Original artwork, not a still
It's more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It sets out the Mac team's self-image: a small band of outsiders against the corporate navy of the Apple that paid them. Jobs wanted the group to keep a rebellious edge as it grew. The line outlived the project and became a founder's slogan, quoted whenever a start-up wants to flatter itself as the underdog. Two wordings exist, 'more fun' and 'better', and sources disagree on which Jobs said and when.
Context reviewed
In context
May contain spoilersShow the scene
The saying comes from the Macintosh team's off-site retreats. Andy Hertzfeld says Jobs offered it in January 1983 at Carmel, in the form "It's better to be a pirate than join the navy", to keep the growing Mac group from going bureaucratic; the team later hoisted a pirate flag over its new building. John Sculley's memoir Odyssey gives the line as "more fun" and, per Wikiquote, dates the retreat to September 1982, at page 157.
Sources (2)
- Folklore.org: Pirate Flag, by Andy HertzfeldParagraphs on the Carmel retreat and the pirate flagReference checked
- Wikiquote: Steve JobsEntry for 'more fun to be a pirate'Reference checked
Context reviewed
