Steve Jobs' Pentagon File Explains Why He Was a Jerk, Drug User, and Criminal

Rebecca Greenfield

Following the FBI file that confirmed Steve Jobs was a jerk, drug user and poor student, Wired has gotten its hands on a Department of Defense file which shows Jobs doing a little explaining for his suspect behavior. The file, obtained through a FOIA request, is a part of the same investigation Jobs went through as a part of his application for a position in the first Bush administration. Here, we learn about all the things we already knew about job, including his moody behavior and LSD use, but in his own interview Jobs gives some insight on his lifestyle.

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Steve Jobs on being a jerk.

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  • I admit that in the past I have become angry, or have lost my temper when things are not going right. I feel that this type of behavior happened when I was in my early twenties. I feel that I have better control of these emotions at the present times. I have also have gone through highs and lows in my life, and have felt depressed at times.

Steve Jobs on doing drugs.

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  • The best way I could describe the effect of the marijuana and hashish is that it would make me relaxed and creative.

Steve Jobs on getting arrested.

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  • I was arrested for an outstanding warrant for not paying a prior speeding ticket. I satisfied the warrant by paying off the fine. I did not report this on my Personnel Security Questionnaire (PSQ) because I did not feel it was an actual arrest, it was only for not paying my speeding ticket which I eventually paid. I had no intentions of falsifying my PSQ for not listing this incident.

Steve Jobs on his being a criminal.

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  • I admit in engaging in criminal activity when I discovered one could make long distance phone call on an electronic device for free. The challenge was not that I would make long distance phone calls for free, but to be able to put a device together that could accomplish that task. At the age of approximately fourteen, it was a technical challenge, not a challenge to be able to break the law

Here's the full document, for those interested in reading the full investigation.

Steve Jobs DoD File