Steve Jobs (from Wikipedia)
| Steve Jobs | |
|---|---|
 Jobs holding a whiteiPhone 4atWorldwide Developers Conference2010 |
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| Born | Steven Paul Jobs February 24, 1955[1][2] San Francisco, California, U.S.[1][2] |
| Died | October 5, 2011(aged56)[2] Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Co-founder, Chairman and CEO,Apple Inc., CEO,Pixar, Co-founder and CEO,NeXT Inc. |
| Years active | 1974–2011 |
| Board memberof | The Walt Disney Company,[3]Apple Inc. |
| Spouse | Laurene Powell (1991–2011, his death) |
| Children | 4 –Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Reed, Erin, Eve |
| Relatives | Mona Simpson(sister) |
| Signature |  |
Steven Paul Jobs(/ˈdʒɒbz/; February 24, 1955– October 5, 2011) was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of thepersonal computer revolution.[4][5]He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer ofApple Inc.Jobs was co-founder and previously served as chief executive ofPixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors ofThe Walt Disney Companyin 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney.
In the late 1970s, Apple co-founderSteve Wozniakengineered one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, theApple II series. Jobs directed its aesthetic design and marketing along withA.C. "Mike" Markkula, Jr.and others.
In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential ofXerox PARC'smouse-drivengraphical user interface, which led to the creation of theApple Lisa(engineered by Ken Rothmuller andJohn Couch) and, one year later, of Apple employeeJef Raskin'sMacintosh. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs left Apple and foundedNeXT, acomputer platformdevelopment company specializing in the higher-education and business markets.
In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division ofLucasfilm Ltd, which was spun off asPixar Animation Studios.[6]He was credited inToy Story(1995) as an executive producer. He remainedCEOand majority shareholder at 50.1percent until its acquisition byThe Walt Disney Companyin 2006,[7]making Jobs Disney's largest individual shareholder at sevenpercent and a member of Disney's Board of Directors.[8][9]Apple's 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he served as its interim CEO from 1997, then becoming permanent CEO from 2000, onwards, spearheading the advent of theiMac,iTunes,iPod,iPhone, andiPad.[10]In buying NeXT, Apple also "acquire[d] the operating system that becameMac OS X."[11]From 2003, Jobs fought an eight-year battle with cancer,[12]and eventually resigned as CEO in August 2011, while on his third medical leave. He was then elected chairman of Apple's board of directors.
On October 5, 2011, around 3:00 p.m., Jobs died at his home inPalo Alto, California, aged 56, six weeks after resigning as CEO of Apple. A copy of his death certificate indicatedrespiratory arrestas the immediate cause of death, with "metastaticpancreasneuroendocrine tumor" as the underlying cause. His occupation was listed as "entrepreneur" in the "high tech" business.[13]
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Early life and education
Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco on 24 February 1955, to two university students, Joanne Carole Schieble and Syrian born Abdulfattah "John" Jandali, who were both unmarried at the time.[14]He was adopted at birth by Paul Reinhold Jobs (1922–1993) and Clara Jobs (1924–1986). Clara's maiden name was Hagopian.[15]When asked about his "adoptive parents," Jobs replied emphatically that Paul and Clara Jobs "were my parents."[16]He later stated in his authorized biography that they "were my parents 1,000%."[17]
The Jobs family moved from San Francisco toMountain View, Californiawhen Steve was five years old.[1][2]Paul and Clara later adopted a daughter, Patti. Paul Jobs, a machinist for a company that madelasers, taught his son rudimentary electronics and how to work with his hands.[1]Clara was an accountant,[16]who taught him to read before he went to school.[1]Clara Jobs had been a payroll clerk forVarian Associates, one of the first high-tech firms in what became known as Silicon Valley.[18]
Jobs attended Monta Loma Elementary,Mountain View, Cupertino Junior High andHomestead High SchoolinCupertino, California.[2]He frequented after-school lectures at theHewlett-Packard CompanyinPalo Alto, California, and was later hired there, working withSteve Wozniakas a summer employee.[19]Following high school graduation in 1972, Jobs enrolled atReed CollegeinPortland, Oregon. Although he dropped out after only one semester,[20]he continuedauditingclasses at Reed, while sleeping on the floor in friends' rooms, returning Coke bottles for food money, and getting weekly free meals at the localHare Krishnatemple.[21]Jobs later said, "If I had never dropped in on that singlecalligraphycourse in college, the Mac would have never had multipletypefacesor proportionally spaced fonts."[21]
Early career
In 1974, Jobs took a job as a technician atAtari, Inc.inLos Gatos, California.[22]He traveled toIndiain the summer of 1974[23]to visitNeem Karoli Baba[24]at his Kainchi Ashram with a Reed College friend (and, later, an early Apple employee),Daniel Kottke, in search of spiritual enlightenment. However, when they got to the Neem Karoli ashram, it was basically deserted after Neem Karoli had died earlier in the year.[22]Then they made a long trek up a huge dry riverbed to an ashram ofHariakhan Baba. In India, they spent a lot of time on endless bus rides fromDelhitoUttar Pradeshand back, then up toHimachal Pradeshand back.[22]
Jobs left India after staying for seven months[25]and returned to the US ahead ofDaniel Kottke,[22]with his head shaved and wearing traditional Indian clothing.[26][27]During this time, Jobs experimented withpsychedelics, calling hisLSDexperiences "one of the two or three most important things [he had] done in [his] life".[28]He later said that people around him who did not share hiscounterculturalroots could not fully relate to his thinking.[28]
Jobs returned to Atari and was assigned to create acircuit boardfor the gameBreakout. According to Atari co-founderNolan Bushnell, Atari offered $100 for each chip that was eliminated in the machine. Jobs had little interest in or knowledge of circuit board design and made a deal with Wozniak to split the fee evenly between them if Wozniak could minimize the number of chips. Much to the amazement of Atari, Wozniak reduced the number of chips by 50, a design so tight that it was impossible to reproduce on an assembly line. According to Wozniak, Jobs told Wozniak that Atari gave them only $700 (instead of the offered $5,000) and that Wozniak's share was thus $350.[29]Wozniak didn't learn about the bonus until about ten years later, but said that had Jobs told him about it and said he needed the money, Wozniak would have given it to him.[30]
Jobs began attending meetings of theHomebrew Computer Clubwith Wozniak in 1975.[2]He greatly admiredEdwin H. Land, the inventor of instant photography and founder ofPolaroid Corporation, and explicitly modeled his career after him.[31][32]
Career
Apple Computer
Jobs andSteve Wozniakmet in 1971, when their mutual friend, Bill Fernandez, introduced 21-year-old Wozniak to 16-year-old Jobs. In 1976, Wozniak invented theApple Icomputer. Jobs, Wozniak, andRonald Waynefounded Apple computer in the garage of Jobs's parents in order to sell it.[33]They received funding from a then-semi-retired Intel product-marketing manager and engineerMike Markkula[34]
In 1978, Apple recruitedMike ScottfromNational Semiconductorto serve as CEO for what turned out to be several turbulent years. In 1983, Jobs luredJohn Sculleyaway fromPepsi-Colato serve as Apple's CEO, asking, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?"[35]
In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential ofXerox PARC'smouse-drivengraphical user interface, which led to the creation of theApple Lisa. One year later, Apple employeeJef Raskininvented theMacintosh.[36][37]
The following year, Apple aired aSuper Bowltelevision commercial titled "1984". At Apple's annual shareholders meeting on January 24, 1984, an emotional Jobs introduced theMacintoshto a wildly enthusiastic audience;Andy Hertzfelddescribed the scene as "pandemonium".[38]
While Jobs was a persuasive and charismatic director for Apple, some of his employees from that time described him as an erratic and temperamental manager. An industry-wide sales slump towards the end of 1984 caused a deterioration in Jobs's working relationship with Sculley, as well as layoffs and disappointing sales performance. An internal power struggle developed between Jobs and Sculley.[39]Jobs kept meetings running past midnight, sent out lengthy faxes, then called new meetings at 7:00 am.[40]
Sculley learned that Jobs—believing Sculley to be "bad for Apple" and the wrong person to lead the company—had been attempting to organize aboardroom coup, and on May 24, 1985, called a board meeting to resolve the matter.[39]Apple's board of directors sided with Sculley and removed Jobs from his managerial duties as head of the Macintosh division.[41][42]Jobs resigned from Apple five months later[39]and foundedNeXT Inc.the same year.[40][43]
In a speech Jobs gave at Stanford University in 2005, he said being fired from Apple was the best thing that could have happened to him; "The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life." And he added, "I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful-tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it."[21][44][45]
NeXT Computer
After leaving Apple, Jobs foundedNeXT Computerin 1985, with $7million. A year later, Jobs was running out of money, and with no product on the horizon, he appealed for venture capital. Eventually, he attracted the attention of billionaireRoss Perotwho invested heavily in the company.[46]NeXT workstations were first released in 1990, priced at $9,999. Like theApple Lisa, the NeXT workstation was technologically advanced, but was largely dismissed as cost-prohibitive by the educational sector for which it was designed.[47]The NeXT workstation was known for its technical strengths, chief among them itsobject-orientedsoftware development system. Jobs marketed NeXT products to the financial, scientific, and academic community, highlighting its innovative, experimental new technologies, such as theMach kernel, thedigital signal processorchip, and the built-inEthernetport.Tim Berners-Leeinvented theWorld Wide Webon a NeXT computer atCERN.[48]
The revised, second-generationNeXTcubewas released in 1990, also. Jobs touted it as the first "interpersonal" computer that would replace the personal computer. With its innovativeNeXTMailmultimedia email system, NeXTcube could share voice, image, graphics, and video in email for the first time. "Interpersonal computing is going to revolutionise human communications and groupwork", Jobs told reporters.[49]Jobs ran NeXT with an obsession for aesthetic perfection, as evidenced by the development of and attention to NeXTcube's magnesium case.[50]This put considerable strain on NeXT's hardware division, and in 1993, after having sold only 50,000 machines, NeXT transitioned fully to software development with the release ofNeXTSTEP/Intel.[51]The company reported its first profit of $1.03million in 1994.[46]In 1996, NeXT Software, Inc. releasedWebObjects, a framework for Web application development. After NeXT was acquired by Apple Inc. in 1997, WebObjects was used to build and run theApple Store,[51]MobileMeservices, and theiTunes Store.
Pixar and Disney
In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamedPixar) fromLucasfilm's computer graphics division for the price of $10million, $5million of which was given to the company as capital.[52]
The new company, which was originally based atLucasfilm's Kerner Studios inSan Rafael, California, but has since relocated toEmeryville, was initially intended to be a high-end graphics hardware developer. After years of unprofitability selling thePixar Image Computer, it contracted with Disney to produce a number of computer-animated feature films that Disney would co-finance and distribute.[citation needed]
The first film produced by the partnership,Toy Story, with Jobs credited as executive producer,[53]brought fame and critical acclaim to the studio when it was released in 1995. Over the next 15 years, under Pixar's creative chiefJohn Lasseter, the company produced box-office hitsA Bug's Life(1998);Toy Story 2(1999);Monsters, Inc.(2001);Finding Nemo(2003);The Incredibles(2004);Cars(2006);Ratatouille(2007);WALL-E(2008);Up(2009); andToy Story 3(2010).Finding Nemo,The Incredibles,Ratatouille,WALL-E,UpandToy Story 3each received theAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature, an award introduced in 2001.[citation needed]
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Steve Jobs on computer graphics. Interview excerpt from 1995.
[54]
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In the years 2003 and 2004, as Pixar's contract with Disney was running out, Jobs and Disney chief executiveMichael Eisnertried but failed to negotiate a new partnership,[55]and in early 2004, Jobs announced that Pixar would seek a new partner to distribute its films after its contract with Disney expired.
In October 2005,Bob Igerreplaced Eisner at Disney, and Iger quickly worked to patch up relations with Jobs and Pixar. On January 24, 2006, Jobs and Iger announced that Disney had agreed to purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. When the deal closed, Jobs becameThe Walt Disney Company's largest single shareholder with approximately seven percent of the company's stock.[8]Jobs's holdings in Disney far exceeded those of Eisner, who holds 1.7 percent, and of Disney family memberRoy E. Disney, who until his 2009 death held about one percent of the company's stock and whose criticisms of Eisner — especially that he soured Disney's relationship with Pixar — accelerated Eisner's ousting. Jobs joined the company's board of directors upon completion of the merger and also helped oversee Disney and Pixar's combined animation businesses with a seat on a special six-person steering committee.[citation needed]
Return to Apple
In 1996, Apple announced that it would buyNeXTfor $429million. The deal was finalized in late 1996,[56]bringing Jobs back to the company he co-founded. Jobs becamede factochief after then-CEOGil Ameliowas ousted in July 1997. He was formally named interim chief executive in September.[57]In March 1998, to concentrate Apple's efforts on returning to profitability, Jobs terminated a number of projects, such asNewton,Cyberdog, andOpenDoc. In the coming months, many employees developed a fear of encountering Jobs while riding in the elevator, "afraid that they might not have a job when the doors opened. The reality was that Jobs's summary executions were rare, but a handful of victims was enough to terrorize a whole company."[58]Jobs also changed the licensing program forMacintosh clones, making it too costly for the manufacturers to continue making machines.
With the purchase of NeXT, much of the company's technology found its way into Apple products, most notablyNeXTSTEP, which evolved intoMac OS X. Under Jobs's guidance, the company increased sales significantly with the introduction of theiMacand other new products; since then, appealing designs and powerful branding have worked well for Apple. At the 2000 Macworld Expo, Jobs officially dropped the "interim" modifier from his title at Apple and became permanent CEO.[59]Jobs quipped at the time that he would be using the title "iCEO".[60]
The company subsequently branched out, introducing and improving upon other digital appliances. With the introduction of theiPodportable music player, iTunes digital music software, and theiTunes Store, the company made forays into consumer electronics and music distribution. On June 29, 2007, Apple entered the cellular phone business with the introduction of theiPhone, amulti-touchdisplay cell phone, which also included the features of an iPod and, with its own mobile browser, revolutionized the mobile browsing scene. While stimulating innovation, Jobs also reminded his employees that "real artists ship".[61]
Jobs was both admired and criticized for his consummate skill at persuasion and salesmanship, which has been dubbed the "reality distortion field" and was particularly evident during his keynote speeches (colloquially known as "Stevenotes") atMacworld Exposand atApple Worldwide Developers Conferences. In 2005, Jobs responded to criticism of Apple's poor recycling programs fore-wastein the US by lashing out at environmental and other advocates at Apple's Annual Meeting in Cupertino in April. A few weeks later, Apple announced it would take back iPods for free at its retail stores. TheComputer TakeBack Campaignresponded by flying a banner from a plane over the Stanford University graduation at which Jobs was the commencement speaker.[21]The banner read "Steve, don't be a mini-player—recycle all e-waste".
In 2006, he further expanded Apple's recycling programs to any US customer who buys a new Mac. This program includes shipping and "environmentally friendly disposal" of their old systems.[62]
Resignation
In August 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, but remained with the company as chairman of the company's board.[63][64]Hours after the announcement, Apple Inc. (AAPL) shares dropped fivepercent in after-hours trading.[65]This relatively small drop, when considering the importance of Jobs to Apple, was associated with the fact that his health had been in the news for several years, and he had been on medical leave since January 2011.[66]It was believed, according toForbes, that the impact would be felt in a negative way beyond Apple, including atThe Walt Disney Companywhere Jobs served as director.[67]In after-hours trading on the day of the announcement, Walt Disney Co. (DIS) shares dropped 1.5percent.[68]
Business life
Wealth
Jobsearned only $1 a yearas CEO of Apple,[69]but held 5.426million Apple shares, as well as 138 million shares in Disney (which he received in exchange for Disney's acquisition of Pixar).[70]Jobs quipped that the $1 per annum he was paid by Apple was based on attending one meeting for 50 cents while the other 50 cents was based on his performance.[71]Forbesestimated his net wealth at $8.3billion in 2010, making him the 42nd wealthiest American.[72]
Stock options backdating issue
In 2001, Jobs was granted stock options in the amount of 7.5million shares of Apple with an exercise price of $18.30. It was alleged that the options had beenbackdated, and that the exercise price should have been $21.10. It was further alleged that Jobs had thereby incurred taxable income of $20,000,000 that he did not report, and that Apple overstated its earnings by that same amount. As a result, Jobs potentially faced a number of criminal charges and civil penalties. The case was the subject of active criminal and civil government investigations,[73]though an independent internal Apple investigation completed on December 29, 2006, found that Jobs was unaware of these issues and that the options granted to him were returned without being exercised in 2003.[74]
On July 1, 2008, a $7-billion class action suit was filed against several members of the Apple Board of Directors for revenue lost due to the alleged securities fraud.[75][76]
Management style
Jobs was a demanding perfectionist[77][78]who always aspired to position his businesses and their products at the forefront of the information technology industry by foreseeing and setting trends, at least in innovation and style.
He summed up that self-concept at the end of his keynote speech at theMacworld Conference and Expoin January 2007, by quoting ice hockey playerWayne Gretzky:
There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will.[79]
Much was made of Jobs's aggressive and demanding personality.Fortunewrote that he was "considered one of Silicon Valley's leadingegomaniacs".[80]Commentaries on his temperamental style can be found inMichael Moritz'sThe Little Kingdom,The Second Coming of Steve Jobs,by Alan Deutschman; andiCon: Steve Jobs, by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon. In 1993, Jobs madeFortune's list of America's Toughest Bosses in regard to his leadership of NeXT.
NeXT Cofounder Dan'l Lewin was quoted inFortuneas saying of that period, "The highs were unbelievable... But the lows were unimaginable", to which Jobs's office replied that his personality had changed since then.[81]
In 2005, Jobs banned all books published byJohn Wiley & SonsfromApple Storesin response to their publishing an unauthorized biography,iCon: Steve Jobs.[82]In its 2010 annual earnings report, Wiley said it had "closed a deal... to make its titles available for the iPad."[83]Jef Raskin, a former colleague, once said that Jobs "would have made an excellent king of France", alluding to Jobs's compelling and larger-than-life persona.[84]Floyd Normansaid that at Pixar, Jobs was a "mature, mellow individual" and never interfered with the creative process of the filmmakers.[85]
Jobs had a public war of words withDell ComputerCEOMichael Dell, starting[when?]when Jobs first criticized Dell for making "un-innovative beige boxes".[86]On October 6, 1997, in aGartnerSymposium, when Michael Dell was asked what he would do if he owned then-troubled Apple Computer, he said "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."[87]In 2006, Jobs sent an email to all employees when Apple'smarket capitalizationrose above Dell's. The email read:
Team, it turned out that Michael Dell wasn't perfect at predicting the future. Based on today's stock market close, Apple is worth more than Dell. Stocks go up and down, and things may be different tomorrow, but I thought it was worth a moment of reflection today. Steve.[88]
Inventions and designs
His design sense was greatly influenced by the Buddhism which he experienced in India while on a seven-month spiritual journey.[89]His sense of intuition was also influenced by the spiritual people with whom he studied.[89]
As of October 9, 2011, Jobs is listed as either primary inventor or co-inventor in 342 United States patents or patent applications related to a range of technologies from actual computer and portable devices to user interfaces (including touch-based), speakers, keyboards, power adapters, staircases, clasps, sleeves,lanyardsand packages. Most of these are design patents (specific product designs) as opposed to utility patents (inventions).[90][91]He has 43 issued US patents on inventions.[92]The patent on the Mac OS XDockuser interface with "magnification" feature was issued the day before he died.[93]
Philanthropy
Arik Hesseldahl ofBusinessWeekmagazine stated that "Jobs isn't widely known for his association with philanthropic causes", compared toBill Gates's efforts.[94]Jobs said (in 1985) that he does charitable acts privately.[95]After resuming control of Apple in 1997, Jobs eliminated all corporate philanthropy programs initially.[96]Later, under Jobs, Apple signed to participate inProduct Redprogram, producing red versions of devices to give profits from sales to charity. Apple became the single largest contributor since then. The chief of the Product Red project, singerBonocited Jobs saying there was "nothing better than the chance to save lives," when he initially approached Apple with the invitation to participate in the program.[97]
Personal life
Jobs's birth parents met at theUniversity of Wisconsin. Abdulfattah "John" Jandali, aSyrianMuslim,[98]taught there. Joanne Carole Schieble was his student; however, they were the same age because Jandali had "gotten his PhD really young."[99][100][101]Schieble had a career as aspeech language pathologist. Jandali taught political science at theUniversity of Nevada[disambiguation needed
]in the 1960s, and then made his career in the food and beverage industry, and since 2006, has been a vice president at a casino inReno, Nevada.[102][103]In December 1955, ten months after giving up their baby boy, Schieble and Jandali married. In 1957, they had a daughter Mona together. They divorced in 1962, and Jandali lost touch with his daughter.[104]Her mother remarried and had Mona take the surname of her stepfather, so she became known asMona Simpson.[100]
In the 1980s, Jobs found his birth mother, Joanne Schieble Simpson, who told him he had a biological sister, Mona Simpson. They met for the first time in 1985[104]and became close friends. The siblings kept their relationship secret until 1986, when Mona introduced him at a party for her first book.[16]
After deciding to search for their father, Simpson found Jandali managing a coffee shop. Without knowing who his son had become, Jandali told Mona that he had previously managed a popular restaurant in the Silicon Valley where "Even Steve Jobs used to eat there. Yeah, he was a great tipper." In a taped interview with his biographerWalter Isaacson, aired on60 Minutes,[105]Jobs said: "When I was looking for my biological mother, obviously, you know, I was looking for my biological father at the same time, and I learned a little bit about him and I didn't like what I learned. I asked her to not tell him that we ever met...not tell him anything about me."[106]Jobs was in occasional touch with his mother Joanne Simpson,[96][107]who lives in a nursing home in Los Angeles.[100]When speaking about his biological parents, Jobs stated: "They were my sperm and egg bank. That's not harsh, it's just the way it was, a sperm bank thing, nothing more."[17]Jandali stated in an interview with theThe Sunin August 2011, that his efforts to contact Jobs were unsuccessful. Jandali mailed in his medical history after Jobs's pancreatic disorder was made public that year.[108][109][110]
In hereulogyto Jobs at his memorial service, Mona Simpson stated:
- I grew up as an only child, with a single mother. Because we were poor and because I knew my father had emigrated from Syria, I imagined he looked like Omar Sharif. I hoped he would be rich and kind and would come into our lives (and our not yet furnished apartment) and help us. Later, after I'd met my father, I tried to believe he'd changed his number and left no forwarding address because he was an idealistic revolutionary, plotting a new world for the Arab people. Even as a feminist, my whole life I'd been waiting for a man to love, who could love me. For decades, I'd thought that man would be my father. When I was 25, I met that man and he was my brother. [104]
Jobs's first child,Lisa Brennan-Jobs, was born in 1978, the daughter of his longtime partner Chris Ann Brennan, a Bay Area painter.[96]For two years, she raised their daughter on welfare while Jobs denied paternity by claiming he was sterile; he later acknowledged Lisa as his daughter.[96]Jobs later marriedLaurene Powellon March 18, 1991, in a ceremony at theAhwahnee HotelinYosemite National Park. Presiding over the wedding wasKobun Chino Otogawa, aZen Buddhistmonk. Their son, Reed, was born September 1991, followed by daughters Erin in August 1995, and Eve in 1998.[111]The family lives inPalo Alto, California.[112]
In the unauthorized biography,The Second Coming of Steve Jobs,author Alan Deutschman reports that Jobs once datedJoan Baez. Deutschman quotes Elizabeth Holmes, a friend of Jobs from his time at Reed College, as saying she "believed that Steve became the lover of Joan Baez in large measure because Baez had been the lover ofBob Dylan" (Dylan was the Apple icon's favorite musician). In another unauthorized biography,iCon: Steve Jobsby Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon, the authors suggest that Jobs might have married Baez, but her age at the time (41) meant it was unlikely the couple could have children.
Jobs was also a fan ofThe Beatles. He referred to them on multiple occasions at Keynotes and also was interviewed on a showing of aPaul McCartneyconcert. When asked about hisbusiness modelon60 Minutes, he replied:
My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.[113]
In 1982, Jobs bought an apartment inThe San Remo, an apartment building in New York City with a politically progressive reputation, whereDemi Moore,Steven Spielberg,Steve Martin, and PrincessYasmin Aga Khan, daughter ofRita Hayworth, also had apartments. With the help ofI.M. Pei, Jobs spent years renovating his apartment in the top two floors of the building's north tower, only to sell it almost two decades later toU2singerBono. Jobs never moved in.[114][115]
In 1984, Jobs purchased theJackling House, a 17,000-square-foot (1,600m2), 14-bedroomSpanish Colonialmansion designed byGeorge Washington SmithinWoodside, California. Although it reportedly remained in an almost unfurnished state, Jobs lived in the mansion for almost ten years. According to reports, he kept a 1966BMW R60/2motorcycle in the living room, and letBill Clintonuse it in 1998. From the early 1990s, Jobs lived in a house in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood of Palo Alto. President Clinton dined with Jobs and 14 Silicon Valley CEOs there on August 7, 1996, at a meal catered byGreens Restaurant.[116][117]Clinton returned the favor and Jobs, who was aDemocraticdonor, slept in the Lincoln bedroom of theWhite House.[118]
Jobs allowed Jackling House to fall into a state of disrepair, planning to demolish the house and build a smaller home on the property; but he met with complaints from local preservationists over his plans. In June 2004, the Woodside Town Council gave Jobs approval to demolish the mansion, on the condition that he advertise the property for a year to see if someone would move it to another location and restore it. A number of people expressed interest, including several with experience in restoring old property, but no agreements to that effect were reached. Later that same year, a local preservationist group began seeking legal action to prevent demolition. In January 2007, Jobs was denied the right to demolish the property, by a court decision.[119]The court decision was overturned on appeal in March 2010, and the mansion was demolished beginning February 2011.[120]
Jobs usually wore a black long-sleevedmock turtleneckmade byIssey Miyake(that was sometimes reported to be made bySt. Croix),Levi's501 blue jeans, andNew Balance 991sneakers.[121][122]Jobs told Walter Isaacson "...he came to like the idea of having a uniform for himself, both because of its daily convenience (the rationale he claimed) and its ability to convey a signature style."[123]He was apescetarian.[124]
Jobs's car was a silver 2008 Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG, which does not display its license plates, as he took advantage of a California law which gives a maximum of six months for new vehicles to receive plates; Jobs leased a new identical SL every six months.[125][126]
Political activities
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In a 2011 interview with biographerWalter Isaacson, Jobs revealed at one point he met with U.S. PresidentBarack Obama, complained of the nation's shortage of software engineers, and told Mr. Obama that he was "headed for a one-term presidency." Jobs proposed that any foreign student who got an engineering degree at a U.S. university should automatically be offered a green card. After the meeting, Jobs commented, "The president is very smart, but he kept explaining to us reasons why things can't get done.... It infuriates me."[127]
Jobs contributed to a number of political candidates and causes during his life, giving $209,000 to Democrats, $19,000 to associated special interests and $1,000 to a Republican.[128]
Health issues
In October 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with cancer,[129]and in mid-2004, he announced to his employees that he had a cancerous tumor in hispancreas.[130]The prognosis forpancreatic canceris usually very poor;[131]Jobs stated that he had a rare, far less aggressive type known asislet cellneuroendocrine tumor.[130]Despite his diagnosis, Jobs resisted his doctors' recommendations for mainstream medical intervention for nine months,[96]instead consuming a specialalternative medicinediet in an attempt to thwart the disease. According to Harvard researcher Dr. Ramzi Amir, his choice of alternative treatment "led to an unnecessarily early death".[129]According to Jobs's biographer,Walter Isaacson, "for nine months he refused to undergo surgery for his pancreatic cancer – a decision he later regretted as his health declined."[132]"Instead, he tried a vegan diet, acupuncture, herbal remedies and other treatments he found online, and even consulted a psychic. He also was influenced by a doctor who ran a clinic that advised juice fasts, bowel cleansings and other unproven approaches, before finally having surgery in July 2004."[133]He eventually underwent apancreaticoduodenectomy(or "Whipple procedure") in July 2004, that appeared to successfully remove the tumor.[134][135][136]Jobs apparently did not receivechemotherapyorradiation therapy.[130][137]During Jobs's absence,Tim Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, ran the company.[130]
In early August 2006, Jobs delivered the keynote for Apple's annualWorldwide Developers Conference. His "thin, almost gaunt" appearance and unusually "listless" delivery,[138][139]together with his choice to delegate significant portions of his keynote to other presenters, inspired a flurry of media and Internet speculation about his health.[140]In contrast, according to anArs Technicajournal report,Worldwide Developers Conference(WWDC) attendees who saw Jobs in person said he "looked fine".[141]Following the keynote, an Apple spokesperson said that "Steve's health is robust."[142]
Two years later, similar concerns followed Jobs's 2008 WWDC keynote address.[143]Apple officials stated Jobs was victim to a "common bug" and was taking antibiotics,[144]while others surmised hiscachectic appearancewas due to theWhipple procedure.[137]During a July conference call discussing Apple earnings, participants responded to repeated questions about Jobs's health by insisting that it was a "private matter". Others, however, voiced the opinion that shareholders had a right to know more, given Jobs's hands-on approach to running his company.[145][146]The New York Timespublished an article based on an off-the-record phone conversation with Jobs, noting that "While his health problems amounted to a good deal more than 'a common bug', they weren't life-threatening and he doesn't have a recurrence of cancer."[147]
On August 28, 2008,Bloombergmistakenly published a 2500-wordobituaryof Jobs in its corporate news service, containing blank spaces for his age and cause of death. (News carriers customarily stockpile up-to-date obituaries to facilitate news delivery in the event of a well-known figure's untimely death.) Although the error was promptly rectified, many news carriers and blogs reported on it,[148]intensifying rumors concerning Jobs's health.[149]Jobs responded at Apple's September 2008Let's Rockkeynote by quotingMark Twain: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."[150]At a subsequent media event, Jobs concluded his presentation with a slide reading "110/70", referring to hisblood pressure, stating he would not address further questions about his health.[151]
On December 16, 2008, Apple announced that marketing vice-presidentPhil Schillerwould deliver the company's final keynote address at theMacworld Conference and Expo2009, again reviving questions about Jobs's health.[152][153]In a statement given on January 5, 2009, onApple.com,[154]Jobs said that he had been suffering from a "hormoneimbalance" for several months.[155]
On January 14, 2009, in an internal Apple memo, Jobs wrote that in the previous week he had "learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought", and announced a six-month leave of absence until the end of June 2009, to allow him to better focus on his health. Tim Cook, who previously acted as CEO in Jobs's 2004 absence, became acting CEO of Apple,[156]with Jobs still involved with "major strategic decisions."[156]
In April 2009, Jobs underwent aliver transplantat Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute inMemphis, Tennessee.[157][158]Jobs's prognosis was described as "excellent".[157]
On January 17, 2011, a year and a half after Jobs returned from his liver transplant, Apple announced that he had been granted a medical leave of absence. Jobs announced his leave in a letter to employees, stating his decision was made "so he could focus on his health". As during his 2009 medical leave, Apple announced that Tim Cook would run day-to-day operations and that Jobs would continue to be involved in major strategic decisions at the company.[159][160]Despite the leave, he made appearances at theiPad 2launch event (March 2), theWWDCkeynote introducingiCloud(June 6), and before the Cupertino city council (June 7).[161]
Jobs announced his resignation as Apple's CEO on August 24, 2011. "Unfortunately, that day has come," wrote Jobs, for he could "no longer meet [his] duties and expectations as Apple's CEO". Jobs became chairman of the board and named Tim Cook his successor.[162][163]Jobs had worked for Apple until the day before his death.[164]
Death
Jobs died at his California home around 3 p.m. on October 5, 2011, due to complications fromrelapseof his previously treated islet-cell neuroendocrinepancreatic cancer,[2][165][166]resulting inrespiratory arrest. He had lost consciousness the day before, and died with his wife, children and sister at his side.
His death was announced by Apple in a statement which read:
We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today.Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.
His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts.[167]
Jobs is survived by Laurene, his wife of 20 years, their three children, andLisa Brennan-Jobs, his daughter from a previous relationship.[168]His family released a statement saying that he "died peacefully".[169][170]
According to Simpson, Jobs "looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life's partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them". His last words, spoken hours before his death, were:
- "OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW."
- (These words were capitalized in The New York Timespresentation of her eulogy.) [104]
For two weeks following his death, Apple's corporate Web site displayed a simple page, showing Jobs's name and lifespan next to his grayscale portrait. Clicking on the image led to an obituary, which read:
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. [citation needed]
Also dedicating its homepage to Jobs wasPixar, with a photo of Jobs,John LasseterandEdwin Catmull, and the eulogy they wrote:[171]
Steve was an extraordinary visionary, our very dear friend, and our guiding light of the Pixar family. He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to 'make it great.' He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity, and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be part of Pixar's DNA. Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incredibly difficult time. [171]
Apple and Pixar's website still displays its tribute with a link to it on their respective main pages.[172]
An email address was also posted for the public to share their memories, condolences, and thoughts.[173][174]Over a million tributes were sent, which are now displayed on the Steve Jobs memorial page.
Shortly after his death was announced,ABC,CBS, andNBCinterrupted scheduled programming to broadcast this news.[175]Numerous newspapers around the world carried news of his death on their front pages the next day. Several notable people, including US PresidentBarack Obama,[176]British Prime MinisterDavid Cameron,[177]MicrosoftfounderBill Gates,[178]andThe Walt Disney Company'sBob Igercommented on the death of Jobs.Wired Newscollected reactions and posted them in tribute on their homepage.[179]Other statements of condolences were made by many of Jobs's friends and colleagues, such asSteve WozniakandGeorge Lucas.[180][181]
A small private funeral was held on October 7, 2011, of which details were not revealed in respect to Jobs's family.[182]Apple announced on the same day that they had no plans for a public service, but were rather encouraging "well-wishers" to send their remembrance messages to an email address created to receive such messages.[183]Sunday, October 16, 2011, was declared "Steve Jobs Day" by GovernorJerry Brownof California.[184]On that day, an invitation-only memorial was held atStanford University. Those in attendance include Apple and other tech company executives, members of the media, celebrities, close friends of Jobs, and politicians, along with Jobs's family. U2'sBono,Yo Yo Ma, andJoan Baezperformed at the service, which lasted longer than an hour. The service was highly secured, with guards at all of the university's gates, and a helicopter flying overhead from an area news station.[185][186]
BothAppleandMicrosoftflew their flags athalf-staffthroughout their respective headquarters and campuses.[187][188]Bob Igerordered allDisneyproperties, includingWalt Disney WorldandDisneyland, to fly their flags at half-staff, from October 6 to 12, 2011.[189]
A private memorial service for Apple employees was held on October 19, 2011, on the Apple Campus in Cupertino. Present were Cook,Bill Campbell,Norah Jones,Al Gore, andColdplay, and Jobs's widow, Laurene, was in attendance. Some of Apple's retail stores closed briefly so employees could attend the memorial. An official video of the service is available on Apple's website.[190]
Jobs is buried atAlta Mesa Memorial Park, the only non-denominational cemetery in Palo Alto.[191][192]
Major media published commemorative works.Timepublished a commemorative issue for Jobs on October 8, 2011. The issues cover featured a portrait of Jobs, taken byNorman Seeff, in which he is sitting in thelotus positionholding theoriginal Macintoshcomputer, first published inRolling Stonein January 1984. The issue marked the eighth time Jobs has been featured on the cover ofTime.[193]The issue included aphotographic essayby Diana Walker, aretrospectiveonApplebyHarry McCrackenandLev Grossman, and a six-page essay by Walter Isaacson. Isaacson's essay served as a preview of his biography,Steve Jobs.[194]
Bloomberg Businessweekalso published a commemorative issue. The cover of the magazine features Apple-style simplicity, with a black-and-white, up-close photo of Jobs and his years of birth and death. The issue was published without advertisements. It featured extensive essays bySteve Jurvetson,John Sculley, Sean Wisely, William Gibson, andWalter Isaacson.
Free softwarepioneerRichard Stallmandissented from the prevailing hagiographic views of Jobs to draw attention to the tight corporate control Apple exercised over consumer computers and handheld devices, how Apple restricted news reporters, and persistently violated privacy: "Steve Jobs, the pioneer of the computer as a jail made cool, designed to sever fools from their freedom, has died".[195][196]Malcolm Gladwellin The New Yorker asserted that "Jobs’s sensibility was editorial, not inventive. His gift lay in taking what was in front of him ... and ruthlessly refining it."[197]
Although reporters wrote glowing elegies after Jobs died,Los Angeles Timesmedia critic James Rainey reported that they "came courtesy of reporters who—after deadline and off the record—would tell stories about a company obsessed with secrecy to the point of paranoia. They remind us how Apple shut down a youthful fanboy blogger, punished a publisher that dared to print an unauthorized Jobs biography and repeatedly ran afoul of the most basic tenets of a free press."[198]
Apple "has taken stances that, in my opinion, are outright hostile to the practice of journalism," said longtime Silicon Valley reporterDan Gillmor.[198]Under Jobs, Apple sued three "small fry" bloggers who reported tips about the company and its unreleased products and tried to use the courts to force them to reveal their sources. Under Jobs, Apple even sued a teenager,Nicholas Ciarelli, who wrote enthusiastic speculation about Apple products beginning at age 13. His popular blog, ThinkSecret, was a play on Apple's slogan "Think Different."[198]Rainey wrote that Apple wanted to kill ThinkSecret as "It thought any leaks, even favorable ones, diluted the punch of its highly choreographed product launches with Jobs, in his iconic jeans and mock turtleneck outfit, as the star."[198]
Honors and public recognition
After Apple's founding, Jobs became a symbol of his company and industry. WhenTimenamed the computer as the 1982"Machine of the Year", the magazine published a long profile of Jobs as "the most famous maestro of the micro".[199][200]
Jobs was awarded theNational Medal of Technologyby PresidentRonald Reaganin 1984, withSteve Wozniak(among the first people to ever receive the honor),[201]and aJefferson Award for Public Servicein the category "Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under" (also known as theSamuel S. Beard Award) in 1987.[202]On November 27, 2007, Jobs was named the most powerful person in business byFortunemagazine.[203]On December 5, 2007,California GovernorArnold Schwarzeneggerand First LadyMaria Shriverinducted Jobs into theCalifornia Hall of Fame, located atThe California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.[204]
In August 2009, Jobs was selected as the most admired entrepreneur among teenagers in a survey byJunior Achievement,[205]having previously been named Entrepreneur of the Decade 20 years earlier in 1989, byInc. magazine.[206]On November 5, 2009, Jobs was named the CEO of the decade byFortunemagazine.[207]
In September 2011, Jobs was ranked No.17 onForbes: The World's Most Powerful People.[208]In December 2010, theFinancial Timesnamed Jobs its person of the year for 2010, ending its essay by stating, "In his autobiography,John Sculley, the former PepsiCo executive who once ran Apple, said this of the ambitions of the man he had pushed out: 'Apple was supposed to become a wonderful consumer products company. This was a lunatic plan. High-tech could not be designed and sold as a consumer product.' How wrong can you be".[209]
At the time of his resignation, and again after his death, Jobs was widely described as a visionary, pioneer and genius[210][211][212][213]—perhaps one of the foremost—in the field of business,[207][214]innovation,[215]and product design,[216]and a man who had profoundly changed the face of the modern world,[210][212][215]revolutionized at least six different industries,[211]and who was an "exemplar for all chief executives".[211]His death was widely mourned[217]and considered a loss to the world by commentators across the globe.[213]
After his resignation as Apple's CEO, Jobs was characterized as theThomas EdisonandHenry Fordof his time.[218][219]In hisThe Daily Showeulogy,Jon Stewartsaid that unlike others of Jobs's ilk, such as Thomas Edison or Henry Ford, Jobs died young. He felt that we had, in a sense, "wrung everything out of" these other men, but his feeling on Jobs was that "we're not done with you yet."[220]