Paul Jobs

Paul Jobs. Paul Reinhold Jobs was an American machinist, craftsman, and used car dealer, best known as the adoptive father of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc.. A skilled handyman with a strong work ethic, he instilled in his son a deep appreciation for design, craftsmanship, and tinkering, profoundly influencing the aesthetic and engineering sensibilities that would define iconic products like the Macintosh and the iPhone. His life story, from his Midwestern roots to his supportive role in Silicon Valley, reflects a quintessential American journey of practicality and quiet mentorship.

Early life and background

Paul Reinhold Jobs was born in Germantown, Wisconsin, and spent his early years in the Midwestern United States. His childhood was marked by instability, as he was adopted by a family that later moved to Muskegon, Michigan. As a young man during the Great Depression, he developed a resilient and resourceful character, taking on various odd jobs to support himself. He served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II, working as a machinist's mate on the USS *General M. C. Meigs*, which transported troops in the Pacific Theater of Operations. This military service honed his mechanical skills and provided him with technical training that would form the foundation of his later career as a master craftsman.

Career and work

After his discharge from the Coast Guard, Paul Jobs settled in San Francisco, where he worked as a machinist for a company that manufactured lasers. He later transitioned to a career as a used car dealer, a trade that combined his mechanical knowledge with salesmanship. He was known for his honesty and skill in refurbishing vehicles, often buying, repairing, and reselling BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, and other cars. His most famous professional endeavor was his work as a repo man, repossessing cars for a finance company, a job that required both tact and tenacity. Throughout his working life, he maintained a well-equipped workshop in the family garage, where he spent countless hours on projects ranging from cabinetry to automotive repair, embodying the spirit of the American craftsman.

Personal life and family

In 1946, Paul Jobs married Clara Hagopian, an Armenian-American woman whose family had fled the Armenian genocide; the couple settled in San Francisco and later moved to Mountain View, California. In 1955, they adopted a baby boy, Steve Jobs, whose biological parents were Joanne Schieble and Abdulfattah Jandali; the couple later also adopted a daughter, Patty Jobs. The family home in Los Altos, California, became a nurturing environment where Paul shared his passion for engineering and design. He was a devoted family man, supporting his children's interests, including Steve's early fascination with electronics fostered by neighbors who worked for Hewlett-Packard. The family's values emphasized education, hard work, and integrity, with Paul often trading his mechanical services for swimming lessons for his children.

Influence on Steve Jobs

Paul Jobs's influence on his son was profound and multifaceted, shaping Steve Jobs's approach to technology and business. He taught Steve the fundamentals of design and craftsmanship, emphasizing the importance of the unseen details on the back of a fence or the interior of a cabinet. This lesson in perfectionism directly informed the development of products at Apple Computer and NeXT, where aesthetic integrity was paramount. By introducing Steve to electronics through hands-on projects in their garage and securing his first summer job at Hewlett-Packard, Paul ignited his son's passion for the tech industry. Furthermore, Paul's ethos of honest dealing and his skill in negotiation during his car sales career provided Steve with an early model for the persuasive "reality distortion field" he would later employ at Apple Inc. and Pixar.

Later years and death

In his later years, Paul Jobs continued to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, witnessing the meteoric rise of his son's career and the global success of Apple Inc. He remained a constant, grounding presence in Steve's life, even as the latter navigated the pressures of leading a major corporation and his eventual ouster from Apple in 1985. Paul Jobs died of respiratory failure on March 5, 1993, in Palo Alto, California, at the age of 71. His death deeply affected Steve Jobs, who later reflected on his father's lasting impact, stating that his design sensibility and relentless drive were inextricably linked to the lessons learned in the family garage. Paul Jobs is buried in Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto.

Category:American craftspeople Category:1922 births Category:1993 deaths