Summary
Overview
This bonus episode features Sharon Weinberger, author of 'Valley of Death,' discussing her Wall Street Journal investigation that revealed how a secret CIA contract saved Steve Jobs and Next Computer in the 1980s. The conversation explores this fascinating story and expands into a broader discussion about the evolving power dynamics between Silicon Valley and the national security establishment, from Cold War origins to today's defense tech boom, examining who really controls America's military technology future.
The Secret CIA Contract That Saved Steve Jobs
Sharon Weinberger recounts her decade-long investigation into an extraordinary story: how the CIA, disguised as the NSA, secretly purchased Next computers in the early 1990s, providing Steve Jobs with a crucial financial lifeline when his company was struggling. The contract, ultimately intended for the National Reconnaissance Office's satellite intelligence analysts, gave Jobs the runway he needed to mature as an entrepreneur and eventually return to Apple. This revelation challenges the popular narrative of Jobs' success, showing how government intelligence contracts played a hidden but essential role.
- Former DARPA director Vic Reese told Weinberger about buying Next computers and hearing the NSA bought many more, claiming 'I saved Steve Jobs'
- The NSA was actually cover for a CIA contract, with the National Reconnaissance Office as the end customer for spy satellite work
- Next computers provided high-speed processing, good graphics, and networking capabilities that analysts could use to interpret and share satellite imagery
- The intelligence community contract was 'absolutely essential' for Next's survival and gave Jobs years to mature as an entrepreneur
- Jobs threw a last-minute fit about working with the federal government, requiring Ross Perot's intervention to proceed
" I saved Steve Jobs. I bought a whole bunch of next computers for DARPA... But I heard from someone at DARPA who had come from the National Security Agency that the NSA had bought a whole lot of next computers. "
" It turns out the NRO, the agency that controls our strategic spy satellites, that they had been the end customer. But the CIA was the buyer of these, but it was a CIA contract. The NSA was used as cover. "
" You let a genius loose with no controls. And this is what happens. He designs this beautiful, wonderful computer ahead of its time with built-in networking capabilities before you have even the internet. And it is too expensive for anyone to buy. "
Why Jobs Never Thanked the CIA
Despite the CIA contract being crucial to Next's survival, Steve Jobs never publicly acknowledged or thanked the intelligence community. Weinberger explores Jobs' complicated relationship with the federal government and his singular focus on his vision. The story reveals Jobs' volatility and his purely transactional approach—he would take government money when needed, but once he dominated the consumer market, he felt no obligation to look back.
- Next wasn't necessarily going bankrupt but was doing badly, with Ross Perot as a major investor providing some runway
- Jobs nearly cancelled a crucial Washington meeting at the last minute, requiring Ross Perot's intervention to convince him to proceed
- The incident triggered a senior executive's resignation due to frustration with Jobs' unpredictability
- Jobs cared only about his vision and took CIA money to succeed, but had no interest in thanking them once he reached the consumer market
" Suddenly Steve Jobs is like, you know what? I don't want to do this. I don't want to work with the feds. And they're like, Steve, like the limousine is like idling outside. We got to go to the airport. "
" The only thing he cared about was his vision. And so he was going to take and did take CIA money, intelligence community money, if it was going to help him succeed. And the second he didn't need that money to succeed, and he had the consumer market, he wasn't going to turn back and be like, thank you very much. "
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