Apple's design boss Jony Ive says he hasn't seen the new "Steve Jobs" movie, but he finds it "ever so sad" to see his close friend "defined by a bunch of other people."
At Vanity Fair's New Establishment Summit on Wednesday, an audience member asked Ive if he could talk about the new "cottage industry of Steve Jobs movies."
"Have you seen the Steve Jobs movie?" the audience member asked. "Will you see it? And how do you feel about that whole world that is emerging?"
This was Ive's response:
That is the sweetest description I've heard: cottage industry. You mean the one that involves Sony? (laughs)
You know there's an awful lot I can say. I haven't seen the film. I've talked at length with friends, both of Steve and of me, who have seen the film. I just think there is a.. I don't know, this is sort of a primal fear of mine, it touches quite deep for me, in that how you are defined and how you are portrayed can be hijacked by people with agendas that are very different from your close family and your friends.
And I really don't know what more to say. But there are sons and daughters and widows and very close friends who are completely bemused and completely upset. And yet again, we're celebrating, we're remembering Steve's life, and at the same time, beautifully choreographed is the release of a movie, and I don't recognize this person at all.
And I'm sorry to sound a bit grumpy about it but I find it ever so sad, because he had his triumphs and his tragedies like us all, and like most of us, he's having his identity described — defined — by a whole bunch of other people. And I think that's a bit of a struggle personally.
Based on what we know about the "Steve Jobs" film, Ive is likely defending Jobs' family and widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, as the film centers on the dysfunctional relationship with his estranged daughter, as opposed to his leadership and technological innovations. Ive was also a close friend of Jobs, and he's probably bothered by these somewhat negative portrayals of his friend. Despite Ive's criticism, however, "Steve Jobs" is currently a hit with critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Check out Ive's response in this video from Vanity Fair below.
