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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Was Steve Jobs' genius also a fatal flaw? | Was Steve Jobs' genius also a fatal flaw? |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| One of Steve Jobs' closest friends and business allies has said the former Apple boss's own self-belief and mindset led him to put off having his cancer treated. | One of Steve Jobs' closest friends and business allies has said the former Apple boss's own self-belief and mindset led him to put off having his cancer treated. |
| Avie Tevanian said Mr Jobs had a "reality distortion field" - a force of will that helped him get people to achieve the impossible. | Avie Tevanian said Mr Jobs had a "reality distortion field" - a force of will that helped him get people to achieve the impossible. |
| That same belief system caused him to refuse conventional treatment for his cancer in the critical early stages after diagnosis. | That same belief system caused him to refuse conventional treatment for his cancer in the critical early stages after diagnosis. |
| He decided instead to explore alternative therapies and go on a special diet. | He decided instead to explore alternative therapies and go on a special diet. |
| Mr Tevanian said: "Steve was an unconventional person and when it came to treating his illness he was very happy to use non-traditional methods. | Mr Tevanian said: "Steve was an unconventional person and when it came to treating his illness he was very happy to use non-traditional methods. |
| "I think he truly thought that through some unconventional means he could cure himself." | "I think he truly thought that through some unconventional means he could cure himself." |
| Initial diagnosis | Initial diagnosis |
| Mr Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, died aged 56 on 5 October 2011 - eight years after first being diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer. | |
| He was diagnosed with insulinoma, which unlike other pancreatic cancers, is curable and can be treated with surgery. | |
| Doctors recommended an early operation but Mr Jobs could not be persuaded to stop his pursuit of alternative remedies. | |
| "Being Steve, it was easy for him to find people who would agree that it was worth a try. | "Being Steve, it was easy for him to find people who would agree that it was worth a try. |
| "Many of us around him, myself included, his wife and other people were saying: 'Steve, you know, maybe you should just have some surgery here and get it over with,'" said Mr Tevanian, who was chief technology officer at Apple until 2006 and a long-standing friend of Mr Jobs - even organising his stag party. | "Many of us around him, myself included, his wife and other people were saying: 'Steve, you know, maybe you should just have some surgery here and get it over with,'" said Mr Tevanian, who was chief technology officer at Apple until 2006 and a long-standing friend of Mr Jobs - even organising his stag party. |
| "He was the kind of person that could convince himself of things that weren't necessarily true or necessarily easy, maybe easy is the better way to think of it. | "He was the kind of person that could convince himself of things that weren't necessarily true or necessarily easy, maybe easy is the better way to think of it. |
| "That always worked with him for designing products, where he could go to people and ask them to do something that they thought was impossible. | "That always worked with him for designing products, where he could go to people and ask them to do something that they thought was impossible. |
| "But he would keep asking and say: 'You know, it's impossible but I still want you to try' - and because of his sheer will, they would actually make it happen, or make something like it happen." | "But he would keep asking and say: 'You know, it's impossible but I still want you to try' - and because of his sheer will, they would actually make it happen, or make something like it happen." |
| Mistaken delay | Mistaken delay |
| Mr Jobs went public about his cancer in 2004 after finally agreeing to surgery that year, by which time the cancer had spread. | Mr Jobs went public about his cancer in 2004 after finally agreeing to surgery that year, by which time the cancer had spread. |
| He realised the delay had been a mistake and told his biographer Walter Isaacson: "I should have gotten it earlier." | He realised the delay had been a mistake and told his biographer Walter Isaacson: "I should have gotten it earlier." |
| Mr Tevanian said he had expected the Apple boss to pull back from work but the opposite happened. | Mr Tevanian said he had expected the Apple boss to pull back from work but the opposite happened. |
| "He started working even harder. It's almost as if he knew his time was now limited. | "He started working even harder. It's almost as if he knew his time was now limited. |
| "There was a lot more that he wanted to get done. Everything that he did, everywhere he worked just became magnified." | "There was a lot more that he wanted to get done. Everything that he did, everywhere he worked just became magnified." |
| Despite continuing health problems, Jobs continued to work even after undergoing a liver transplant in 2009. | Despite continuing health problems, Jobs continued to work even after undergoing a liver transplant in 2009. |
| He finally went on medical leave in January 2011, before formally resigning as CEO of Apple in August. | He finally went on medical leave in January 2011, before formally resigning as CEO of Apple in August. |
| Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy is available online via BBC iPlayer at the above link (UK only). | Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy is available online via BBC iPlayer at the above link (UK only). |