Steve Jobs' secretary told him that she was late for work because her car wouldn't start. That very afternoon, Jobs came back and threw her a set of keys to a brand new Jaguar, saying: "Here, don’t be late anymore."
Steve Jobs Gave His Late Secretary a Brand New Jaguar
Steve Jobs had a reputation for being terrifying to work with. Employees avoided stepping into elevators with him. People feared his brutal honesty and explosive temper. But the Apple co-founder also had a surprising generous streak that few people saw.
One morning in the early 1980s, a secretary arrived late to Apple's offices. When Jobs asked why, she admitted her car had died that morning. She was a single mom, and a reliable car wasn't in her budget.
That Afternoon Changed Everything
Jobs didn't lecture her about punctuality. He didn't dock her pay or write her up. Instead, that very afternoon, he walked into her office and tossed her a set of keys.
"Here, don't be late anymore," he said. The keys were to a brand-new Jaguar.
At the time, a Jaguar XJ cost roughly $35,000—about $123,000 in today's money. For context, that's more than twice the median household income in 1981.
The Story's Source
This account comes from Ron Givens, Apple's director of quality from 1981 to 1986. His office was just two doors down from Jobs. In a 2011 interview with WRAL News, Givens recalled the incident as an example of Jobs' contradictory nature.
"People were afraid of him," Givens said. "I was 20 years his senior, so I wasn't afraid of him." But Jobs "was always doing things like that, surprising people."
Givens himself received an unexpected gift from Jobs: a $1,000 Steuben-glass apple, handed to him out of the blue.
The Duality of Steve Jobs
Jobs was famous for his harsh management style. He'd publicly humiliate employees who disappointed him. He'd fire people in elevators. Former colleagues describe a man who could reduce grown adults to tears.
But the Jaguar story reveals another side—impulsive generosity toward people he valued. The secretary was good at her job. She had a legitimate problem. Jobs solved it with characteristic decisiveness.
Was it excessive? Absolutely. Could he have just given her a loan or a modest used car? Sure. But that wasn't Steve Jobs. He didn't do anything halfway. If he was going to fix the problem, he'd eliminate it entirely.
Why This Story Matters
The tale illustrates Jobs' all-or-nothing personality. He demanded perfection and gave it in return—at least to those who earned his respect. The secretary wasn't late because she was lazy or irresponsible. Her car broke down. Jobs appreciated honesty and competence, and he rewarded both.
It's also a reminder that people are rarely one-dimensional. The same man who terrorized product designers could turn around and hand a single mom a luxury car worth more than a year's salary.
Whether you see this as extraordinary kindness or over-the-top extravagance probably says more about you than it does about Steve Jobs. But one thing's certain: that secretary was never late again.