The Tech Industry Loses A Visionary
The passing of former Apple CEO and tech visionary Steve Jobs was not entirely a shock for those of us who sadly watched his health steadily declined over the last few years. Yet his death on Wednesday has evoked strong emotions from nearly everyone in the technology industry and beyond. For the Breakaway team, who hold technology very near and dear, Steve Jobs’ death brought out a number of reactions, stories and memories.
“I started my career in NYC, but remember being intrigued and a bit envious by the innovation and excitement coming out of Silicon Valley. There was nothing like it on the east coast, which was dominated by “old school” companies. It seemed mysterious and magical.
I read every book ever written about the early days of the PC, and was fascinated most by Steve Jobs and the story of Apple. Jobs epitomized the creativity and forward-thinking that I equated with the Bay Area. Apple - along with the excitement of other Silicon Valley hotshots back then - was among the reasons I relocated to San Francisco on New Year’s Eve 1992.
Call me crazy. The day after I arrived in the Valley, I spent the day driving around the Apple, Adobe and SGI campuses, hoping, perhaps, that some of their “magic” would rub off on me by proximity.
That magic touched me then, and it still does every day when I use my iPhone, view a Pixar movie or admire any number of truly elegantly designed devices/interfaces – Apple and otherwise – that Steve Jobs clearly inspired. Thank you, Steve.”
Barb Hagin, San Francisco
“Having worked with the PR team at IBM throughout the 90’s, Bill Gates and Microsoft were the competitors who we were always chasing. When I walked by Gates at COMDEX one year he was surrounded by hoards of fans; that cult-following later shifted to Jobs, who at the time was completely off our radar. His technology was technology-light if you will – simpler, less powerful little computers that had a cute interface but were not about serious B2B computing. The Gates vs. Jobs debates always made me feel a little smug. Gates may have been our nemesis but at least our collective camps were backing ‘real’ technology.
Obviously as the next decade unfolded, Jobs really hit his stride as he championed some of the most beautiful technology ever created. Every one of our clients – nearly all B2B companies – all want to emulate Steve Jobs in some sense. They don’t care that Apple is all about the consumer market. His entrepreneurship, marketing finesse and industry-changing ideas are the incredibly high standard that clients aspire to reach. He should have lived for another 30 years. Think what more he might have done. Differently.”
Kelly Fitzgerald, New York
“At last count, I have had three iPods, four iPhones, two MacBooks, one iMac, one AppleTV, one AirPort and one iPad. I suppose one could say I am a bit of an Apple fangirl. Apple won me over long ago, with products that were simple, beautiful, easy to use and effective. I have Steve to thank for all of that. Everything he ever did embodied his lifelong mantras: Good isn’t good enough. Be different. Find your passion. Brilliant lessons for us all . . .”
Patty Oien, San Francisco
“What can you say about Steve Jobs that hasn’t already been said? I was truly sad when I heard the news, and since then I’ve been at a loss of words, and have turned to the experts to help find the words that I couldn’t find. Some of the best things I read came from David Pogue who noted that he pushed us out of our comfort zone into something much more intuitive and innovative, the timeline of his staggering accomplishments in CNET , and the tribute on Wired.com including this amazing piece from Steven Levy. But the best came straight from Steve himself. Steve Jobs gave an amazing, heartfelt and touching commencement speech at Stanford University in June 2005 that is something that must be watched. He changed the way we think about technology, media and so much more. He was a visionary and innovator. And he will be greatly, greatly missed.”
Alicia Mickelsen, New York
“I’m a PC girl through and through. But that’s irrelevant when it comes to the immense admiration I have for the genius who was Steve Jobs. It’s very rare that we come across such an engaging “geek” – one who can break through the awkwardness of say, Mark Zuckerberg, and turn users into personal fans and those fans into loyalists. It’s his charisma and no BS-type attitude, combined with such a true passion for innovation, (and as Charlie would say a desire for ‘winning!!’) that made him someone I will always remember, admire and look to for inspiration through his past work. He’s a legend, an unforgettable legend, and no matter if you’re a ‘PC’ or a ‘Mac,’ we’ll all miss him dearly.”
Tracey Sheehy, New York
How do you sum up the loss of someone who truly was face of technology? For many, many years I have admired the stellar work that Steve put into his products. He was passionate, a fighter through and through, and impacted lives well beyond the Silicon Valley.
New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said it best, “America has lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison [the inventor of the light bulb] and Einstein, and whose ideas will shape the world for generations to come.”
I am truly honored to say that I lived in the Steve Jobs era and know that 30 years from now his legacy will still be going strong. Thank you Steve for bringing out the geek in all of us.
Devan Gillick, San Francisco
“The first computer I ever touched was an Apple – it was 1990, it was HUGE, and my dad was super proud to be one of the first people to have a personal computer in the neighborhood. It didn’t look or operate anything like the Apple computers of today, and I think that’s the beauty of Steve Jobs and how he’s transformed modern computing. As a tech junkie and tech PR gal, Steve is responsible for a lot of the innovations that have helped to make technology as cool and addictive as I think it is. He’s been more than an inventor for our generation – he’s been an innovator who proved that you don’t need a college degree to achieve success if you have passion for your ideas and enough faith in yourself. Thank you for everything you’ve done for advancing technology. And thanks for my white iPhone – it’s beautiful, inside and out.”
Meghan Attreed, New York
“There are billions of people who live and die on earth, yet there are but a small few who touch the lives of so many in some way. Steve Jobs entered that elite group long ago with the advent of Apple. It was not just that he invented things no one had seen before, or brought technology to the average layman. It was that his-do or-die creative spark captured the imagination of anyone he came into contact with, directly or indirectly.
I never met Steve Jobs, but yet I knew him. His original Macintosh was my first computer, and his name and products (iPod, Macbook, iPad) crossed my screen every day. As a PR person, I cursed his company regularly for taking the spotlight away from my client’s news and at the same time I praised him daily for the inventions that brought so many cool gadgets into my everyday life and helped me (and the tech industry) change the way I think about tech. It is sad see such a visionary pass, but I know his legacy will continue in all of us for decades to come.”
Stacey Paris-Bechtel, New York
“I will always admire Steve Jobs for his contributions to the music industry. As I grew older and portable music technology progressed from Walkman, to Discman, to iPod, Steve really disrupted the industry by providing a digital storefront for our music. Steve said it best in an interview discussing the iTunes Music Store with Fortune in 2003: “It will go down in history as a turning point for the music industry. This is landmark stuff. I can’t overestimate it.” He was a remarkable human being. Looking back at everything he and his team at Apple accomplished, it’s truly inspiring. Reading back through his various interviews and watching his TED talk and Stanford Commencement Speech, I can only hope to one day be even a fraction as inspiring to a handful of people, as he was to the world.”
“There is no reason not to follow your heart…Stay hungry. Stay foolish” – Steve Jobs, 2005
Stephanie Depa, San Francisco
“Steve Jobs was a technological genius, a great businessman, and an inspiration to many. Even if you don’t like or use Apple products, the reason we have alternative devices is because of his great innovations. Who’s to say there would be Droid without the iPhone? Or a Galaxy without the iPad? As with all products, Steve’s creations spawned many competitors and created a market that encompasses most of our lives. In reading the many articles about him in the last couple of days, the thing that struck me most was how much he loved what he did.
I think this quote can resonate with anyone: “And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
Joey Telucci, San Francisco
Steve Jobs has impacted all of us in some way, and his legacy will not soon be forgotten. Thank you, Steve for your vision and passion. Thank you for overly-hyped up press conferences, for making black turtlenecks and jeans a good look and for teaching companies around the world - and across the spectrum - how it’s done. (Except for that whole “losing prototypes in the bar” thing…that was a little embarrassing, right?)
Rest in peace Steve Jobs…
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