[hari_seldon_]

While it is easy to say that it is hard to spot “genius,” it is also important to note that people grow and change over time. Maybe being called flaky influenced his growth down the road.

Feedback like this is based on limited interaction with someone at one point in their life, and I hope that many 21-year-olds mature and find their element later.

[acomjean]

People do learn over time. I remember Steve Jobs (maybe his stanford address) talking about getting fired from Apple. He said it was a humbling experience but one he learned from.

Job's wasn't 100% successful in all his products, but he was persistent. Even the failures didn't stop him from trying the next thing (Lisa, Newton, eMate[1], Pipin). Even the original mac had lac-luster sales at first.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMate_300

[simonh]

The Newton came long after Jobs left Apple, it was Scully’s thing. The Pippin was released at the beginning of 1996, while Apple announced the purchase of NeXT that December.

[olfactory]

Also, what does "flaky" mean? Maybe Steve was willing to reorganize his priorities rapidly enough that some found it flaky or mercurial, but in hindsight it worked.

[shanghaiaway]

Maybe flaky means flaky. Unreliable. Changes his mind a few times per day. Doesn't keep promises. Can't be trusted.

[olfactory]

Someone could say that about an opponent's chess strategy only to be beaten.