Insanely Simple

The Obsession that Drives Apple's Success

By: Ken Segall

Narrated by: Ken Segall

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

To Steve Jobs, Simplicity was a religion. It was also a weapon.

Simplicity isn’t just a design principle at Apple - it’s a value that permeates every level of the organization. The obsession with Simplicity is what separates Apple from other technology companies. It’s what helped Apple recover from near death in 1997 to become the most valuable company on Earth in 2011.

Thanks to Steve Jobs’ uncompromising ways, you can see Simplicity in everything Apple does: the way it’s structured, the way it innovates, and the way it speaks to its customers. It’s by crushing the forces of Complexity that the company remains on its stellar trajectory.

As ad agency creative director, Ken Segall played a key role in Apple’s resurrection, helping to create such critical marketing campaigns as Think Different. By naming the iMac, he also laid the foundation for naming waves of i-products to come.

Segall has a unique perspective, given his years of experience creating campaigns for other iconic tech companies, including IBM, Intel, and Dell. It was the stark contrast of Apple’s ways that made Segall appreciate the power of Simplicity - and inspired him to help others benefit from it.

©2012 Ken Segall (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"A blueprint for running a company the Steve Jobs way...should be required reading for anyone interested in management and marketing." (The Times, London)

"Gets inside Apple’s branding and marketing to explain its directness and power." (Financial Times)

"Required reading." (The Observer)

An inspiration to be simple

What about Ken Segall’s performance did you like?

The voice wasn't as smooth as a professional reader in some parts, but it was okay.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The author worked with Steve Jobs for over a decade on marketing campaigns, so he has had a lot of interactions with him. The book illustrates how Steve Jobs was able to push people to create simply elegant products. He didn't waste his time in dressing up how to say or do something to avoid hurting someone's feelings. He had laser focus on simplicity and quality. While it's not the most comforting situation to be the recipient of Job's tirade, at the end it usually lead to a superior product.

inspiring!!!

wonderful simple ideas been shared in the book. looking forward to applying them to my life.

listen every day, innovate your day!

i read this book while listening to audible! it could not be better! it is more comfortable than reading books.

Must read to understand the Apple philosophy

Great look at the driving values behind the Apple success story. Very easy to listen to, entertaining at times and to the point. I am not a big Job's fan but came away with a lot more respect for the guy

Beautiful

Beautifully told
Lots of valuable take aways
Superb

Enjoyed the personal stories and perpetual shots at Dell

Very Well Done

This was a great follow up to listening to Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. It seemed to get into a specific component of the Steve Jobs story and add to it in a way that was compelling and different.

A complex concept :) illuminated by great stories

I am a designer working in Silicon Valley. As the most senior design manager at my company, I am motivated by the concepts in this book and appreciate that they were vividly delivered through case studies. I found something relevant to my work in every chapter. Additionally, hearing the author read his written words is a plus.

Simply inspiring

Part biography part instructional, inspirational and simple to understand. Thank you Ken for a great story and useful advice for any business or life improvement student.

Great story

Great behind the scenes story for apple fans and fans of Steve Jobs as well as an inspiring book that teaches how simplicity can be a powerful business force.

Great book! good for Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship students

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'm a student currently taking a class of Entrepreneurship and I would recommend this book to anyone who wish to become an entrepreneur one day. It contains the key factors of why Apple is so successful as the largest startup company in the world!

What did you like best about this story?

I love how Steve always keep things simple. Simplicity is in Apple's DNA because every structure of the company is simplified to the minimal so Apple can function and produce the most creative work at the shortest amount of time. The theory is: greater amount of people in the meeting means greater amount of ideas, but doesn't guarantee better ideas. However, only the essential small group of smart people guarantee bester and more creative ideas. The only down pit of this method is that the CEO really has to know everything about the projects so he can decide who to go and stay. It sounds like an obvious thing for CEO to know everything but it seems like most big companies’ scale is too large that CEO cant even touch it, which is another reason to keep the company small and simple, because this way everyone knows what they are doing.

Which scene was your favorite?

One scene when Steve is in a meeting with his essential workers and an agency company, a girl was invited by someone to join the meeting. Steve asked her why she is here and she answered that she is here only because she is invited. The girl never appear in the meetings again.