While I’d rather not rationalize tyrannical leadership, I can’t help but think that Steve Jobs was quite misunderstood. He got in people’s faces, challenged them, and tested their strength, resolve, and ability to strive on their own — but all too often people broke under his pressuring and deferred to his view. What is all too often looked at in the situation is the point that Steve won, as he got his way. But did he? I’d like to believe that Steve wanted to be challenged, to be around strong people who’ll stand up for what they believe is right, even if it means dropping out and losing a large paycheck.

“I was insisting that we had a vocation to write the first pages of history but she interrupted me. "No, Robert, you're wrong," she said. "Our job is to monitor the centres of power." And I think, in the end, that is the best definition of journalism I have heard: to challenge authority--all authority--especially so when governments and politicians take us to war, when they have decided that they will kill and others will die.”

—Robert Fisk (The Great War for Civilisation)
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