Steve Jobs Almost Fired Apple Designer Jony Ive, Says Upcoming Biography

Apple's Jony Ive is now revered for his beautifully sparse product designs, but back in 1997, the Apple design chief was convinced Steve Jobs was ready to fire him.

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

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FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

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The revelation came out in a Fast Company excerpt of the upcoming biography "Becoming Steve Jobs," which goes on sale Tuesday. In the book, Ive recounts Jobs' return to Apple in 1997 (as part of an acquisition, following the company board's ouster of Jobs in 1985) and the chief's first heart-pounding visit to Ive's Design Lab:

Ive even said he felt he deserved to be sacked, he told the biographers, as the products "we were shipping at the time … weren’t very good at all." But Ive impressed Jobs with his ability to explain complex concepts, and he was spared the heave-ho. Apple didn't immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on the report.

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-- Julianne Pepitone