gates stole ideas from Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and Seattle Computer Products, respectively. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are pioneers in the computer industry which made so much difference in the lives of millions of people across the globe. 

Who would've thought that a typical geek who wasn't even able to finish college, because of his contribution to the world of technology, would become one of the most successful man in history? Steve Jobs died recently (three weeks ago) yet he left a legacy that benefited millions of people and would influence the future generations. In the film Pirates of the Silicon Valley, the beginnings of Jobs' Apple Computer was shown as well as how it collapsed. He co-founded it with Steve Wozniak and started making models in their garage. They were pretty impressive and smart (considering that they are geeks in college), which paved way for them to talk to companies and encourage them to buy their products (as far as I could remember, they even got patent for their invention). They were rejected a few times yet this did not stop them from moving forward, a characteristic that most successful people possess. In the huge world of business [and politics], not all the time you would be favored by people around you but you have to prove them wrong. You have to prove them that you are capable of changing their lives as well as the lives of the majority. Just like in politics, you have to work harmoniously with people around you, for you to be able to get support and assistance. Jobs tend to scare away his workers; he even lets some of them work overnight in the office to finish their task and gets mad at them whenever he catches them on idle. Jobs is a symbol of perfection, he wants everything to be perfect so as to satisfy fully the needs and wants of people. But he has to be reminded that he has to establish good relationships with his workers so that they would be inspired to work hard and for them not to be threatened. There are a lot of turning points in Steve Jobs' life, just like in any other politician's life, such as his discovery and rejection of the fact that he got his on-and-off high school girlfriend pregnant. He denied that he's the father of the child until there was this scene in the film where he visited his ex-girlfriend's house and saw his daughter playing outside. She never had the chance to know the real identity of the man who was outside their house or simply put, she didn't know that he was her father. Jobs invented the Apple Lisa Computer during the same year his daughter was born and it was said that it was named after her. He was fired later on by the CEO of Apple Computer. 

Bill Gates, on the other hand, is considered as one of the richest man in the world but his beginnings were a little bit shaky, just like Steve Jobs. Gates, along with Steve Ballmer, Paul Allen, and Mike Markkula worked their way towards success as they designed an operating system (DOS) for computers. They were intimated by the IBM, which is already a large company during that time and were surprised to see the large headquarters of Apple Computer. I didn't really have an idea that Jobs and Gates knew each other ever since their beginnings until I saw this film. There was one instance wherein Jobs was having his exhibit during a computer fair and when he was approached by Gates, he refused to talk to him. Politicians pretty much play the same game. If they know that a certain person is not worth their time because he/she wouldn't be of great help to them, they would ignore him/her, unlike if a person is influential and powerful, they would have all the time in the world to talk. This is one reason why most politicians arrive at their own desire of satisfying their own needs and wants. They fail at knowing their real constituents because they do not want to spend time talking to the citizens first-hand. They'd rather create programs or projects from their own point-of-view, disregarding the opinion of the beneficiaries which leads to the failure of the program/project to address the real problem in the community.


Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are like public servants; they [should] aim to improve the lives of the people. They are geared towards looking for ways that would contribute to the betterment of the few. But who are benefiting from their inventions? To be honestly speaking, only those who are privileged could afford the new forms of technology invented by both pioneers which leads us to the assumption that only their lives are improved. 

This scene in the film showed Steve Jobs' "unprofessional" attitude towards people in work. His informal attire was also noticeable in the film since he goes to work in khaki shorts and a shirt. But his simplicity continued 'til the end. We have seen him during his Apple product launches wearing jeans and a black sweater. He will always be remembered. Rest in Peace, Mr. Jobs.

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Screen shot taken from:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agyl/167163210/in/photostream
http://www.apple.com