Atari’s Nolan Bushnell on finding the next Steve Jobs

Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell took a chance on Steve Jobs when he hired the young non-conformist in 1974. Bushnell recounts that decision and his ensuing friendship with Steve Jobs in his recent book Finding The Next Steve Jobs. The book is not a biography about the Apple co-founder, but a frank look at the worrisome trend in business hiring that focuses on productivity over creative thinking.

Talking with the LA Times, Bushnell says “Sometimes when you hire people who have to pass a Mr. Congeniality test; you end up losing some of the non-conformists who will give you different views and perspectives.”

Jobs was one of those non-conformists and he talked with Bushnell at length about the need for creativity in the workplace. “Creativity is every company’s first driver. It’s where everything starts, where energy and forward motion originate. Without that first charge of creativity, nothing else can take place,” writes Bushnell in his book.

You can read more about Bushnell and Jobs in this 2012 interview conducted by our own Mike Schramm.

Atari’s Nolan Bushnell on finding the next Steve Jobs originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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