Joy, humour, and caring: Jony Ive & Patrick Collison in conversation

I find myself quite allergic to much of the Silicon Valley tech scene: the posturing, the co-opting of terms, the double talking. But this weekend I found an antidote.

Jony Ive and Patrick Collison spoke at Stripe's conference - a breath of fresh air in our hyperventilating tech world. A nice reminder that you don't need to be a bombastic sociopath to be successful.

Their conversation has a meditative quality - a quiet call to action for those making things deliberately, with joy, empowering others, creating little moments.

Topics include:

• Why joy and humor are underestimated in design and business
• Prioritizing the user's evolving nature as a person
• The magic of making breakfast for each other vs sitting in conference rooms

Two quotes that stayed with me:

"Simplicity is trying to succinctly express the essence of something, its purpose and role in our life."

"If you care about each other, you might just be in danger of listening… what kills most ideas is people desperate to share an opinion."

If I can take one thing: Good design tells people you care about them.

And remember, you can design almost anything: an email, a meal, a meeting. It's not reserved for the special ones.

If you're producing any kind of creative work, please watch this. I don't say that lightly.

P.S. Like a good sports referee, Patrick is a masterful interviewer you barely notice. And the final minute of the 60 is the best of all.