Steve Jobs (Steven Paul Jobs)
Steven Paul Jobs, born February 24, 1955 and died October 5, 2011, was a prominent American entrepreneur, inventor, and investor. He co-founded Apple, where he served as chairman and CEO, with his business partner and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, instrumental in the personal computer revolution during the 1970s and 1980s. . Additionally, Jobs was the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, and after Pixar’s acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, he became a member of Disney’s board of directors. He also founded Next and held the positions of its Chairman and CEO.
Jobs’ early life saw him born in San Francisco to a Syrian father and a German-American mother. He was adopted after his birth. He attended Reid College in 1972, but his time there was short-lived as he dropped out later that year. Seeking enlightenment, Jobs began traveling to India in 1974 and later became interested in Zen Buddhism. In 1976, he and Wozniak founded Apple to market the Apple I personal computer, and their success with the Apple II cemented their reputation and fortune.
Throughout his career, Jobs identified opportunities for innovation, such as recognizing the commercial potential of the Xerox Alto in 1979, which led to the development of the Apple Lisa in 1983 and the Macintosh in 1984, the first major Became a mass-produced computer. Graphical User Interface (GUI). In 1985 Macintosh’s introduction to the desktop publishing industry was further enhanced by the Apple LaserWriter, the first laser printer to feature vector graphics.
In 1985, Jobs left Apple due to a power struggle with the company’s board and then-CEO John Scully. After that, he founded NeXT, focusing on the development of computer platforms for the higher education and business markets. Additionally, he invested in Lucasfilm’s computer graphics division, which later became Pixar, a leading animation studio that produced the first 3D computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, in 1995.
In 1997, Jobs returned to Apple as CEO following Apple’s acquisition of NeXT. He was instrumental in turning around the company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time. Working closely with designer Jony Ive, Jobs oversaw the development of a series of culturally influential products, beginning with the “Think Different” advertising campaign and appearing in the Apple Store, the App Store (iOS), the iMac, iPad, iPod, iPhone, iTunes, and the iTunes Store. In 2001, it replaced the original Mac OS with the modern Unix-based Mac OS X (later known as macOS), built on NeXT’s NeXTSTEP platform.
In 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas. He died in 2011 at the age of 56 of respiratory arrest related to the tumor. After his death, Tim Cook became the CEO of Apple. In recognition of his significant contributions, Jobs was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.
Personal Life & Family
Steven Paul Jobs, born in San Francisco, California, on February 24, 1955, had a fascinating and complex family background. His biological father, Abdulfattah Jandali, came from a well-off Syrian family and pursued a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Wisconsin. It was there that he met Jobs’ biological mother, Joanne Schieble, who hailed from an American Catholic family of German descent. Despite their deep affection for each other, Schieble’s father objected to their relationship due to religious differences, leading to the couple arranging a closed adoption for their unborn child.
Jobs was adopted by Paul Reinhold Jobs and Clara Hagopian. His adoptive father, Paul, had a modest background, having dropped out of high school and served in the U.S. Coast Guard before working as a mechanic. Clara, on the other hand, was of Armenian descent. The couple’s love story began when they got engaged ten days after meeting and subsequently moved to San Francisco.
Growing up, Jobs had a loving and nurturing environment provided by his adoptive parents, Paul and Clara Jobs. However, the knowledge of his adoption was kept a secret from him until later in life. Upon discovering that he was adopted, Jobs was determined to find his biological mother. This journey led him to Joanne Schieble, who had given birth to him at a young age and faced immense pressure to give him up for adoption. They eventually developed a friendly relationship, and Jobs also connected with his biological sister, Mona.
Despite learning about his biological father, Abdulfattah Jandali, Jobs showed little interest in establishing a connection. He believed that Jandali had not treated his other children well and worried about potential issues arising from contact.
Throughout his life, Jobs focused on his adoptive parents as his true family, cherishing the love and support they provided. He emphasized his deep affection for them, considering them his true parents. The relationship with his biological family remained cordial, but Jobs maintained a sense of privacy and distance, not wanting to disrupt the stability of his life or the lives of those around him.
The story of Steve Jobs’ family background is one of complexity, love, and self-discovery. It highlights the significance of family in shaping an individual’s life and the lasting impact of a supportive environment in fostering success and innovation. Jobs’ journey to find his roots adds depth to his legendary legacy and offers a glimpse into the man behind the visionary entrepreneur.
Early Life:
During his formative years, Steve Jobs attended a Lutheran church with his parents. However, his relationship with his mother, Clara, had a complex start. She confessed to Jobs’ girlfriend, Chrisann Brennan, that she was initially afraid to love him during the first six months of his life, fearing that he might be taken away from her. Although they eventually won the adoption case, raising Steve proved to be challenging, and Clara even considered giving him back at one point. Jobs was aware of this revelation and felt deeply loved and cherished by both Clara and his adoptive father, Paul.
In his own words, Jobs expressed his gratitude, insisting that Paul and Clara were his true parents, and he regarded them as such with the utmost affection. He humorously referred to his biological parents as his “sperm and egg bank,” acknowledging the biological aspect of their relationship but emphasizing the deep bond he had with his adoptive parents.
Paul Jobs worked in various jobs, including stints as a machinist, and he instilled his love for mechanics in his son by building a workbench in the garage where they could bond over projects. Jobs admired his father’s craftsmanship and enjoyed spending time with him, even though he wasn’t particularly interested in fixing cars.
As a child, Jobs had difficulty making friends with his peers and was considered a “loner” by his classmates. He struggled in traditional classrooms, often resisting authority figures and misbehaving. However, his fourth-grade teacher, Imogene “Teddy” Hill, played a pivotal role in turning his academic life around. She inspired him to embrace learning and kindled a passion for knowledge within him. Jobs skipped the fifth grade and moved on to sixth grade, but he continued to face social challenges, even experiencing bullying at times.
Despite financial constraints, the Jobs family managed to buy a new home in 1967, enabling Steve to change schools and attend a better school district heavily populated with engineering families. This environment fostered his passion for electronics and technology.
At the age of 13, Jobs secured a summer job at Hewlett-Packard after cold-calling Bill Hewlett himself to ask for electronic parts for a project. Later, he enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but dropped out after just one semester, without informing his parents. He continued to audit classes, including a calligraphy course that would later inspire the diverse typography features in Apple’s products.
Steve Jobs’ early life was a journey of self-discovery, determination, and fortuitous encounters that would shape his future as one of the most influential innovators in history.
Steve Jobs Marriage
In 1989, Destiny brought Steve Jobs face-to-face with his future wife, Laurene Powell, during a lecture he gave at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she was a student. As he stood on stage, he couldn’t help but notice her in the front row. Laurene’s presence left him feeling a bit giddy and caused him to lose track of his thoughts. After the lecture, he approached her in the parking lot and extended an invitation to dinner. From that moment on, they became inseparable, sharing a deep bond that lasted a lifetime, with only a few minor interruptions.
On New Year’s Day in 1990, Jobs proposed to Laurene with a heartfelt gesture, presenting her with “a fistful of freshly picked wildflowers.” The couple tied the knot on March 18, 1991, in a serene Buddhist ceremony at Yosemite National Park’s Ahwahnee Hotel. The intimate wedding included fifty guests, among them Jobs’s father, Paul, and his sister, Mona. Jobs’s spiritual mentor, Kobun Chino Otogawa, officiated the ceremony. The wedding cake, vegan and artistic, took the form of Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome, and the festivities concluded with a hike and a spirited snowball fight among Laurene’s brothers. During the celebration, Jobs playfully remarked to his sister Mona, “You see, Mona, Laurene is descended from Joe Namath, and we’re descended from John Muir.”
The couple’s joy was multiplied with the arrival of their first child, a son named Reed, in 1991. Unfortunately, the family experienced a sorrowful moment when Jobs’s father, Paul, passed away a year and a half later, on March 5, 1993. Nevertheless, their familial bond remained strong. Jobs’ childhood home, now a tourist attraction, is presently owned by his stepmother, Marilyn Jobs.
Over the years, Steve Jobs and Laurene Powell welcomed two more children into their lives. They had two daughters, Erin, born in 1995, and Eve Jobs, born in 1998, who later pursued a successful career as a fashion model. The family resided in the picturesque city of Palo Alto, California, where they shared countless moments of love and togetherness.
Despite his immense wealth, Steve Jobs, like his contemporary Bill Gates, decided that the majority of his monetary fortune would not be left to his children. Following their example, both men restricted their children’s access to age-appropriate social media, computer games, and the internet, emphasizing the importance of balance and healthy development in their lives.
Creations and plans
Jobs’ design philosophy drew inspiration from Zen and Buddhism, which he encountered during his transformative spiritual journey in India. This exposure to spiritual teachings and intuitive thinking had a profound impact on his approach to design. Additionally, he drew from various sources, including Joseph Eichler’s modernist architectural style and the industrial designs of Richard Sapper and Dieter Rams. Although Jobs was not a coder or engineer, his role as a marketing genius and visionary was instrumental in Apple’s success. According to Steve Wozniak, his co-founder, Wozniak was a true innovator and inventor, while Jobs excelled in marketing.
Jobs’ contribution to technology is evident in the vast number of patents associated with him. He is credited as the primary inventor or co-inventor in 346 United States patents or patent applications, covering diverse areas such as computer and portable devices, user interfaces (including touch-based interfaces), speakers, keyboards, power adapters, and more. Most of his patents focused on the aesthetic and user experience, showcasing his keen eye for design. Together with Jonathan Ive, Apple’s industrial design chief, Jobs is named in 200 of these patents.
While Jobs was not deeply involved in the technical aspects of the original Apple computers, he later assumed a direct role in product design as the CEO. Throughout his career, he relied on the expertise and partnership of Joanna Hoffman, a trusted marketing executive, who fearlessly stood up to him and engaged in productive discussions.
Even during his terminal illness, Jobs’s passion for design never wavered. In the hospital, he sketched ideas for new devices that could hold the iPad by a hospital bed and suggested improvements to the design of the oxygen monitor on his finger. Since his passing, Jobs’s legacy as an inventor has continued to grow. Posthumously, he has been granted 141 patents, a remarkable number surpassing many inventors’ accomplishments during their lifetimes. In total, he holds over 450 patents, a testament to his enduring impact on technology and design.
Apple I:
In 1976, Steve Wozniak designed the Apple I, but it was Jobs who came up with the idea of selling the desktop computer, leading to the formation of Apple Computer. Both Jobs and Wozniak handcrafted several Apple I prototypes by selling some of their belongings to fund the project. Eventually, they produced 200 units.
Apple II:
The Apple II, an 8-bit home computer, was one of the world’s first successful mass-produced microcomputers. Wozniak primarily designed it, while Jobs oversaw the development of the Apple II’s distinctive case, and Rod Holt worked on the unique power supply. The computer made its debut in 1977 at the West Coast Computer Faire, marking Apple’s first consumer product.
Apple Lisa:
Developed by Apple in 1978 and sold in the early 1980s, the Lisa was the first personal computer with a graphical user interface for business users. Although it sold poorly, it laid the groundwork for future Apple products. After Jobs was forced out of the Lisa project, he took over the Macintosh project, incorporating inspiration from Lisa’s design.
Macintosh:
Taking charge of the Macintosh team, Jobs launched the revolutionary Macintosh on January 24, 1984. It was the first mass-market personal computer featuring an integral graphical user interface and a mouse. The Macintosh’s commercial debut was accompanied by the iconic Ridley Scott television ad “1984”, which became a historic moment in advertising.
NeXT Computer:
After leaving Apple in 1985, Jobs started NeXT, a workstation computer company. The NeXT Computer, introduced in 1988, showcased innovative technologies, including the NeXTSTEP operating system, which eventually evolved into the foundation of Apple’s modern operating systems.
iMac:
Upon his return to Apple, Jobs introduced the iMac G3 in 1998, featuring a groundbreaking design and eliminating the floppy disk drive in favor of USB connectivity. The iMac’s success marked a turning point for Apple and the popularity of USB peripherals.
iTunes:
Apple’s media player, iTunes, and its associated iTunes Store revolutionized digital media consumption. Users could purchase and organize music, videos, and other media through the application, and it became a significant part of the iPod’s success.
iPod:
The iPod’s release in 2001 marked a turning point for Apple in the music industry. Its small size, innovative design, and integration with iTunes made it a huge success, paving the way for future Apple devices like the iPhone.
iPhone:
In 2007, Apple unveiled the first iPhone, creating a sensation in the tech world. The iPhone’s multi-touch screen and multimedia capabilities, coupled with its sleek design, made it a game-changer in the smartphone industry.
iPad:
Apple released its first iPad in 2010, a line of iOS-based tablet computers. The iPad’s user interface, multi-touch screen, and virtual keyboard contributed to its immense popularity, with millions sold worldwide.
Health Issues & Death
In October 2003, Steve Jobs received devastating news when he was diagnosed with cancer. In mid-2004, he gathered the courage to inform his employees about the presence of a cancerous tumor in his pancreas. Pancreatic cancer is notorious for its poor prognosis, but Jobs revealed that he had a rare and less aggressive type called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.
Despite his doctors’ recommendations for immediate medical intervention, Jobs chose to explore alternative medicine for nine months. This decision raised concerns among researchers and medical professionals. Some believed that his diet and unconventional treatments were insufficient to address his disease effectively. However, opinions varied, with some suggesting that his experimentation with alternative methods might have had a modest impact on his chances of survival.
In July 2004, Jobs finally underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy, or “Whipple procedure,” which appeared to successfully remove the tumor. Unlike most cases of pancreatic cancer, Jobs did not receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy. During his absence from Apple, Tim Cook took over as head of worldwide sales and operations, ensuring the company’s continuity.
Over the years, speculation about Jobs’s health persisted, particularly after his public appearances displayed a gaunt appearance and a listless demeanor. Apple officials responded to inquiries about his health, emphasizing that it was a private matter. Jobs himself even addressed rumors, humorously paraphrasing Mark Twain to deny reports of his death.
In December 2008, Apple’s announcement of a keynote address by someone else at a conference raised more questions about Jobs’s health. He later explained that he had been suffering from a “hormone imbalance.” In January 2009, Jobs took a six-month leave of absence to focus on his health, with Tim Cook assuming the role of acting CEO while Jobs remained involved in significant strategic decisions.
In 2009, Tim Cook offered part of his liver to Jobs, as both shared a rare blood type and the liver has the ability to regenerate tissue after surgery. However, Jobs refused the offer.
In April 2009, Jobs underwent a liver transplant, and his prognosis was described as “excellent.” Despite his health challenges, Jobs continued to leave an indelible mark on the world, revolutionizing the technology industry and inspiring countless individuals.
Capitulation
On January 17, 2011, after a year and a half of returning to work post his liver transplant, Apple made an announcement that Steve Jobs had been granted a medical leave of absence. In a letter to the employees, Jobs explained that he had made this decision to focus on his health. Just like during his 2009 medical leave, Apple declared that Tim Cook would manage day-to-day operations while Jobs would still be involved in significant strategic decisions for the company.
During his leave, Jobs made appearances at significant events like the iPad 2 launch event on March 2, the WWDC keynote introducing iCloud on June 6, and a presentation before the Cupertino City Council on June 7.
On August 24, 2011, Steve Jobs announced his resignation as Apple’s CEO by writing to the board, expressing that if he ever reached a point where he could no longer fulfill his duties and meet the expectations as Apple’s CEO, he would be upfront about it. Unfortunately, that day had come, and he had to step down. However, Jobs remained the chairman of the board and handpicked Tim Cook as his successor to take over as CEO. He continued to be involved with Apple until the day before his passing six weeks later.
Death
On October 5, 2011, at approximately 3 p.m. (PDT), Steve Jobs passed away at his home in Palo Alto, California, due to complications arising from a relapse of his previously treated islet-cell pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, which led to respiratory arrest. He had lost consciousness the day before and was surrounded by his wife, children, and sisters at the time of his passing. In his final moments, Jobs uttered monosyllables, repeating “Oh wow” three times. His sister, Mona Simpson, shared these poignant details of his death.
A small private funeral was held on October 7, 2011, with the specific arrangements kept private out of respect for Jobs’s family.
The news of his death prompted Apple and Pixar to release announcements mourning the loss of their visionary leader. Apple stated that they had no plans for public service but encouraged well-wishers to send their remembrances to a designated email address. Both Apple and Microsoft lowered their flags to half-staff at their respective headquarters and campuses as a mark of respect. Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, ordered all Disney properties, including Walt Disney World and Disneyland, to fly their flags at half-staff from October 6 to 12, 2011.
In the aftermath of his passing, Apple displayed a simple page on their corporate website with Jobs’s name and lifespan alongside his grayscale portrait. A private memorial service was held by Apple employees on October 19, 2011, at the Apple campus in Cupertino. It was attended by Jobs’s widow, Laurene, along with prominent figures such as Tim Cook, Bill Campbell, Norah Jones, Al Gore, and Coldplay. Some Apple retail stores briefly closed to allow employees to attend the memorial. A video of the service was made available on Apple’s website.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared Sunday, October 16, 2011, as “Steve Jobs Day.” On that day, an invitation-only memorial took place at Stanford University, attended by tech company executives, members of the media, celebrities, politicians, family, and close friends of Jobs. The service featured performances by Bono, Yo-Yo Ma, and Joan Baez, and was highly secured with guards stationed at all university gates and a helicopter overseeing the event. Each attendee received a small brown box as a farewell gift from Jobs, containing a copy of the Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, in accordance with his wishes.
In response to his death, childhood friend and fellow Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, George Lucas, the former owner of what would become Pixar, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and President Barack Obama all offered heartfelt statements. As per Jobs’s request, he was buried in an unmarked grave at Alta Mesa Memorial Park, the only nonsectarian cemetery in Palo Alto.
