May 96 Inside Info
Volume Number: 12
Issue Number: 5
Column Tag: Inside Info
Getting the Most out of WWDC 
By Guy Kawasaki, Apple Fellow
Every year, Apple hosts its World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) for five
thousand or so raging, inexorable Macintosh evangelists. It’s a not-to-be-missed
event, but even when you subtract the value of the t-shirts you’re going to get, you’ll
spend a pretty penny to attend. So here’s some advice on how to get the most bang from
your WWDC buck.
First, hunt down engineers and product managers. Forget trying to corner the
bigwigs like Gilbert Amelio, Dave Nagel, or Heidi Roizen (or me) to tell them about
your breakthrough product and to get their blessing. To reach the executive level,
there are segment loaders that swap out sound bytes very efficiently. Instead, pursue
contacts with engineers and product managers because they have real clout. They
decide who gets - officially and unofficially - pre-release information, beta copies,
and other goodies.
Second, when you do find an engineer or product manager, make the right pitch.
If I had a nickel for every developer who told me that his or her product would save
Apple, I could donate a color LCD projector to every Macintosh user group in the world
and still have enough money left over to buy a NSX. What Apple employees want to hear
is that you will sell tons of your Macintosh products. If you’re doing good, we’re doing
good, so focus on doing what’s right for your customer and your company. If you do
this, Apple will be okay too.
Third, avoid people who are wearing ties. Someone who wears a tie to WWDC, no
matter what his title, needs to rebuild his desktop file and zap his parameter RAM.
WWDC is about communicating information, not projecting image. Anyone trying to
project image has seriously misjudged the purpose of attending WWDC and is likely to
waste your time. Better you be in your hotel room playing Marathon 2, than listening
to buzzword-laced conversations.
Fourth, don’t assume Apple’s right hand knows what the left hand is doing, and
don’t take “no” for an answer. This is a general recommendation no matter when
you’re dealing with Apple. If you want something from Apple - a copy of Copland, a
Macintosh ROM listing, or a waiver of a copyright lawsuit - just keep asking until you
find someone who will give it to you. If one part of Apple says no, don’t assume that the
rest of Apple is aware of this decision and will fall in line. In fact, there are some
parts of Apple who will intentionally say yes if you’re turned down - certain Fellows,
for example.
Fifth, make connections outside of the Apple employee circle. The most important
contacts you can make may not be Apple employees but your colleagues at other
software companies and industry organizations. You’re cheating yourself if you’re not
in the hallways discussing:
• What compiler produces the fastest code?
• What’s the best way to write cross-platform applications?
• Which distributors and retailers are open to Macintosh products?
• How many hits has your company’s Web page generated?
• Did bundling with the Performas help long-term sales?
• Which software evangelists at Apple return phone calls?
Sixth, skip any panel with more than four speakers. A good moderator, like a
good tester, is hard to find. Most moderators ask too many people to join their panel,
and then allocate equal air time to all. What good is a seven-person panel for a one
hour session? As Andy Grove would say, do the math: 7 panelists ¥ 5 minutes/panelist
for introductory remarks = 35 minutes. Sessions always start 10 minutes late, so if
you’re lucky, you’re left with a grand total of 15 minutes of discussion. The ideal
panel has three people: two panelists with violently opposing positions, and one
moderator.
Seventh, take in the cultural highlights of Silicon Valley. (Do you know the
difference between yogurt and Silicon Valley? Yogurt has culture.) Three places you
won’t want to miss are ComputerWare, Fry’s Electronics, and Computer Literacy.
ComputerWare is a Macintosh-only store that stocks so much Macintosh hardware and
software that your mouth will water. (One WWDC breakout should be a field trip to
ComputerWare to illustrate what a Macintosh store can look like. I suggest you take
pictures to show your local Egghead store manager.) If a programmer were given the
task of creating heaven, Fry’s Electronics would be the end product: Twinkies, chips
(silicon and edible), computers, audio equipment, and software under one roof.
Computer Literacy is the world’s greatest computer and business book bookstore. You
can kill two birds with one stone because both Computer Literacy and Fry’s are located
near each other only five miles from the San Jose Convention Center. If you go to this
mecca, make the trip a grand slam by eating at Togo’s Deli (I recommend the #16
sandwich).
Finally, bring the family and stay the weekend. If you stay on Saturday night,
airfare is much cheaper, anyway. Within two hours of the Convention Center are San
Francisco, Napa Valley, and Monterey (with the Power Macintosh 9500 of aquariums).
I can see it now: “Michael Jordan, you’ve just won the NBA championship. What are
you going to do next?” “I’m going to WWDC!”