--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Innovation has nothing to do with how…" description: "\"Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R & D. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/steve-jobs-307_apples_innovation-has-nothing-to-do-with-how-ma_703208.jpg" --- # Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars… ![“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R & D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.” quote by Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/steve-jobs-307_apples_innovation-has-nothing-to-do-with-how-ma_703208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/steve-jobs-307_apples_innovation-has-nothing-to-do-with-how-ma_703208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/steve-jobs-307_apples_innovation-has-nothing-to-do-with-how-ma_703208.jpg) > “Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R & D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.” [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innovation stems from people and leadership, not just funding; Apple’s success shows talent and vision outweigh money. **In simple terms:** Innovation is about people and leadership, not money. Key Takeaway Invest in talent and clear vision over sheer spend. Themes innovation leadership talent development Mood optimistic strategic Type business philosophical When to use this quote - startup founding - product design - team building - R&D budgeting Key Concepts organizational behavior strategy Questions to Reflect On - How can you nurture talent on a limited budget? - What leadership traits drive breakthrough ideas? A Different Perspective High budgets can still fail without strong culture and direction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Well, Apple invented the PC as we know it, and then it invented the graphical user interface as we know it eight years later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/well-apple-invented-the-pc-as-we-know-it-and-then-it-invented-the/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Arguments over grammar and style are often as fierce as those over IBM versus Mac, and as fruitless as Coke versus Pepsi and boxers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lynch/arguments-over-grammar-and-style-are-often-as-fierce-as-those-over/) [Jack Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lynch/) > [It's like when IBM drove a lot of innovation out of the computer industry before the microprocessor came along. Eventually, Microsoft will crumble because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-like-when-ibm-drove-a-lot-of-innovation-out-of-the-computer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Once IBM gains control of a market sector, they almost always stop innovation. They prevent innovation from happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/once-ibm-gains-control-of-a-market-sector-they-almost-always-stop/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [If, for some reason, we make some big mistake and IBM wins, my personal feeling is that we are going to enter a computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-for-some-reason-we-make-some-big-mistake-and-ibm-wins-my-personal/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Since any reasonable person would choose a Mac over a PC, Apple's market share provides us with an accurate reading of the percentage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/since-any-reasonable-person-would-choose-a-mac-over-a-pc-apple-s/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Apple makes beautiful products. I own a Mac Pro, a Mac Book, a Mac Mini, an iPad, an iPhone, pretty much the entire collection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-denton/apple-makes-beautiful-products-i-own-a-mac-pro-a-mac-book-a-mac-mini/) [Nick Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-denton/) > [I've never owned an Apple product. I like the fact that PCs are open architecture and not locked down like Apple products. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-peli/i-ve-never-owned-an-apple-product-i-like-the-fact-that-pcs-are-open/) [Oren Peli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-peli/) > [In the Mac vs. PC ads, Apple bills itself as the antidote to Microsoft. To love Apple wasn't to sell out. It was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/in-the-mac-vs-pc-ads-apple-bills-itself-as-the-antidote-to-microsoft/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [The design of the Mac wasn't what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-design-of-the-mac-wasn-t-what-it-looked-like-although-that-was/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-i-had-never-dropped-in-on-that-single-course-in-college-the-mac-2/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [ I told \[Bill Gates\] I believed every word of what I said but that I should never have said it in public. I wish… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-told-bill-gates-i-believed-every-word-of-what-i-said-but-that-i/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [We want to reinvent the phone. What's the killer app? The killer app is making calls! It's amazing how hard it is to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/we-want-to-reinvent-the-phone-what-s-the-killer-app-the-killer-app-is/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It wasn't that Microsoft was so brilliant or clever in copying the Mac, it's that the Mac was a sitting duck for 10 years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-wasn-t-that-microsoft-was-so-brilliant-or-clever-in-copying-the/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-i-had-never-dropped-in-on-that-single-course-in-college-the-mac/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More by Steve Jobs > [Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I admire Mark Zuckerberg... for not selling out, for wanting to make a company. I admire that a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-admire-mark-zuckerberg-for-not-selling-out-for-wanting-to-make-a/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [If you want to hire great people and have them stay, you have to be run by ideas, not hierarchy. The best ideas have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-you-want-to-hire-great-people-and-have-them-stay-you-have-to-be/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/everything-around-you-that-you-call-life-was-made-up-by-people-that/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It's about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/innovation-is-not-about-saying-yes-to-everything-it-s-about-saying-no/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/when-you-first-start-off-trying-to-solve-a-problem-the-first/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I'm not dismissing the value of higher education; I'm simply saying it comes at the expense of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-m-not-dismissing-the-value-of-higher-education-i-m-simply-saying-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“To YoYo Ma: "You playing is the best argument I've ever heard for the existence of God, because I don't really believe a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/to-yoyo-ma-you-playing-is-the-best-argument-i-ve-ever-heard-for-the/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The most important thing is a person. A person who incites your curiosity and feeds your curiosity; and machines cannot do that in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-most-important-thing-is-a-person-a-person-who-incites-your/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The tragedy is that Dell didn't win it - we lost it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-tragedy-is-that-dell-didn-t-win-it-we-lost-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“I think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to express themselves. In fact some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-think-great-artists-and-great-engineers-are-similar-in-that-they/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It's rare that you see an artist in his 30s or 40s able to really contribute something amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/it-s-rare-that-you-see-an-artist-in-his-30s-or-40s-able-to-really/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [We're going to be able to ask our computers to monitor things for us, and when certain conditions happen, are triggered, the computers will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/we-re-going-to-be-able-to-ask-our-computers-to-monitor-things-for-us/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) [Explore all 695 Steve Jobs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More Apples quotes > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-think-however-that-astaire-s-coordination-is-better-than-kelly-s/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/) [Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/) > [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [I'm not only a fan of Apple products, I have stock in the company. I think Steve Jobs has started one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-not-only-a-fan-of-apple-products-i-have-stock-in-the-company-i/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth - they always look polished afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-love-to-eat-an-apple-after-a-meal-just-to-cleanse-my-teeth-they/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [I have a friend who is a juggler. If I'm at his house, I don't like to take food from him, if it's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-a-friend-who-is-a-juggler-if-i-m-at-his-house-i-don-t-like-to/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [A comely sight indeed it is to see, a world of blossoms on an apple tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/a-comely-sight-indeed-it-is-to-see-a-world-of-blossoms-on-an-apple/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Like a satellite in orbit, Apple is perpetually falling. It just happens to miss Earth every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-dediu/like-a-satellite-in-orbit-apple-is-perpetually-falling-it-just/) Horace Dediu > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [Therein lies the rub of a place like Berkeley Bowl. You get seduced by an 11-pound apple that turns out to be a fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jad-abumrad/therein-lies-the-rub-of-a-place-like-berkeley-bowl-you-get-seduced-by/) [Jad Abumrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jad-abumrad/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. 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