I’m sad.
One of the most creative and independent business minds of the twentieth century has told us that he’s about to pass from this world. No, he didn’t say that exactly, but anyone who knows anything at all about his personality knows that he’s not a quitter; and Steve Jobs is quitting. He’s stepped down, voluntarily, from his $1 a year job as CEO of Apple.
It never was about the money. It’s always been about loving life. And, therein lies a lesson for all of us. Mr. Jobs was an orphan and a college dropout, who – just for the fun and excitement of it – reinvented four industries.
First, he introduced the personal computer, the Apple I (1976), and later, the Apple II, and the MAC, with its revolutionary graphical-user-interface. Then there was the movie industry and Pixar, with its revolutionary computer animation technology; Toy Story (1995) was the first. Then Mr. Jobs set his sights on the music industry, creating the Ipod (2001), so that you can now carry up to forty thousand songs in your pocket or purse. And, finally, Mr. Jobs reinvented the telephone industry with the introduction of the Iphone (2007). Given enough life-time, Steve Jobs might well have transformed television and who knows what else; but sadly, that now seems unlikely. Mr. Jobs has been battling cancer since 2003, and he seems finally resigned to defeat.
Much has been written about Steve Jobs, and I’ve read all that I could find. Right now, I’m waiting for Walter Isaacson’s biography, Steve Jobs, which is to be released in November by Simon and Schuster. But, today, I urge you just to read Steve Jobs in his own words here. His 2005 commencement address at Stanford, Find What You Love, tells you everything you need to know about Steve Jobs’ character and personality.
Yes, I’m a little sad, but I’m still grateful to have lived in a world, and in a country, where a Steve Jobs is still possible.
PATIENCE, DISCIPLINE, and CONFIDENCE in the FUTURE! mh
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