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Guy Kawasaki (insert) and former boss Steve Jobs as envisioned by Ashton Kutcher. Photo: Jobs
Guy Kawasaki (insert) and former boss Steve Jobs as envisioned by Ashton Kutcher. Photo: Jobs

Marketing guru who put Apple on map transitions to super VAL!

“I almost called you up today to postpone this interview to go surf...”

It is no secret that the VAL, or Vulnerable Adult Learner, has wildly spiked in these the days of our surfing lives. The 30, 40, even 50-plus set discovering what was once a youthful game and giving it a go. Old dogs learning new tricks like “how to get in the way” and “poo stance.” It is inspirational in many ways and Guy Kawasaki must certainly be the most inspirational of all.

The handsome 69-year-old was born in beautiful Honolulu to a fireman father and stay-at-home mother. After graduating from ‘Iolani School, where royalty once went, he matriculated at Stanford. In 1983, Kawasaki got a job at a fledgling personal computer company called Apple as “chief evangelist.” And it was his marketing savvy that launched the “Macintosh” into hearts and minds the world over.

He has since gone on to sit on many important boards like Google, Motorola, Canva and, most importantly to him, surfboard. Yes, Mr. Guy Kawasaki discovered the “Sport of Kings” at the ripe age of 60 and now is ruled by “the tides.”

The brains behind “marketing evangelism,” now lives in Santa Cruz, owns twenty surfboards and has “now surfed almost three continents” according to a new interview in The Information. The whole thing almost got blown off, though.

“I almost called you up today to postpone this interview to go surf,” he laughed during a recent call with the interviewer. “All my meetings, interviews, podcast recordings— everything is scheduled around the tide.”

“His mind is usually half on work, and half on the Pacific Ocean, where he rarely misses an opportunity to surf the low tide,” Margaux MacColl writes before the story disappears behind the paywall.

Enough here for us to discuss though.

Firstly, is the “almost three continents” bit. How “almost?” Also how many continents have you surfed? I’ve got almost five because I thought about surfing in Brazil, when there recently, but didn’t.

Secondly, why is Kawasaki so fixated on tides? I mean, the tide is certainly important.More important depending on where one is surfing, but I consider swell more critical. Am I wrong here? Is this why my progression has stalled?

Well, that’s all I have for you.

Hope it was informative.

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tim_nelsen

we can organize a homeless surf camp at the rinc and hope the owners will feed us…hot dogs & beer. will surf til we die and wash ashore to stink up the place and draw int’national attention. just cause!

Jens Williford

Did you write progression when you meant to write regression? The gold here is the sadness of the internet troll’s fading days like a washed up drunk mumbling into his beer at the end of bar.

Actually reading Margaux’s article (She actually wrote it btw instead of using the copy/paste function and it’s void of punctuation errors) highlights what the SC surf community values most which is family and humility which Guy genuinely portrays daily.

Black Rubber

Cut and paste articles? Grammatical errors? Chas? What are you talking about?

Guy Kawasaki

Good times indeed. Where have the years gone???

Guy Kawasaki

I was only instrumental with Mac evangelism, and Mac hasn’t sold a billion. I had nothing to do with the success of iPhone…

tim_nelsen

the heathens at this here blog site could use a shot of evangilism to cleanse us of our past, current, and future sins. also, any recommendations for a new wrok statio9n as I am having a hrd time finding replacement parts for my Apple Mac 124 K. (as featured in the commercial ‘1984.’)

oops, power failu . . rr..ou tt

Guy Kawasaki

128K

tim_nelsen

thx, GW…back up & running!

ptsdsurfer

You can whore yourself out on onlyfans at age of 17! Does it still count as work?

Chief Hot stuff

Thats the easy way.

Neal Kearney

Kawasaki is a great guy. Probably surfs better than you, Chas. What do you do in your life other than something to benefit yourself or your family? And the way you do so is so pathetic and shallow. It would be one thing if you were actually funny. DR makes me giggle while your shit makes me cringe.

Tom

low tide walk out = no paddle?

Guy Kawasaki

Low tide makes better waves at the Jack’s break…

tim_nelsen

and at every break from SC down to Chicama Peru…there’s at least a couple dozen of ’em on The Western coast of NoAmerica & SoAmerican. and in my opinion, that’s just one continent.

ptsdsurfer

Shrimp potato salad without mayo though… really?

disqus_00d1gIXedO

salads with mayo as a binding ingredient get a hard pass from me, sorry. i’ll take it all, sans mayo. add tapatio. also, in my neck of the woods, to do a shrimp salad -esque dish that’s not ceviche would be tough

ptsdsurfer

Maybe you never tried a good homemade mayo, with some good looking eggs and a touch of Dijon mustard. It is nothing like shelf mayo. Idk why they call it potato salad tough, thing is heavy as shit. So fucking good though. Also, it is a good recipe to eat a lot then go take a shit at someone´s porch.

c4

Middle America fat people food.

ptsdsurfer

I doubt they use homemade mayo though!

tim_nelsen

but. but. box lunch hawaiian style. subbin’ poke for the teriyaki chicken is a no brainer. but. but. the rice and potato salad? sub with taro and poi, boys

ptsdsurfer

On other news: Core surf blog transitions to WTF!

Alfred Paks

Luckiest bullshit artist on the planet

frank
Dogsnuts

I just got that ad out of my head cunt.
Xox

ptsdsurfer

Stay tuned!

Gil Gunderson

Oh man, now I gotta to a continent recount. How many are there? 🤦🏻‍♂️

tim_nelsen

So America is one…No America is two?

Gil Gunderson

I don’t mind a sweet mustard pickle from time to time. Gotta be the homemade variety from a CWA bake table tho.

Mayo? What about Kewpie? That shit is life changing!

dad dad

the takeway here, not that long ago a fireman could support a stay at home mother and kids. Where i live median house prices are literally 20x the average wage. mother and Father BOTH need $200k+ per year just to own a home here.

Take us back.

c4

Rented a two story condo for $500 a month a quarter mile from the harbor while going to school down there. $250 each. Good times

ptsdsurfer

The beauty of neoliberalism, the system where the working class has to work more everyday to have less at the end of the day.

Chief Hot stuff

And one where you have opportunity to be non working class.

ptsdsurfer

Wang Chuanfu agrees with you.

c4

He probably surfs at Pleasure Point. Kooks trying to get out of the water at high tide.

https://www.instagram.com/p…

Guy Kawasaki

Not me. I never go out if the swell is over 2-3 and the tide is rising. I’m not putting any lifeguards or firepeople at risk.

c4

As a lifelong Mac user, I’m glad you are enjoying surfing down there. Always somewhere to surf if you do a little driving

Guy Kawasaki

Amen!

c4

Back in the early eighties all there was at the hook to get up and down the cliff was an old frayed rope you had to use. At least it’s safer now for people learning to surf.

Have a good winter.

Guy Kawasaki

Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard. If I had discovered surfing back in the 80s, I would not accomplished many things in my career! 🙂

tim_nelsen

how’s The Hook?

Guy Kawasaki

I’m not good enough for the Hook. I do go to Sharks sometimes.

tim_nelsen

jack is our dad’s name…o’neill is our last name!

Sean Connery

Starting in your 60’s, in tech, pink longboard, leash, go pro mounted to nose. Peak VAL.

KRIS

… if he was ‘on brand’ he’d invest in a Kawasaki green board eh!

Guy Kawasaki

That’s not a pink board in the way you mean it. It’s an old Crime RED board. Shows you how cool I am.

Rocks local

Can a native Hawaiian ever be a VAL? Even the insufferable ones probably get a birth citizenship pass. And if come take shit on BG, bonus points.

Stick man

Tides are everything, kook! xoxo

tim_nelsen

back to the ancients…my 95 y/o old near-beach dwelling mama thinks tides and swells are the same thing. had a brutal childhood that continues to this day…

Rocks local

Can be true, depends on spot. Some places walled out at low and just right high, others too fat high and just right low. If I’m 60 and catching any tide consistently will feel accomplished.

Stick man

In other words…”tides are everything!”


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