Wiley Hodges was an early employee since 1997, meaning that he has witnessed a lot in his time at one of America's forefront companies. Hodges is the current Director of Product Marketing at Apple and has been so since 2007, however, in his time there, he has worked as mainly a Product Line Manager. Firsthand, he has seen the rise of Apple from a nearly bankrupt electronics company to an industry titan, which nearly everyone owns a product from.
Hodges expressed to us the hectic nature of being a high-ranking Apple official. Apple employees are often kept in the dark about many of Apple's happenings, with some team members not even knowing what other teams are doing in conjunction with their own product. Truly, when Tim Cook announces the next new Apple product at the annual conference, Apple employees are as surprised as anyone else. I asked Hodges a question at one point about what it was like to work with Steve Jobs, a man whose vision changed the future of the world, but he was hesitant to answer, saying that, "I have my reasons why I do not like to talk about Steve." Whether this is due to the oft-reported unpleasant working relationships that Steve Jobs would foster or due to other reasons, this once again solidified the aura that surrounds Jobs in Silicon Valley. Now that he is no longer with us, it is up to the people that worked with him, such as Hodges, to explain to younger generations what exactly made this influential man tick. If Hodges' mannerisms were any indication, then Jobs was as much of a struggle as is reported.
As Director of Product Marketing, Hodges often is tasked with creating the simplified ads that us consumers often see on TV or on the packaging on the shelves. Simplicity is best in a world of complexities, Hodges essentially said. Apple has created a niche in Silicon Valley as a company that can market itself as sleek, yet simple. This plays well with how it is viewed in the public, and future generations will come to recognize Apple for this. It is an essential lesson in branding, and if Hodges told me one thing, it was that branding is everything in Silicon Valley. Every company has their "brand", but to make yours truly innovative, often times going simple is best.
Hodges expressed to us the hectic nature of being a high-ranking Apple official. Apple employees are often kept in the dark about many of Apple's happenings, with some team members not even knowing what other teams are doing in conjunction with their own product. Truly, when Tim Cook announces the next new Apple product at the annual conference, Apple employees are as surprised as anyone else. I asked Hodges a question at one point about what it was like to work with Steve Jobs, a man whose vision changed the future of the world, but he was hesitant to answer, saying that, "I have my reasons why I do not like to talk about Steve." Whether this is due to the oft-reported unpleasant working relationships that Steve Jobs would foster or due to other reasons, this once again solidified the aura that surrounds Jobs in Silicon Valley. Now that he is no longer with us, it is up to the people that worked with him, such as Hodges, to explain to younger generations what exactly made this influential man tick. If Hodges' mannerisms were any indication, then Jobs was as much of a struggle as is reported.
As Director of Product Marketing, Hodges often is tasked with creating the simplified ads that us consumers often see on TV or on the packaging on the shelves. Simplicity is best in a world of complexities, Hodges essentially said. Apple has created a niche in Silicon Valley as a company that can market itself as sleek, yet simple. This plays well with how it is viewed in the public, and future generations will come to recognize Apple for this. It is an essential lesson in branding, and if Hodges told me one thing, it was that branding is everything in Silicon Valley. Every company has their "brand", but to make yours truly innovative, often times going simple is best.