When we think of the greatest product managers, Steve Jobs is often the first name that comes to mind.
However, this initial reaction might be influenced by the “halo effect”—an automatic association that doesn’t necessarily equate to an objective, scientific assessment.
To give a more balanced evaluation, we should measure Jobs by the standards of a modern product manager. For clarity, I’m focusing on late-stage Jobs here.
It’s important to note that Steve Jobs had clear strengths. Even in his younger years, he demonstrated visionary thinking and unmatched innovation. However, without a doubt, his maturity with age led him to become the strongest, most complete version of himself.
Disclaimer: My assessment is based on core competency modules from the United Nations UCPD/UCPM certification standards.
- Leadership: Late-stage Steve Jobs exhibited top-tier leadership, often referred to as a “reality distortion field.” Out of 10, I give him 9.9. There are still a few who didn’t buy into his vision, and they can be as annoying as flies. Though flies may only buzz, they can be frustrating enough to deduct 0.1 points.
- Team Management: Great leaders often excel at managing teams, and the legacy Jobs left behind at Apple speaks volumes about his ability to select and nurture talent. While some have criticized his management style, perhaps it was this unique approach that weeded out those “buzzing flies.” For the same reason, I’m giving him another 9.9.
- Innovation: This is where most people admire Jobs. Of course, innovation comes with failure, so no one should expect a perfect score. I give him a solid 9, which is top-tier in any industry.
- Product Thinking: Jobs was the benchmark for foundational product logic. However, his understanding and application of system thinking were lacking, evidenced by the legal battles with Google over Android—a systemic issue that was handled in a rather unsophisticated way. For that, I score him 8.
- User Research and User Experience: This is where Jobs’ genius truly shines. He was the trailblazer who made user experience a central competitive advantage for businesses. However, his theoretical contributions to this field were not as comprehensive as they could have been, leaving the discipline somewhat fragmented today. I’ll give him 9.5.
- Project Management: Most projects under Jobs performed well, showing his high-level project management skills. Though some delays occurred, his performance was still better than the average IT company. I give him 7.5 here.
- Product Development Process: Limited by the times, Jobs didn’t yet have access to frameworks like Lean Startup, though these concepts were beginning to take root in Apple’s development process. Given Apple’s strict secrecy, external knowledge of these details is limited. I’ll score him 7.5, though this may not be entirely accurate.
- Behavioral Design: The concept didn’t exist during Jobs’ era, so it’s unfair to assess him here. However, to compare him to today’s product managers, we can’t omit this category. Jobs rarely applied behavioral design systematically in his products, so I’ll give him a 3.
- Business Model Design: Though “business model” was a relatively new term during his time, Jobs pioneered the App Store, which revolutionized platform-based innovation. Early Apple business models weren’t cutting-edge, but thanks to the App Store, I’ll give Jobs 8.5.
- ESG and Sustainability: While sustainability was emerging during Jobs’ era, it wasn’t yet a corporate focus. Due to historical context, I can only give him a 4 here, but today, Apple has made significant strides in ESG.
Final Score: Out of 100, I score Jobs a 76.8. It’s not a particularly high score, but several competency modules were either underdeveloped during his time or simply non-existent. My score is highly subjective and doesn’t claim to be representative. Feel free to create your own criteria and scoring.
That said, I believe this evaluation is meaningful from today’s perspective. It suggests that many modern product managers could outperform Jobs in certain areas. The world is always moving forward!