Steve Jobs
Unless you were under a rock somewhere, you learned the news that first shot through the wired world about 12 hours ago: Steve Jobs, the iconic Apple CEO, died yesterday. Jobs was quite an individual. Not only did he shape the company that’s synonymous with his name but he put his mark on all of Silicon Valley as well. It’s hard to imagine a Silicon Valley without Steve Jobs, actually.
I played this clip for the kids of Jobs comparing a computer to a “bicycle for our minds” and I couldn’t help staring at Jobs as he spoke. In his 20s at the time, Jobs is every bit like a big, excited kid. Those eyes burn fiercely with a childlike curiosity, like he’s hopped aboard a rocket that will soon be blasting off to points unknown.
I compared those eyes with the ones in this portrait taken of him later in life (and seen above). Though he’s slimmer here, that passion is still fiercely present in his eyes.
Death was the only thing that could extinguish that passion in those eyes. Godspeed on your next adventure, Steve. You helped make the world more fun.