The Who2 Blog
Steve Jobs Has Died
Steve Jobs has died.
Apple announced the news this afternoon on its website. The company, tight-lipped about Jobs right to the end, mentioned no cause of death. But Jobs was known to have struggled with pancreatic cancer for several years.
Apple released an email from new CEO Tim Cook to Apple employees:
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
Jobs leaves behind a wife, Laurene Powell-Jobs -- they married in 1991 -- and their three children: Reed Paul, Erin Sienna and Eve. Jobs also had a daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, from a relationship in the 1970s.
Besides his remarkable achievements at Apple, Jobs also leaves behind his successes at the animation studio Pixar, which produced charming hits from Toy Story to Monsters, Inc. during his time as CEO. Pixar was bought by Disney in 2006 and Jobs became Disney's largest individual shareholder; Forbes estimated Jobs's net worth at $7 billion in September 2011.
Perhaps it's fitting that Steve Jobs and Walt Disney should be mentioned together: two superb and demanding creators, businessmen and pioneers.
Jobs wrote his own valedictory when he spoke to Stanford students at their graduation in 2005:
"...Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."