SmartBrief is partnering with Big Think to create a weekly video spotlight in SmartBrief on Leadership called “VIP Corner: Video Insights Powered by Big Think.” This week, we’re featuring Guy Kawasaki, co-founder of Alltop.com and a founding partner at Garage Technology Ventures. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple.
Guy Kawasaki became well known in tech circles for his time at Apple and his other ventures, but he says it’s dangerous to feel like you’ve made it. “If you wake up one day and you say, ‘I’m a brand,’ you’re pretty much sliding down that slope towards destruction,” he said. That point was emphasized for Kawasaki while driving his Porsche 911. He stopped at a light, and a group of girls in the car next to him motioned for him to roll down his window. Kawasaki was feeling good; even teenagers knew who he was, he thought. They must have been familiar with his books — he’s written 10. Or maybe they recognized him from his work at Apple or as a venture capitalist. Not quite. “So I roll down the window and this girl leans out and says to me, ‘Are you Jackie Chan?’ That was just like one of the world’s funniest moments for me,” he said. The experience gave him a new goal, Kawasaki said, that one day a group of teenagers will confuse Jackie Chan for himself. Big Think is a forum in which top experts explore big ideas and core skills defining the 21st century. Learn more from its editors, fellows and guest speakers.