Steve Jobs, the hero from Silicon Valley, died at the age of 56 years of pancreatic cancer. Passionate, brilliant and irreplaceable in the consciousness of fans and investors, co-founder of Apple dared to defy the rules and to revolutionize an entire industry.
Steve Jobs is the one who brought the entrepreneurship spirit in Silicon Valley, after he quit school to start his own company in 1976. Together with Steve Wozniak he founded Apple in a garage, without having any technical or entrepreneurial experience.
"Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest American inventors – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it," said U.S. President Barack Obama.
But Jobs was not only a visionary but also a capable director, who built the second most valuable company in the world after Exxon Mobil. Under the leadership of Jobs, Apple has become to dominate the digital age, initially by Macintosh computers and later by the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
With every new product, Apple provokes its opponents – IBM on the hardware side, Microsoft in operating systems, Sony on portable media devices and Google in the smartphones battle.
The first attack launched by Jobs was the Apple II computer in 1977, a device that resonated with the small consumers' needs and which has created an alternative to IBM's solutions, the largest computer manufacturer in the world. Later, in 1983, Macintosh was born.
"We versus IBM" was the message behind the TV commercials announcing at that time the Mac computer. The 60-second spot was aired once during the 1984 Super Bowl edition.
But in 1985, Jobs resigned after an internal struggle for power. He decided to give birth to a new company, NeXT Computer, also buying a digital animation studio from the filmmaker George Lucas. The studio later became what is now known as Pixar. Finally, Steve Jobs returned to Apple.
Magic and excitement
His work has not only reduced to think about leading products and to lead a company from the position of CEO. He created an aura around the Apple devices by the unique way he presented them in front of consumers. We are talking about launching new products. Jobs was preparing intensely for each such event, organized either in Apple’s campus in Cupertino or in San Francisco. He repeated his presentations until he was convinced that the performance is strong enough to create excitement among consumers and even obsession.
In the previous quarter of Jobs’ resignation, Apple's sales increased by 82% to the record of $ 28.6 billion, the company being valued at $ 328.8 billion.
According to former subordinates, friends and associates, all this success is also due to Jobs’ stubbornness, seen by many as being obsessed by control.
"Steve Jobs is like a campfire," said Neil Sims, in an interview in 2008. "Everyone wants to be close enough to stay warm, but nobody wants to get close enough to get burned," said the former collaborator of Jobs.
Born in San Francisco on February 24, 1955, Steve Jobs, on his real name Steven Paul, discovered in 2003 that has a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare form of pancreatic cancer. 7 years ago he underwent a successful surgery that removed the pancreatic tumor and in the coming years, Jobs began to reveal details about his health. In late August, Apple's Steve Jobs announced his resignation, he being replaced as CEO by Tim Cook.
Jobs' wealth was estimated at by Bloomberg at $ 6.7 billion. His 7.4% stake in Disney worth $ 4.4 billion and the 5.5 million shares in Apple were valued at $ 2.1 billion.
The echo of a regretted loss
Among the personalities who expressed their regret for the death of Steve Jobs are included Rupert Murdoch, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell and Larry Page.
Bill Gates, co-founder and President of Microsoft, said: “The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”
Rupert Murdoch, CEO News Corporation, said: "Today, we lost one of the most influential thinkers, creators and entrepreneurs of all time. Steve Jobs was simply the greatest CEO of his generation. While I am deeply saddened by his passing, I'm reminded of the stunning impact he had in revolutionizing the way people consume media and entertainment. My heart goes out to his family and to everyone who had the opportunity to work beside him in bringing his many visions to life."
Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of, said on his wall: “Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former US Governor of California, has also posted a message on Twitter saying: “Steve lived the California Dream every day of his life and he changed the world and inspired all of us.“
https://smartphone.biz-news.com/news/tags/en_US/Michael Dell, founder and CEO ofDELL Inc. has also declared: "Today the world lost a visionary leader, the technology industry lost an iconic legend and I lost a friend and fellow founder. The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the Apple team.”
Larry Page, CEO Google, said about Steve Jobs: “I am very, very sad to hear the news about Steve. He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me. He was very kind to reach out to me as I became CEO of Google and spend time offering his advice and knowledge even though he was not at all well. My thoughts and Google’s are with his family and the whole Apple family.”
Steve Case, AOL founder, said on Twitter: “I feel honored to have known Steve Jobs. He was the most innovative entrepreneur of our generation. His legacy will live on for the ages."
Dick Costolo, CEO Twitter, wrote down on the micro blogging platform: “Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesn’t just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement."
Bog Iger, CEO Walt Disney Co., says Steve Jobs was a great friend and a reliable adviser. "Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an 'original,' with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost a rare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a great friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Laurene and his children during this difficult time.”
Our editorial team also expresses its regrets about the death of the one who was Steve Jobs. Rest in peace, Steve!
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