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Steve Jobs: the tributes

By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 6 Oct 2011 at 07:48

Such was the influence of Steve Jobs that tributes have flooded in not only from the world of technology, but from world leaders, rivals and admirers worldwide.

Here are a selection of the tributes paid to the former Apple CEO:

“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.” President Obama

“Apple has lost a visionary and creative and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate 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.” Apple statement

Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesn’t just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement

"When I heard the news, I could not hold back my tears. Because of him, the world has become different. Because of him, the boring world has become alive, the glum world has become creative, because of him a drab world has become colourful." Yu Minghong, founder of China's New Oriental Education

“Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.” Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO

“We’ve lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by how he persevered.” Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft

“Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesn’t just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement.” Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter

“Steve defined a generation of style and technology that’s unlikely to be matched again.” Eric Schmidt, Google chairman

“Steve ... 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.” John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios

"I have been in love with the world Steve Jobs made ever since my first Apple Mac. He was one of the great architects of the real. RIP." Salman Rushdie, author

"It's kind of like when John Lennon died, or JFK... I'm a little bit, like, awestruck, just dumbfounded, and I can't put my mind into gear." Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak

“He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me.” Larry Page, CEO OF Google

"Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family. In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family." Family statement

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User comments

Crying like a baby here...

I never understood crying over Princess Diana, she never did anything that changed my life. But Steve Jobs did, and for that I am truly thankfull. Wishing your family allthe strength and love needed in this very sad time.

By markcr6 on 6 Oct 2011

@markcr6

So anyone who doesn't help you isn't worth a tear?
Nice.
Jobs made himself rich, so while he made many technical strides, he didn't do it for anyone else. He even canned all Apple's charity giving.
http://thenewamerican.com/economy/commentary-mainm
enu-43/8915-steve-jobs-charitable-contributions-he
-gave-at-the-office
So don't weep too hard for Steve.

By cheysuli on 6 Oct 2011

Definition of a revolutionary

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

By milliganp on 6 Oct 2011

@cheysuli

Did you read the article you quote? Its central theme is that Jobs enriched the world through his vision, drive and determination and left "doing good" to others better equipped to the task.

By milliganp on 6 Oct 2011

"Its central theme is that Jobs enriched the world through his vision, drive and determination"

You could say the same thing about Bill Gates.

Microsoft has had more of an impact on my life than Apple.

"enriched the world"? Seriously dude, you need to get out more.

One thing I won't miss with the passing of the Jobs era is the "Church of Apple".

Keep drinking the Kool-Aid guys.

By Lacrobat on 6 Oct 2011

"and left 'doing good' to others better equipped to the task"

I do that all the time, where's my sainthood?

By Lacrobat on 6 Oct 2011

People like Bill Gates wouldn't have things like this said about him:

"The corporation is the most powerful tool we've ever invented. It's typically used as a club or a lever. Steve Jobs used it as a paintbrush."

Bill is a remarkable man, but he isn't the front man that Steve was.

The "Church of Apple" will still be there, just like the "Church of Microsoft", "Church of Android", "Church of OpenSource", "Church of whatever"...

It's a sad day and my condolences go to both his family and those he worked closely with.

By forquare1 on 6 Oct 2011

@forquare1

Actually, Bill Gates should have even nicer things said about him. He’s pledged to give away half his wealth (along with Buffet and the Facebook guy, but Jobs famously declined), and the amount he’s given away currently stands at $28 billion. Not too bad for just a “remarkable man”.

So while you’ll find Jobs being celebrated by our consumer societies for producing nice-looking, aluminium unibodied pieces of tech, perhaps let’s keep a little perspective here. Saving lives and helping the impoverished > shiny gadgets to show off to your mates.

And is that paintbrush one that you can't drop, one that only lets you paint what it itself wants to paint, and one that viciously attacks any other paintbrush that might also be in a paintbrush-esque shape? Sounds as much of a club as Microsoft ever was.

Brilliant man, nonetheless, who lit a touchpaper under our sluggish tech markets.

By TheHonestTruth on 6 Oct 2011

Haters...

Seriously, I have never bought an apple product and I frankly never cared for them

BUT

The man is a true visionary and a revolutionary, for better or for worse. I have an SG2 and I know this phone would never ever have existed if it wasn't for the iPhone.

By TheMegamale on 6 Oct 2011