Insanely Simple summary

A lot of us believe the best way to come up with a solution is having many minds working on it together. Yet this isn’t always the best approach. Sometimes a small team is better.

Often, the larger and more complex a company’s hierarchy, the longer it takes to make progress. Some companies have giant, complex structures, with staff working together across many departments. However, this can seriously complicate the decision-making process.

Have you ever sat at an insufferable meeting full of people talking for hours with absolutely no progress being made? Many of us have experienced this scenario and are desperate to avoid it. In order to prevent such inefficiency, you need to streamline your work.

One way you can do this is by creating small groups of smart people to keep projects running smoothly.

It is sometimes thought that the best way to get ahead in business is to emulate successful companies. However, in truth, business success relies on innovation and creativity.

If you’re the first to come out with a new product, you’ll most likely be the market leader.

Apple is renowned for its simple approach to everything. As we’ve seen, simplicity influences the company’s marketing and product design, and even the size of its meetings. But when was this approach adopted?

It started when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 and made simplicity his main goal.

Life is too short to do something that makes you miserable. Let’s be honest; if you aren’t passionate about something, you won’t pour all your energy into it.

Passion is vital, and Apple’s success can be largely attributed to its passionate team.

One of the most iconic public figures of the twenty-first century, Steve Jobs is celebrated for having revolutionized the entire computer industry. But how did he get to where he did?

His popularity started gaining momentum when he directed Apple to focus on simplicity after its near-collapse in the 1990s.

The key message in this book:

Apple is so successful because, thanks to Steve Jobs, it adheres to the concept of simplicity. Streamlining and simplifying processes, such as keeping teams small and having team leaders directly interact with projects in progress, enables the company to reap the benefits of keeping ahead of its competitors.