Former Apple employee: “Jobs’ layoffs made me a better professional”

Andrea ‘Andy’ Cunningham, marketing expert and founder of Cunningham Collective, has revealed how her turbulent working relationship with Steve Jobsco-founder of Apple, contributed significantly to his professional and personal growth.

Cunningham, who was part of the team that launched the Macintosh in 1984, says she was fired by Jobs on five occasions. “I think Steve Jobs fired me about five times,” said the businesswoman, who recently published a book on positioning called “Get to Aha!”

The consultant recounts a pivotal episode in her career when, after being fired and facing an outstanding debt from Apple, she managed to get her job back by strategically using her press contacts. “I get about 30 or 40 calls a week from the business press asking me what kind of boss I am,” she told Jobs, which resulted in her immediate rehiring.

The woman describes Jobs’ leadership style as extremely demanding, pointing to controversial behaviors such as throwing objects or harshly criticizing employees.However, she emphasizes how this pressure pushed her to excel: “What it did to certain people was force us to try even harder and be even better.”

Despite the difficulties, Cunningham expresses deep gratitude to Jobs. “I am eternally grateful for the experience, because I am now much better at what I do than I would have been without it,” she says, acknowledging the transformative impact it had on her career.

The relationship between the two, although marked by tense moments, shows how Jobs’ demands were, in some cases, a tool to get the best out of his team.