“To infinity… and beyond!”- Buzz Lightyear
It seems to me to be the perfect quote to describe Steve Jobs. Without him, there would be no Buzz Lightyear. Without him, I wouldn’t be typing this blog up as easily on my MacBook Pro with iTunes playing in the background.
You may call it sentimental, but there is something truly remarkable about a man when his death is talked about and mourned by the company he founded, the founders of his rival companies, the heads of Disney, and the President of the United States.
I’ve been trying since his I first learned about his passing to put some thoughts down, and it’s been difficult. No, I did not personally know him–my closest interaction with him took place while I was visiting a friend of mine at Apple and saw Steve Jobs waiting in line in the cafeteria ultimately taking a seat a few tables away. But even that spoke volumes to me, to see such a successful person waiting in line.
So where do I begin to thank Steve Jobs for his impact on my life?
Is it the Apple IIe I first learned to type on in elementary school?
Is it the iPod providing the soundtrack for so many cross country trips?
Is it the Pixar movies that have made me laugh with friends?
Is it the iChat and FaceTime software that allows me to connect with others while I’m away?
It could be any one of these. I even attempted to do another one of those biography pieces that so many have written remembering this remarkable man. I agree that he was the Edison of our time.
But what I think is even remarkable about Steve Jobs is his failure and how it motivated him.
Here is a guy who bucks the rules for success and yet still totally achieved it.
Yes, he helped found Apple. Yes, he helped create the first Macintosh and launch the famous 1984 Super Bowl ad.
But he is also the guy who was fired by the company that he created. The people he brought it to help the company succeed moved him out.
Did he quite striving? No.
He went on to found another company which Apple would purchase years later. Yep, a decade later Apple would purchase his next creation and return him to the position of CEO. Oh yeah, and that technology would provide the building blocks for the Apple Store & iTunes software.
If that wasn’t enough, he also purchased another company. He invested a great deal of his own money into it, helping transition this hardware company into an animation company. We now know it at Pixar. For years, he lost millions of dollars in Pixar (a failure by most standards), but he was passionate about what they can do and this passion allowed the creative freedom Pixar needed to bring so beloved characters to life.
When he finally returned to Apple, he wasn’t bitter, he was driven. Soon we had the iMac and then years later the iPod.
And then he changed the game.
When I finally purchased my own MacBook in 2005, I remarked to my friends how easy it was to use and how much I wish that Apple would just make a cell phone.
My thought? A cell phone made by Apple. Same design as my Nokia–just made by Apple.
But Jobs never thought like that. He is always five steps ahead.
It wasn’t just a music player, it was the ease in purchasing that music. It was his ability to go to bat for the consumer experience.
He was a true innovator.
It allowed Apple to create the iPhone and the iPad.
It allowed Apple to set the pace.
And yet, he did this all with grace and humility.
Yes, there are stories about his temper, his standards, and his bluntness, but while he was tough, he was incredibly respected by his employees (at least those that I personally know).
He was known for his long sleeve t-shirt, his jeans, and his running shoes. He didn’t have an inflated CEO salary, just stock options. He would often still eat in the Apple cafeteria (where I saw him that one day). He used his money to invest in projects he believed in.
He would sit with old rivals and have incredible discussions (seriously, find any interview with him & Bill Gates–truly phenomenal conversations with the two of them).
And he looked to the future.
One of his last public presentations was to the Cupertino City Council about the new Apple Headquarters. It presented a whole new way of thinking about an office building and it remained in the town in which he grew up.
He was loyal.
There is much to say about Steve Jobs and I’m not doing the best here. I posted a link to this last night, and I want to post it again. I think he said it best during his Commencement Speech at Stanford University in 2005. I encourage you to take a few moments and watch it if you haven’t yet.
And here’s one more video. An earlier version of a 1997 ad where Steve Jobs actually does the voiceover that Richard Dreyfuss ultimately provided in the aired version.
Steve Jobs will be missed.
Special Note: I got the idea for the title of this from an illustration my friend and fellow speaker, Jason Kotecki, did on his blog. I encourage you to read it as well.