Wise Guy: Lessons of Life

Overview

This course is heavily based on Guy Kawasaki’s book, Wise Guy, Guy’s most personal book. It’s not a traditional memoir but a series of vignettes. He toyed with calling it Miso Soup for the Soul because these stories (like those in the Chicken Soup series) reflect a wide range of experiences that have enlightened and inspired him.

For instance, you’ll follow Guy as he:

• Gets his first real job in the jewelry business—which turned out to be surprisingly useful training for the tech world.
• Disparages one of Apple’s potential partners in front of that company’s CEO, at the sneaky instigation of Steve Jobs.
• Jeopardizes his Apple career with a single sentence, after Jobs withholds a pre-release copy of the Think Different ad campaign: “That’s okay, Steve, I don’t trust you either.”
• Reevaluates his self-importance after being mistaken for Jackie Chan by four young women.
• Takes up surfing at age sixty-two—which teaches him that you can discover a new passion at any age, but younger is easier!
• In total, Guy covers everything from moral values to business skills to parenting. As he writes, “I hope my stories help you live a more joyous, productive, and meaningful life. If Wise Guy succeeds at this, then that’s the best story of all.”