This is just getting stupid. This wasn't a "little fight". It was a dismissal.

I'm a small time guy running a tiny little company that is just trying to get by, and honestly, I don't have time to reply to every person that emails me. Unfortunately, we are so reachable today that one must consider a non-response a negative. As in, "no". Apple's primary responsibility is to customers in honoring their purchase and providing a quality, reliable product that meets their expectations, and to their shareholders in delivering value on their investment.

Ms. Isaacs is rude in her presumption that anyone at Apple is in any way obligated to reply to her. People wonder why those of us who have graduated and are well in to our working careers rant about the sense of entitlement we see in today's youth. This is a great example. "Leave us alone" is exactly the sentiment I would feel were I in Jobs' position.

You'll find what you are describing as entitlement in every generation in history, usually present in its most outstanding members. It's not new to today's youth, and it's not the negative trait that you are framing it as.

When viewed favorably, it is persistence or focus or determination or courage. Take a look at any "keys to entrepreneurship" article or any book on sales success (and probably journalism as well).

What she's lacking here is tactics, charm, and experience. From what can be seen in this article, at least, her problem has nothing to do with any fundamental character defect and even less to do with a unique aspect of this generation.

She's got quite an entitlement issue going on there, doesn't she?

Apple owes her nothing, least of all helping her get a good grade, just like Jobs says. Her 'problem' has nothing at all to do with Apple, no matter what she thinks.

The fact that she ends with the tidbit that the first 5-10 voicemails in the PR department's box is very telling.

I wonder if jobs even cares about her getting a good grade in college/university due to the fact he dropped out and he got where he is today without it.

I agree with Jobs on this one, while perhaps it could have been done more tactfully they don't have to answer responses from every random journalism student that comes along asking for a comment. I'm impressed she got a response at all especially with the letter's whiny tone.

My only disagreement with Jobs on this issue would be him replying in the first place.

Being tactful with someone who is wasting your time just ends up wasting two people's time.

I suppose you don't have to put as much thought into being rude. The first thing that pops into my mind is usually the most frank.

No, because now it's clear to the "journalist" that she's not going to get a quote from Apple. No reply would leave her wondering. "Please leave us alone" doesn't.

Terse != rude

It might appear that way when your expectation is a reasoned response, but sometimes terse succinctly makes the point.

What's Steve Jobs' time worth, to Apple, compared to an intern in the media relations department?

Frankly, if Jobs thinks its worth his while replying to these e-mails at all, then he should probably think its worth delegating a resource from media relations to have it dealt with properly.

I understand people saying it was unreasonable to expect him to answer her questions; and I understand people saying the media relations team should have given her a response; but I don't understand Jobs thinking it was worth his while replying, and yet not delegating someone else to give her a few quotes. With much less spend from his Apple (assuming Jobs time is worth substantially more than a media relations intern) this could have been concluded to everyones satisfaction.

I need 25 more points until I can vote down crap like this.

There's a valuing-time bias on HN, and the opposite on most of the rest of the internet.