4 July 1985 Steve jobs visited Moscow and the Soviet Union. During the two-day visit, the head of Apple made for students with a lecture, attended a party, devoted to the independence Day at the American Embassy, discussed the production of the Mac in the USSR, and in fact, was hiding from the KGB because of the praise of revolutionary Leon Trotsky.
Steve jobs goes to Russia
Soon after coming to power of Mikhail Gorbachev, Steve jobs decided to go to Russia in difficult times. The defeat in the war against John Scully left the jobs in isolation – turned away from him many Apple executives. In the search for problem solving jobs went on a journey. He visited Paris, Tuscany, and finally Moscow.
In Paris, the founder of Apple met the future U.S. President George Bush and discussed the view that the distribution of Mac in the USSR could provoke a “revolution from below”. At that time in the territory of the Union just came out is already outdated Apple II. This is due to the fact that the authorities very carefully spread the technology among the masses.
According to jobs, he had the feeling that the lawyer who helped him organize the trip, worked for the CIA or the KGB.
The visit of the jobs mentioned in his file at the FBI. In it, in particular, it was noted that jobs had met with an unnamed Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, to discuss the promotion of Apple computers.
As for the other mysterious events, jobs was sure that the repair specialist of TV that uninvited came into his hotel room in Moscow was a spy.
Problems with the KGB
The problem of jobs with the KGB was disclosed in the book by Walter Isaacson, who wrote that the founder of Apple had insisted on the discussion of Trotsky, the Bolshevik leader who was exiled as an enemy of the people, and then assassinated in Mexico on Stalin’s orders.
“You don’t need to talk about Trotsky, allegedly told jobs the KGB agent. – Our historians have studied the situation, and we no longer believe that he is a great man.”
Jobs ignored this instruction and praised Trotsky in his speech to the students of one of Moscow universities.
The beginning of the revolution Newton?
Statements of Steve jobs does not entail any consequences. However, the trip to the Soviet Union also did not bring anything good – the Apple office in Moscow opens.
Although, actually, the visit to Moscow still benefited from Apple, only Steve jobs of direct relation to this has. In the same hotel with him lived Vice-President of the company Eizenstat. One night of Eisenstat was awakened by a sudden knock at the door nervous programmer. When the top Manager of the American company opened the door, the guy gave him a floppy disk. After returning to the U.S., Eizenstat found that the floppy disk is stored a program for handwriting recognition.
According to several members of the Apple team, that this algorithm was the basis of the programs for for handwriting recognition in pocket PC Newton.
