Special: Steve Jobs Has Passed Away
Although sudden, it really didn’t come as much of a surprise, but Apple has issued a statement that co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has passed away at the age of 56, after a years-long and highly public battle with cancer and other health issues.
Apple
A special tribute page was posted on Apple’s site, with the following text:
Steve Jobs [1955-2011]
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.
If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
Apple’s board of directors has also offered a statement:
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.
Finally, CEO Tim Cook sent an email out to Apple employees on the matter:
Team,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
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.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
Tim
Pixar
Although Jobs is synonymous with Apple, he also played a major role in the success of Pixar, in a statement by John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer & Ed Catmull, President, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios:
Steve Jobs was an extraordinary visionary, our very dear friend and the 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 simply ‘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 a part of Pixar’s DNA. Our hearts go out to his wife Laurene and their children during this incredibly difficult time.
Other Comments & Reactions
There are plenty more statements and reactions over on MacRumors—it’s a rather complete collection from tech industry giants to political leaders. Three posts that really stuck out to us (and other tech writers) are the accounts from Walt Mossberg, Brian Lam, and a reflective story from Andy Ihnatko. A final favorite item of ours is from web comic xkcd (we put their mouse-over popup as a caption below):
There's always the hope that if you sit and watch
for long enough, the beachball will vanish and the
thing it interrupted will return.
We’d like to offer our deepest condolences go out to the friends, family, and coworkers of Mr. Jobs. Obviously, if it weren’t for his work, we probably would be having a little less fun with our technology. Thank you.
The Stanford Commencement Address
Also, it’s worth revisiting the 2005 Stanford University Commencement Address by Jobs—it’s probably one of his most personal, honest, and reflective moments on life: