Steve Jobs, Billion Dollar Hippy

By Lauren Shipman / December 19th, 2011 in Film / California / 572 views

When Bob Dylan wrote the lyrics to his revolutionary catch cry The Times They Are A Changin’, he probably didn’t realise that his words would become the foundation on which one of the world’s biggest technological revolutions would be based. But that’s exactly what happened; thanks to Dylan, Steve Jobs, the wide-eyed young man from California’s technology-rich Silicon Valley, was inspired to become a hippy with a cause.

With Dylan on his mind, Jobs took the experience he’d gained from his after school job with Hewlett Packard, found LSD, and decided to combine his competitive spirit with the firm belief he had in the power of technology, and set out to change the world. First, he grabbed hold of software designer mate Steve Wozniac then, together, they joined Home Brew Computer Club, built and sold the first ever Steve & Steve collaboration computer, the Apple #1, and began the infamous company, Apple Computers, from the garage of Steve’s childhood home.

Beginning with the question of how a drug-taking college drop-out managed to create one of the most successful corporations in the world, BBC‘s hour-long documentary, Billion Dollar Hippy, chronicles the highs and lows of Steve Jobs and the revolutionary road he chose to take through life. One after another, Steve’s peers share their stories and their awe regarding the man who questioned George Orwell‘s Nineteen Eighty Four, re-marketing the film’s concept to begin his life-long war against IBM. A man who chose, more than once, to try surviving on nothing but apples and, it’s worth noting, made it clear to all and sundry that he was a man who had no time for people he did not respect.

So next time you switch on your iPod or find yourself otherwise Apple-inspired, take heed of a few of Steve’s words: Life is precious. Don’t waste time living someone else’s life. Think different. Because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do. Peace out, Jobs.