Daniel Lubetzky

With the lack of leadership in Washington, it is comforting to know there is creativity and bold leadership coming from business entrepreneurs who want to contribute towards improving society.  Take a look at this article about Howard Schultz’s efforts to generate jobs for America.  This is a harbinger for the increasing role that enlightened capitalists will play in the future to address social challenges we face.  As business pervades more and more in our daily lives, market forces and good corporate brands will be able to play increasing leadership roles – even as politicians get co-opted by special interests and petty extremist politics.

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This Wired article reveals some of the content in the much awaited bio, Steve Jobs. 

For example:

Steve Wanted to go ‘Thermonuclear’ on Android
Jobs was livid when HTC introduced an Android phone that shared a number of iPhone features in early 2010. An excerpt from the book: “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong,” Jobs said. “I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.” He told Google’s Eric Schmidt, “I don’t want your money. If you offer me $5 billion, I won’t want it. I’ve got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that’s all I want.’’ [AP]

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

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Last night I attended a dinner that Miles hosted with a group of very interesting people.  Along the way he shared his rules for choosing partners, which I think are worth sharing:

1. Only partner with someone with whom you would want to have breakfast, lunch or dinner with a second time.
2. Only partner with someone you like, admire, and respect.
3. Only partner with someone you trust enough to make the executor of your estate.
4. Only partner with someone with whom you would want to spend a long weekend on a small boat, in a small cabin, or on a small ranch.
5. Only partner with someone who shares the same passion, dedication, and willingness to sacrifice to accomplish the common mission.
6. Only partner with someone who has the human compassion gene. Compassionate leaders motivate and inspire their employees to reach beyond their own self imposed limitations.

Steve Jobs’s closest colleagues share lessons that they learned from their leader in this NYT article.  Doing whatever it takes to please customers, patience, moving forward from mistakes, and passion, were all key drivers of Jobs’s success.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

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The news of Steve Jobs’ passing really hit me, in an unusually strong way.  I don’t know if it is because he was only 56 years old, or that he was such a business icon, or that he transformed the way people live and created so much financial value and so much enjoyment for so many. Or maybe it was that in a strange way many of us felt like he was part of our extended family, as his persona and accomplishments have certainly captured our imagination and attention.  He was a courageous fighter, against pancreatic cancer, for innovation, for positive change, for excellence, and for beauty.

Here is a link to his Commencement speech at Stanford.

God bless him and his family.

This month, on October 13th, The 99, a movie featuring superheroes based on Islamic culture and values, is coming to a PBS channel near you.  The 99 is a movie that is the first of its kind, and was created by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti clinical psychologist and good friend of Daniel.  Keep an eye out for local listings, as this film is one that you will surely not want to miss.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

An exhibit at the Jerusalem Bloomfield Musuem is celebrating Israel’s top 45 greatest inventions, including amazing innovations like the electric car grid, surgical robots, the cherry tomato, and solar power systems.

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A recent article in the New York Times, readjusts the typical focus on Steve Jobs and the evaluation of his career that we have been seeing over the past days since his resignation.  This article deems Jobs a role model, for his unique talent as an innovator.  Jobs’s fresh thinking, and creative way of looking at things were key components to his success and a source of inspiration for all leaders and companies across various sectors.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

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Frustrated by our governments “lack of cooperation and irresponsibility among elected officials,” Howard Schultz emailed his team about how Starbucks can alleviate the current uncertain times.  But he is not stopping there, according to an article in the New York Times.  Schultz has called for a campaign boycott that he hopes will captivate our elected officials attention, and focus them towards creating jobs.  This step of leadership is exactly what our country needs at this time, and we are proud to be able to call ourselves his partner.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

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Check out this amazing video that showcases 3D printing technology: