I was part of a secret project at Apple that revolutionized the way we update our devices, and it all started with a prototype that had no recovery port.
I was sitting in my office, when suddenly, I got pulled into this top-secret project. I mean, it was so hush-hush that I had to sign all these NDAs, and basically kiss my holidays and free time goodbye until we finished it.
So, I show up to the meeting, and the manager confirms I signed the NDAs. Then, he pulls off this black cloth, and boom! There's the prototype, right in front of me. My eyes were so big, and my heart was pounding like crazy. I had a million questions running through my mind.
Turns out, I was going to be the one making sure the Apple Watch could update without any problems.
But get this - when I asked about plugging it into a computer to recover it if something went wrong, the manager dropped a bombshell on me. There was no port! I was like, "HOLY CRAP! What did I just sign up for??" And then, he just walked away and told me to figure it out. Can you believe that?
I ended up spending the next several years working with tons of teams across Apple, trying to come up with a solution.
It was intense, but we managed to create this incredible update system that would totally change the game not only for the Apple Watch but for all future systems as well.
Looking back, it was one of the craziest and most challenging things I've ever done.
It taught me a lot about what I'm capable of and how important it is to have a great team by your side.
It also taught me how important developing relationships with people are. Always have people’s back no matter what and be a great human being. It returns dividends for life.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
