MovieChat Forums > Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015) Discussion > "Lisa" anecdote

"Lisa" anecdote

posted 8 years ago by srm-1
3 replies | jump to latest

So Steve likes the name, "Clare" for his newly born baby daughter, but his girlfriend thinks it is too similar to Steve's mother's name and offers "Lisa" instead, to which Steve agrees. Later Steve decides to add the name Lisa to his next line of computers - presumably after his new baby.

The film tells this story as though it is a deliberate contrivance on his part, illustrating some kind of a selfish manipulation that demonstrates how he cares more about his business than his child. But, given the way the anecdote is retold, I could not follow this line of reasoning at all.

Can someone explain to me how this anecdote is supposed to reflect negatively on Steve Jobs?

[–] julienrodger 8 years ago

It's hard to know without being in the mind of Jobs at the time. In the Danny Boyle Steve Jobs they write it as if Jobs intentions were pure and he named the computer after her out of love. But after seeing the doc I think the context is less friendly to Jobs side. Jobs had shown all the signs of caring about Apple 10x more than his daughter, in light of that, instead of Jobs having this secret soft spot for his daughter, I think there are more signs to suggest Jobs was thinking about the computer name as the important one. Deceiving Chrisann by not telling her his plans to give them the same name, was also another sign of him not getting it. Chrisann had reasons why she might hate her daughter being tied to Apple like that and what Steve's obsession with it did to their relationship, in general it was just a deceitful game by Jobs

[–] PacificPooch 8 years ago

I agree with you -- I too didn't see this as such a distasteful action.

It was also completely unnecessary to the larger point about Jobs's despicable behavior at times. Chronicling his efforts to disavow his paternity, and agreeing to a measly $500 a month of child support made the point strongly enough.

[–] FourFiveEight 8 years ago

It's just an anecdote about Steve told by Chrisann Brennan, she originally saw it another way but after hearing about these other details i.e. wanting to name a computer Claire and naming it Lisa she saw it another way. It's as simple as that it's not trying to say "Steve Evil" it's just giving you a story about Steve from someone who knew him what you choose to take from that is really up to you.