Episode 23: NeXT (Live show at the GeekWire Summit)

Ben & David broadcast live from the 2016 GeekWire Summit
covering one of the all-time greats, Apple’s 1996 acquisition of
NeXT. This episode has it all: the Steve Jobs hero story, Apple,
I.M. Pei, Ross Perot, Aaron Sorkin, Nobel Laureates and… Gil
Amelio? Does NeXT rank atop the best acquisitions ever? Our own
heroes cast their votes. 


Sponsors:


WorkOS: https://bit.ly/workos25

Sierra: https://bit.ly/acquiredsierra

Sentry: https://bit.ly/acquiredsentry

Anthropic: https://bit.ly/acquiredclaude25






More Acquired!


Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups
from recent episodes

Join the Slack

Subscribe to ACQ2

Merch Store!



Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLC

Topics covered include: 

1980’s era Apple, entering the age of the “workstation”, with
John Sculley as CEO and Steve Jobs leading the newly formed
SuperMicro division working on building the “BigMac" 

Jobs’ exile to "Siberia”, and chance meeting with Nobel
Laureate Paul Berg that sowed the seeds of NeXT

Jobs’ resignation from Apple on September 13, 1985 to start
NeXT, taking with him SuperMicro division employees Joanna
Hoffman, Bud Tribble, George Crow, Rich Page, Susan Barnes, Susan
Kare, and Dan'l Lewin

Apple’s subsequent lawsuit against Jobs and,  Steve’s
classic quote in response: "It is hard to think that a $2 billion
company with 4,300-plus people couldn't compete with six people
in blue jeans."

NeXT’s “anti lean startup” approach, spending $100k on brand
identity and moving into I.M. Pei designed offices

 Ross Perot’s $20M investment in NeXT

The first NeXT computer (fun unboxing video) product launch,
dubbed "The NeXT Introduction” on October 12, 1988 (one of the
three scenes in the Aaron Sorkin Steve Jobs movie)

The NeXTSTEP operating system as the first “modern” OS
(including Object-oriented programming), and like the Mac equally
descended from Xerox PARC

Major technologies developed on NeXT computers, including the
first web browser and Doom 

NeXT’s exit from the hardware business and transition to a
software-only model with OPENSTEP

Apple’s  failed internal projects to develop a modern
OS, culminating in the acquisition of NeXT in December 1996

Steve Jobs’ return to Apple, public lack of faith in the
then-current board and management, and maneuvering to return to
the CEO role

The transformation of NeXTSTEP/OPENSTEP into OS X, and
ultimately iOS, watchOS, tvOS, etc. 



  The Carve Out: 


Ben:  Stewart Butterfield (Cofounder/CEO of Slack) on
the The Ezra Klein Show

David: DJI and the  Rise of the Robomasters