A secret FBI file on Steve Jobs is revealing new details about the late Apple co-founder and chief executive officer. FBI has released a 191-page dossier that the agency compiled on former Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 1991. The agency’s lengthy document on Jobs has more than 30 interviews of friends, neighbors, family, former business associates and Jobs himself.
The interviews were part of a background check for an appointment to the President George HW Bush’s Export Council. From the file, it seems Jobs spent some time working for the government, reportedly on satellite and software-related programs. In fact, in 1988, Steve Jobs held a “Top Secret” clearance. He lost that clearance in 1990.
It’s not known if Steve Jobs was aware of his FBI file, but he was interviewed during the background check and cooperated. Here are some interesting revelations from the FBI’s dossier.
“Several individuals questioned Mr Jobs’s honesty stating that Mr Jobs will twist the truth and distort reality in order to achieve his goals,” according to the materials released by the FBI. One worker at Apple Computer called Jobs, “A deceptive individual who is not completely forthright and honest.”
One of the person interviewed by FBI said that Jobs alienated a lot of people at Apple Computer Inc as a result of his ambition. Two people associated with Jobs at Apple told the FBI that Jobs possessed integrity as long as he got his way. They did not elaborate, the FBI agent wrote.
So much so that, another individual “believed the appointee has what it takes to assume a high level political position within the government, which in his opinion, honesty and integrity are NOT prerequisites to assume such a position.” This was no compliment, but a hint at his level of deceit.
The dossier which actually shows the enormous lengths to which the FBI went to in their investigation, also has Steve Job’s school records.
The records show that Jobs received an average grade of 2.65 out of 4 during his days at Homestead High School in California between 1968 to 1972.
But here is a note of caution for mediocre students who are ready to take heart from Jobs’ grades that along with the unimpressive grades, he was already fooling around with computers and computer-oriented friends in a manner that in retrospect showed great promise. Comparatively, Bill Gates also dropped out of college but only after his genius with computers was already proved.
Both Steve Jobs and Apple Computer are notorious for their obsession with secrecy. For instance it is no secret how Apple Banned Gizmodo after they leaked iPhone 4 pics prior to its release.
Documents reveal that they were not particularly helpful to FBI officials as well. In fact, according to document, FBI officials complained that Jobs’ secretary made them wait three weeks to interview him.
Jobs was also the victim of an extortion attempt, according to the FBI’s report. The agency investigated a 1985 bomb threat against Jobs, in which an unidentified male made a series of calls and said that “devices” had been placed in homes of certain individuals and “one million dollars must be paid”.
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The caller left instructions that one of the victims should go to the San Francisco Hilton hotel in order to pick up a note left under a table near a candy machine. The call-back number left by the would-be extortionist was traced to a public telephone in a parking garage at San Francisco International Airport. Law enforcement officials cordoned off the areas where the caller said that he has placed the bombs but found nothing.
And for those who are curious about the result of all these Steve Jobs interviews – he did eventually serve in capacity for which these interviews were conducted.
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