---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Steve Jobs was never going to let Flash…"
description: "\"Steve Jobs was never going to let Flash on any Apple product again like that after in 1997 - he's got a long memory - they said no and Bill Gates said ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/walter-isaacson-384_after_steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash_2122876.png"
---

#  Steve Jobs was never going to let Flash on any Apple…

![“Steve Jobs was never going to let Flash on any Apple product again like that after in 1997 - he's got a long memory - they said no and Bill Gates said yes.” quote by Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/walter-isaacson-384_after_steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash_2122876.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/walter-isaacson-384_after_steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash_2122876.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/walter-isaacson-384_after_steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash_2122876.png)

> “Steve Jobs was never going to let Flash on any Apple product again like that after in 1997 - he's got a long memory - they said no and Bill Gates said yes.”

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Steve Jobs refused to repeat past mistakes, emphasizing long‑term brand integrity over short‑term gains.

**In simple terms:** Jobs avoided repeating bad decisions.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize brand values over fleeting trends.

Themes

integrity brand decision‑making

Mood

determined reflective

Type

leadership business

When to use this quote

- product design
- marketing campaigns
- technology partnerships
- company policy

Key Concepts

long‑term strategy reputation management

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance innovation with brand consistency?
- What safeguards prevent repeating past errors?

A Different Perspective

Short‑term pressure can still force compromises.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[After](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/) [Again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple/) [Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bill/) [Bill gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bill-gates/) [Flash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flash/) [Flash Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flash-apple-4338918/) [Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gates/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-said-572058/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/product/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Steve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steve/) [Steve Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steve-job/) [Steve jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steve-jobs/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Yes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yes/)

## Related quotes

> [Kids in college often look for mentors and role models to model their careers after, and women don't have the equivalent of a Steve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruchi-sanghvi/kids-in-college-often-look-for-mentors-and-role-models-to-model-their/)

[Ruchi Sanghvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruchi-sanghvi/)

> [Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs did not start out wealthy, and actually added to income inequality, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foster-friess/amazon-s-jeff-bezos-facebook-s-mark-zuckerberg-bill-gates-and-steve/)

[Foster Friess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foster-friess/)

> [Americans understand that one of our great national strengths is innovation. Great innovators - Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hormats/americans-understand-that-one-of-our-great-national-strengths-is/)

[Robert Hormats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hormats/)

> [He said, 'From then on, I realized that I was not just abandoned. I was chosen. I was special.' And I think that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-said-from-then-on-i-realized-that-i-was-not-just-abandoned-i-was/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [Bill Gates has become the patron saint of philanthropy and the poster child of rebirth, and from what I can tell, rightly so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/bill-gates-has-become-the-patron-saint-of-philanthropy-and-the-poster/)

[John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/)

> [It became clear to me by 1984 that Microsoft was likely going to be the big winner in the PC software apps and operating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/it-became-clear-to-me-by-1984-that-microsoft-was-likely-going-to-be/)

[Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/)

> [Atari showed that young people could start big companies. Without that example it would have been harder for Jobs and Bill Gates, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/atari-showed-that-young-people-could-start-big-companies-without-that/)

[Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/)

> [There are many people who think we should have zero tax on capital gains, interest and dividends for everybody, as - the very, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/there-are-many-people-who-think-we-should-have-zero-tax-on-capital/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [I'm probably wouldn't do anything differently if I had to do it again. Every little thing that happens to you, good and bad, becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster/i-m-probably-wouldn-t-do-anything-differently-if-i-had-to-do-it-again/)

[David Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster/)

> [I give Bill Gates an A for vision because, as a business person and a strategist, he's brilliant. His flaw is that his view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/i-give-bill-gates-an-a-for-vision-because-as-a-business-person-and-a/)

[Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/)

> [Generous people can become more generous as they become richer, giving away vast fortunes to worthwhile causes as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/generous-people-can-become-more-generous-as-they-become-richer-giving/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [Technology ventures can succeed with very little investment, unlike many other industries. A lot of the big Internet players like Google or Yahoo were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raymond/technology-ventures-can-succeed-with-very-little-investment-unlike/)

[Jonathan Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raymond/)

> [I was richer than Bill Gates for 3 days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masayoshi-son/i-was-richer-than-bill-gates-for-3-days/)

[Masayoshi Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masayoshi-son/)

> [We celebrate the Bill Gateses of the world. We're not mad at Bill Gates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-burnett/we-celebrate-the-bill-gateses-of-the-world-we-re-not-mad-at-bill-gates/)

[Mark Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-burnett/)

> [Good intentions can often lead to unintended consequences. It is hard to imagine a law intended for the workforce known to Henry Ford can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/good-intentions-can-often-lead-to-unintended-consequences-it-is-hard/)

[Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/)

## More by Walter Isaacson

> [“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. So that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-had-the-attitude-that-he-could-do-anything-and-therefore-so-can/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [But the point is to get a whole new generation of people and people in general more re-engaged in news, and this has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/but-the-point-is-to-get-a-whole-new-generation-of-people-and-people/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“There was never a good knife made of bad steel ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-never-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Jobs's intensity was also evident in his ability to focus. He would set priorities, aim his laser attention on them, and filter out distractions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/jobs-s-intensity-was-also-evident-in-his-ability-to-focus-he-would/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Atop the brochure McKenna put a maxim, often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, that would become the defining precept of Jobs’s design philosophy: “Simplicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/atop-the-brochure-mckenna-put-a-maxim-often-attributed-to-leonardo-da/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“The company began attracting influential new investors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-company-began-attracting-influential-new-investors/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“You have to remain critically vigilant.” Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/you-have-to-remain-critically-vigilant-question-every-premise/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“in 1996, bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back. BILL ATKINSON. Early Apple employee, developed graphics for the Macintosh. CHRISANN BRENNAN. Jobs’s girlfriend at Homestead High,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/in-1996-bought-next-bringing-jobs-back-bill-atkinson-early-apple/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-last-time-there-was-this-much-excitement-about-a-tablet-it-had/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/if-you-want-to-live-your-life-in-a-creative-way-as-an-artist-you-have/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“There was a key lesson for innovation: Understand which industries are symbiotic so that you can capitalize on how they will spur each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-a-key-lesson-for-innovation-understand-which-industries-are/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“CEO Gil Amelio stumbled. Ellison may have been baffled when Jobs insisted that he was not motivated by money, but it was partly true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/ceo-gil-amelio-stumbled-ellison-may-have-been-baffled-when-jobs/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Once a year Jobs took his most valuable employees on a retreat, which he called " The Top 100." They were picked based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/once-a-year-jobs-took-his-most-valuable-employees-on-a-retreat-which/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“An object will display the greatest difference of light and shade when it is seen in the strongest light. . . . But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/an-object-will-display-the-greatest-difference-of-light-and-shade/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

[Explore all 593 Walter Isaacson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

## More After quotes

> [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/)

[Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/)

> [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/)

[Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/)

> [I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-richards/i-was-strictly-after-hits-when-it-came-down-to-the-jackson-5-that-s/)

[Deke Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deke-richards/)

> [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

> [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/)

[Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/)

> [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/)

[Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/)

> [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/)

[John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/)

> [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/)

[Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/)

> [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/)

[James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/)

> [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/)

[Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/)

> [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/)

[Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/)

> [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/)

[Bert Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-lahr/)

> [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. I did have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-m-pretty-cautious-and-not-very-athletic-so-i-ve-only-had-really/)

[Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/)

> [I'd like an omelet named after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/i-d-like-an-omelet-named-after-me/)

[Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/)

[Browse all 3,411 After quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Steve Jobs was never going to let Flash on any Apple product again like that after in 1997 - he's got a long memory - they said no and Bill Gates said yes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walter Isaacson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash-on-any-apple-product-again/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "After"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash-on-any-apple-product-again/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/walter-isaacson-384_after_steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash_2122876.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/walter-isaacson-384_after_steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash_2122876.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/walter-isaacson-384_after_steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash_2122876.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Steve Jobs was never going to let Flash on any Apple product again like that after in 1997 - he's got a long…” — Walter Isaacson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Walter Isaacson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Steve Jobs was never going to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash-on-any-apple-product-again/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/steve-jobs-was-never-going-to-let-flash-on-any-apple-product-again/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
