So what was the real reason for his hesitancy in taking over at Apple? For all of his willfulness and insatiable desire to control things, Jobs was indecisive and reticent when he felt unsure about something. He craved perfection, and he was not always good at figuring out how to settle for something less. He did not like to wrestle with complexity or make accommodations. This was true in products, design, and furnishings for the house. It was also true when it came to personal commitments. If he knew for sure a course of action was right, he was unstoppable. But if he had doubts, he sometimes withdrew, preferring not to think about things that did not perfectly suit him. As happened when Amelio had asked him what role he wanted to play, Jobs would go silent and ignore situations that made him uncomfortable.

那么，他在接管苹果这件事情上犹豫不决的真正原因是什么？尽管他非常固执并且永远有强烈的控制欲，但是当他对某件事感觉不确定时，他也会迟疑并有所保留。他苛求完美，并不太善于退而求其次或适应可行的方案。他不喜欢复杂的东西，无论是产品、设计还是房子装修，都是如此。在涉及个人承诺时也是这样。如果他明确知道一个行动是正确的，他将是不可阻挡的。但如果他有怀疑，他有时会退缩，倾向于不去想那些并非完全适合他的事情。就像当初阿梅里奥问他想担任什么角色时那样，乔布斯会一言不发，对那些让他不舒服的状况视而不见。

This attitude arose partly out of his tendency to see the world in binary terms. A person was either a hero or a bozo, a product was either amazing or shit. But he could be stymied by things that were more complex, shaded, or nuanced: getting married, buying the right sofa, committing to run a company. In addition, he didn’t want to be set up for failure. “I think Steve wanted to assess whether Apple could be saved,” Fred Anderson said.

这种处事态度的部分源起，是他倾向于认为所有事都是非黑即白的。一个人不是英雄就是蠢材，一个产品不是奇迹就是垃圾。但是他可能会对更加复杂、不清晰或差别不明显的事情表现出困惑：结婚、买沙发，抑或是承诺经营一家公司。另外，他也不想做注定失败的事情。“我想史蒂夫是想评估一下苹果是否可以被挽救。”弗雷德·安德森说。

Woolard and the board decided to go ahead and fire Amelio, even though Jobs was not yet forthcoming about how active a role he would play as an advisor. Amelio was about to go on a picnic with his wife, children, and grandchildren when the call came from Woolard in London. “We need you to step down,” Woolard said simply. Amelio replied that it was not a good time to discuss this, but Woolard felt he had to persist. “We are going to announce that we’re replacing you.”

伍拉德和董事会决定继续向前推进，解雇阿梅里奥，即使乔布斯还不确定作为“顾问”他将承担多少职责。当伍拉德从伦敦打电话时，阿梅里奥正要跟妻儿以及孙子孙女们一起去野餐。“我们需要你下台。”伍拉德简单地说。阿梅里奥回答说现在不是讨论这个的合适时间，但是伍拉德决定他必须要坚持。“我们将会宣布要把你换掉。”