On October 5, 2011, the world came to a halt. Steve Jobs, the co-founder and CEO of Apple, Inc. passed on Wednesday night, after an 8 year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56.
Jobs was the mastermind behind the launching of Apple, Inc. with his partner Steve Wozniak. His death occurs not too long after Jobs having to be forced to leave his position as executive chairman due to his ongoing health problems. He remained chairman of Apple until his death Wednesday night.
Steve Jobs was one of the most imaginative entrepreneurs that ever lived, as he was the mastermind behind such signature technological inventions like the Macbook, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, and the list goes on. Without Jobs, mankind is not as advanced technologically as it is now.He changed consumer technology for the better, and forever. Certainly, Jobs was the biggest dreamer we won’t ever see, but his legacy has set the bar high for the next wave of entrepreneurs. President Barack Obama had this to say on the untimely death of the Apple entrepreneur:
“The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”
Indeed, many HBCU students rely on Jobs’ creations to complete their daily activities. Even with all of the revolutionary changes he has contributed to society, Steve Jobs’ greatest testament to his success is that he made mistakes and experienced a long list of failures. Jobs dropped out of Reed College after six months. The media questioned his prowess as a businessman after being ousted from his own company in 1985. He was fired from Apple after a long and bitter power struggle with the company’s board of directors. Jobs’ life serves as a testament to all entrepreneurs: Never give up on a dream.
“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.” –Steve Jobs.
