La Vida Robot Summary

Joshua Davis, the author of ‘La Vida Robot,’ and Walt Isaacson, the author of ‘Steve Jobs,’ united some common perspectives on the factors necessary for conducting an influential team. The teams discussed in the above short stories consisted of members who required unique and complementary abilities in establishing an effective team. Therefore, the strength of each individual member will complement the shortcomings of the other team members.
Continue on, in ‘La Vida Robot,’ by Joshua Davis, the author described how a four undocumented Hispanic immigrants from Carl Hayden Community High School were to compete in the third annual Marine Advance Technology Education Center’s

Remotely Operated Vehicle Competition sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and NASA. The students were capable of using their individual abilities to defeat several colleges including MIT, the Massachusetts Institutes of Technology, to win first place in the competition while having a limited budget.

First introduced is Lorenzo Santillan, it informed, “His mother had been fired from her job as a hotel maid, and his father ids had trouble paying the rent as a gardener. They were on the verge of eviction for nonpayment of rent. He could see himself having to quit school to work in those fields.” (pg.188) Identical to most undocumented immigrants, Lorenzo did not ensure a wealthy life. Therefore, Lorenzo had grown up rebuilding car engines with his brother and cousin. As the first member of the robotics team, Lorenzo’s expertise with building and mechanic considered him a valuable member of the robot team as the mechanic. Next, is Cristian Arcega, in the subtitle, ‘The Brains,’ it states, “Cristian Arcega had been living in a 30-square-foot plywood shed attached to the side of his parents’ trailer. He

liked it there. It was his own space. He was free to contemplate the acceleration of a raindrop as it leaves the clouds above him.” (pg.189) At the age of sixteen, Cristian was probably one of the smartest kids within his age, it states in the story that, “without even trying, he had one of the highest GPAs in the school district.” (pg.190) So, even though that the robotics team ensured a mechanic, they would also need many other members like the brain in order to achieve victory.
In addition, to the first two members of the robotics team, Lorenzo Santillan and Cristian Arcega, the team also needs a leader, Oscar Vazquez. According to the story, it explained that, “A senior, he’d been in ROTC since ninth grade and was planning on a career in the military. But when he called to schedule a recruitment meeting at the end of his junior year, the officer in charge told him he was ineligible for military service. Because he was undocumented-his parents had brought him to the U.S. from Mexico without proper immigration papers-he couldn’t join, wouldn’t get any scholarships, and had to figure out what else to do with his life.” (pg.191) Oscar had felt aimless and a loss of confidence due to the series of events. Therefore, when Oscar heard about the robotics club, he assumed that engineering might provide him with a future. He was capable of using his leadership skills to motivate people and was able to persuade a numerous amount of donations from local businesses. Furthermore, while conducting a legendary team, all team members are not required to ensure an extraordinary ability. For instance, Luis Aranda, the team’s fourth member. In the story, it states, “Luis was a tether man, responsible for the pickup and release of what would be a 100-pound robot.” (pg.191) Even though that Luis did not have any extraordinary abilities compared towards all of the former members on the team, he is still recognized as one of the most important protagonists for team’s victory, his strength was able to carry and release the one hundred-pound robot into and out of the waters.
Moreover, in ‘Steve Jobs,’ by Walter Isaacson, Isaacson states how two characters, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were capable of using their individual abilities to establish a mythical corporation, known as Apple Inc..

First introduced is Steve Jobs, it states, “Paul Jobs [Job’s father] was a high school dropout who, when fixing up cars, knew how to turn a tidy profit by striking the right deal on parts.” (pg.204) Due to the environment Jobs had grown up with, he had understands how to achieve the most profit while spending less for the product, making him, one of the ultimate reasons for the enlargement of Apple. Next is Steve Wozniak, it explained, “‘Woz spent a lot of time at home reading his father’s electronics journals, and he became enthralled by stories about new computers, such as the powerful ENIAC.” (pg.206) As the son of Francis Wozniak, a brilliant engineer who later became a rocket scientist at Lockheed, Woz had grown up making better eye contacts with a transistor than a girl. Therefore, with a team like Job and Woz, Apple soon becomes the mythical corporation that it is known for

today.
In conclusion, Isaacson and Davis both shared common perspectives on the factories necessary for conducting an influential team. According to Isaacson and Davis’ perspective, a legendary team does not need consider members who ensured only extraordinary abilities, but members whose strength will complement the shortcomings of the others. They states how the strength of each individual member contributed to the team.