After receiving his pink slip from Apple, former CEO Steve Jobs had been considered for a position on President George H.W. Bush’s export council committee. Fast-forward 20 years later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation unveils it had probed the late tech visionary during his recruitment, making his background investigation public today. The released documents also detail a second investigation concerning a bomb and extortion threat against Apple back in 1985.
One the biggest revelations uncovered in the documents concerned the FBI’s focus on Job’s admitted drug abuse, in which he discussed using marijuana, LSD, and hashish from 1970 to 1974. Apparently, there were several others interviewed by the FBI who mentioned Jobs earlier drug use.
The FBI also interviewed several other employees, who commented on Steve Jobs’ leadership skills, best describing him as a “demanding” force:
“[The] appointee is a demanding individual, expecting a lot of himself and others. An individual dealing with appointee must know what he is talking about and present a strong case or appointee will disregard the discussion and sometimes the individual.”
One report described Jobs as a person who would “twist the truth and distort reality in order to achieve his goals,” with other terms being thrown around such as “deceptive,” “strong willed,” “stubborn,” and “driven.”
Other shocking details were divulged, including a bomb threat that took place on Feb. 7, 1985, in which an unidentified male informed Apple staff of three “devices” being placed at Jobs’ and two other executives’ homes. The caller demanded $1 million and threatened to set off the explosives if authorities has been notified.
As you know, Steve Jobs was never chosen as a member of Bush’s advisory committee. On March 13, 1991, the FBI finally made its way to Jobs’ NeXT office to interview him. Wow, dude had a quite a past on him. You can read the full 191-page report here.
