The Skill That Made Steve Jobs Exceptional (and how to learn it)

The podcast explores how to develop good taste, arguing it's a crucial skill in the age of AI for appealing to people and creating desirable products. Good taste is defined as proposing a valued identity within a chosen community and communicating that identity authentically through lifestyle choices. The episode outlines a four-step process: deciding what you want to say, blindly copying those who already embody that message, learning the underlying rules, and studying the history of the style or medium. Sam uses the evolution of design from Bauhaus to Dieter Rams's Braun T3 radio to Steve Jobs's Apple products as an example, and shares his personal journey into fashion.