"To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines"
About this Quote
The phrase “a lot of disciplines” is doing heavy lifting. Jobs isn’t talking about academic fields; he’s talking about the unglamorous stack that turns invention into a repeatable outcome: design, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, marketing, finance, leadership, taste, and the social skill of getting stubborn experts to agree on one coherent product. It’s also a subtle defense of control. If innovation is the product of many disciplines, then someone has to integrate them, arbitrate tradeoffs, say no, and protect focus. That “someone” is often the kind of exacting, sometimes abrasive figure Jobs became famous for being.
Context matters: Jobs spent his career watching promising tech fail at the handoff from prototype to lived experience. Apple’s legend isn’t just about inventing categories; it’s about operationalizing them, turning fragile ideas into systems that ship, scale, and improve. The deeper subtext is longevity. “Continue to innovate for years” is a shot at one-hit wonders and hype cycles, but also a reminder that culture is infrastructure. A disciplined company doesn’t kill creativity; it’s what keeps creativity from dying young.
Quote Details
| Topic | Startup |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Jobs, Steve. (2026, January 17). To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-turn-really-interesting-ideas-and-fledgling-27256/
Chicago Style
Jobs, Steve. "To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-turn-really-interesting-ideas-and-fledgling-27256/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-turn-really-interesting-ideas-and-fledgling-27256/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.







