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Archive of Del Yocam's typed personal notes documenting his conversations with Steve Jobs about joining NeXT, totaling 22 pages, 8.5 x 11, dated May 16–November 25, 1991, highlighted by copies of two letters to Jobs accepting his offers, both signed in black ballpoint by Yocam.
The archive chronicles Yocam’s private conversations, meetings, and negotiations with Jobs at a pivotal moment in NeXT’s history, as Jobs sought to bring the respected former Apple executive into his orbit. The notes include detailed accounts of telephone calls, dinners, and in-person meetings, with Yocam recording Jobs’s thoughts on NeXT’s strategy, leadership needs, sales and marketing challenges, and the possibility of Yocam becoming president, COO, advisor, or board member.
Yocam’s notes provide a revealing, contemporaneous look at Jobs in persuasive recruitment mode. In one early meeting, Jobs outlined NeXT’s need for experienced senior leadership, with Yocam recording that Jobs “wanted me to help him” and that “the product is dynamite.” Yocam notes: “He wants me to think about joining the Board and give him a call.” Elsewhere, Yocam describes Jobs’s continuing interest in having him work directly with NeXT’s management team, noting that Jobs wanted him involved with “sales, marketing, and product,” and that he could “contribute a lot” to the company.
In an October 11 strategy session, Jobs laid out several hurdles facing NeXT, including that sales had been driven mainly by “word of mouth,” that the company had a “window of opportunity to beat Apple/IBM and Sun to the market,” and that it needed to “show a progression of earnings from losses” before going public. Yocam observed: "Steve's interests are in ideas, strategies, and products. He likes to work on new things. His ideal world would have him working with engineering 70% of the time and selling products to customers 30% of the time."
In another revealing entry, Jobs acknowledged past errors, with Yocam writing: “Steve admitted that he had made a lot of mistakes. He said that he knew he had made more than me. I indicated that we had both made mistakes, but that we had learned and grown because of them.”
The notes also capture Jobs’s striking views on Apple after his departure. Discussing Apple’s alliance with IBM, Yocam recorded Jobs’s belief that Apple “is willing to be number 2 to IBM because he thinks that only IBM and Apple will survive,” while predicting that Apple users’ experience “will be frustrating” and that “few products of substance, if any, will result.”
Among the most significant pieces are two signed copies of letters from Yocam to Jobs. In the first, dated November 18, 1991, Yocam confirms that he is ready to begin work with NeXT, writing: “I just wanted you to know that I continue to look forward to being President & COO of NeXT, working with the employees and working with you." On November 24th, Yocam documents a phone call with Jobs in which he rescinded the offer, stating that NeXT “needed a COO who is as strong in sales and marketing as you are in operations,” but still wanted him on the board. In the second, dated November 25th, Yocam formally accepts Jobs’s offer, writing: “I accept your invitation to become a member of NeXT’s Board of Directors,” noting that he was offered “50,000 shares to become a member of the board.” Yocam adds: “Steve, I agree with you that I could contribute a lot as a member of your Board of Directors.” In overall fine condition.
An exceptional first-person archive connecting Steve Jobs, NeXT, and one of Apple’s key former executives during the crucial post-Apple, pre-return period of Jobs’s career. Rich in candid internal detail, the archive captures Jobs actively recruiting trusted leadership for NeXT and offers an unusually intimate record of the company’s ambitions and executive decision-making in 1991.
From the Del Yocam Collection
