A conversation with Bob Baxley on Apple’s enduring impact on product design
✨ A conversation with Bob Baxley
Bob Baxley has been at the top of my guest list ever since reading his #NotesToMyself series, so it's an absolute privilege to host a wide ranging talk with him on the enduring impact Apple has made on our industry.
Lately, conversations have been dominated by AI design tooling and craft, so I'm especially excited to dig into something Bob wrote that's helped me think differently:
Bob: I think there’s an angle about how we conceive of the relationship between technology and humans, and how Apple in particular has influenced and shaped that relationship.
Currently we tend to see tech as our “overlords”, controlling our lives and contributing to inequities in society. But Steve Jobs, Apple, and indeed the entire personal computer revolution saw the role of technology through a very different lens — one of individual empowerment.
I think the dream of a “bicycle for the mind” is still out there, but it’s certainly gotten buried by the capitalist impulse over the past few years....My hope is to shift people’s thinking so that they see software as a medium — on par with movies, music, and books — versus a tool. Once you make that conceptual lead, you understand why Apple operates differently as well as how to shift your own practices and assumptions."
Preparation
I'll be preparing for this talk by reading Becoming Steve Jobs, as well as listening to the following podcasts:
Feel free to pre-read this for more context, though it is absolutely not required.
About Bob
Bob Baxley is a designer, writer, and advisor who lives and works in Silicon Valley. During a 35 year career that includes Apple, Pinterest, Yahoo!, and others, Bob has led teams and built products used by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Blending the principles of humanist philosophy with the craft of software design, he believes we have a moral obligation to create products that demonstrate a deep understanding, empathy, and concern for our audience…all the people out there on the other side of the glass.
In recent years, Bob has advised dozens of startups and mentored hundreds of designers and design leaders. With a perspective that intersects a liberal arts education with a deep background and understanding of computing and design, he regularly appears on leading tech podcasts and industry events around the world — asking difficult questions and nudging conversations into unexpected places.
Who is this for?
While Designer Friends has always been a senior-only event, we are opening this event to designers of all levels of experience to allow for more inclusive conversations.
Catering
Catering will be from BigNorm (Korean) and feature bibimbap, vegetarian dumplings, spicy tuna kimbaps and more.
Schedule
6:00 PM - Doors open + mingling
6:45 PM - Talk starts
7:30 PM - Audience Q&A
7:45 PM - More mingling time
9:00 PM - Doors close
Allergies & dietary requirements
While many of the options are gluten free, the prevalence of soy sauce in Asian cuisine means that we can not guarantee a contact-less kitchen for folks with Celiac disease.
If your allergy is severe, please contact us to work out accommodations.
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