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Steve Jobs Archive Publishes Unseen 1996 Pixar Interview Marking Toy Story’s 30th Anniversary

The newly posted video captures Jobs describing Pixar’s hybrid identity with a Silicon Valley model for retaining talent.

Overview

  • The Steve Jobs Archive released a roughly 22-minute interview recorded on November 22, 1996, now posted online for public viewing.
  • Jobs characterizes Pixar as part computer company and part movie studio, emphasizing the need to recruit top creative and technical people.
  • He explains choosing stock options over traditional Hollywood contracts to motivate employees to stay at the company.
  • The interview situates Pixar just after Toy Story’s breakout, which helped propel a 1995 IPO that closed near double its initial price for a valuation of about $1.5 billion.
  • Context noted by the Archive includes rapid headcount growth of roughly 70 percent, A Bug’s Life in production, and Jobs leveraging success to renegotiate terms with Disney.