Former Apple chief executive John Sculley recently had the opportunity to relive the highs and lows of working with Steve Jobs by attending an opera about the late technology tycoon in Washington.
“A wonderful evening at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC,” he posted in an Instagram photo carousel showing his attendance at The (R) evolution of Steve Jobs.
According to Mr Sculley’s social media posts, he also treated those in attendance to an impromptu question-and-answer session to discuss his experiences working with Mr Jobs and his time at Apple.
In what has now become part of Silicon Valley folklore, Mr Jobs convinced Mr Sculley to make the leap from PepsiCo, where he served as president, to Apple as chief executive in 1983, which at the time was seen as an unprecedented and risky career move.
With his marketing background that won him accolades at Pepsi through campaigns such as the Pepsi Challenge, he helped bolster revenue on Apple products such as the Apple II, while also working closely with Mr Jobs on introducing the Macintosh computer in 1984.
Although revolutionary for its graphical user interface that is now ubiquitous in computing, sluggish Macintosh sales caused tension between Mr Sculley and Mr Jobs, leading Apple’s board to side with Mr Sculley and strip Mr Jobs of a role in the company.
Apple’s revenue grew rapidly in the initial years following Mr Jobs's departure, but the company’s lead with Macintosh methodically evaporated as Microsoft made progress with Windows and the proliferation of PC clones led to increasingly slim profit margins for the industry as a whole.
The company's sales and market share plummeted and many blamed Mr Sculley for failing to adjust Apple’s direction.
He was sacked in 1993, and later watched as Mr Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, bringing the company from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the most influential technology companies in the world.
For years, in many Silicon Valley and business circles, Mr Sculley was cast as a villain, the man who made the mistake of firing Mr Jobs. But in recent years, he has pointed out in interviews that Apple’s board at the time made the decision.
He has also since said that it was mistake to leave Mr Jobs with no role at Apple during the tumultuous year that led to his dismissal.
In a 2014 interview with The National, Mr Sculley briefly touched on his time at Apple and the fracture of his relationship with Mr Jobs.
“I have so many mistakes, we don’t have the time to go through them. You only learn from your mistakes, you never learn from your successes,” he said at the time.
“If anything, the biggest risk is when you are successful, you become a victim of that success because you believe you did something brilliantly well and then you later discover you were just plain lucky.”
Mr Sculley is chairman of Nirvana Health / RxAdvance, which assists with pharmaceutical and the reduction of administrative health care costs.
He also cofounded Obi Mobile in 2014, a company that launched what it described as affordable smartphones, although the company is no longer operational.
Mr Sculley is not featured in the opera, although several actors have portrayed him in films and shows over the years.
He previously praised Jeff Daniels portrayal of him in Aaron Sorkin's 2015 Steve Jobs biopic.
The former Apple chief executive also figured prominently in the award-winning documentary General Magic, which took an in-depth look at one of the first attempts at creating a smartphone in the mid-1990s.
The Grammy-winning The (R) evolution of Steve Jobs is currently being staged at Washington's Kennedy Centre. John Moore sings the role of Mr Jobs.
Racecard
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
The National selections
6.30pm: Chaddad
7.05pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.40pm: Mass Media
8.15pm: Rafal
8.50pm: Yulong Warrior
9.25pm: Chiefdom
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
The five pillars of Islam
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
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How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics