“Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.”
Feburary 24, 1955-October 5, 2011
“Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.”
Steve Jobs was an American inventor, designer, and entrepreneur who was the cofounder, chief executive, and chairman of Apple Inc. Born in 1955 to two University of Wisconsin graduate students who gave him up for adoption, Jobs was smart but directionless, dropping out of college and experimenting with different pursuits before cofounding Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976. Jobs left the company in 1985, launching Pixar Animation Studios, then returned to Apple more than a decade later. The tech giant’s revolutionary products, which include the iPhone, iPad, and iPod, have dictated the evolution of modern technology. Jobs died in 2011 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Steve Jobs grew up with his adoptive family in Mountain View, California, which later became known as Silicon Valley. As a child, he was very curious, sometimes leading to accidents like burning his hand by putting a pin in an electrical socket and swallowing poison. His mother, Clara, taught him to read before he started school.
Jobs and his father, Paul, spent time in their garage working on electronics. Paul showed him how to take apart and rebuild things, which gave Jobs confidence and mechanical skills.
Although Jobs was smart, he found school boring and often caused trouble. His fourth-grade teacher had to bribe him to study, but he tested so well that his school wanted him to skip grades, though his parents didn’t agree.
In high school, Jobs joined a tech club at Hewlett-Packard (HP), where he saw a computer for the first time and got a summer job. It was here that he met Steve Wozniak, who later co-founded Apple with him.
After high school, Jobs went to Reed College in Oregon but dropped out after six months. He stayed around the campus, taking creative classes like calligraphy, which influenced his later work with typography.
In 1974, Jobs worked at Atari as a video game designer, but soon left to travel to India, searching for spiritual enlightenment and experimenting with psychedelic drugs.
Steve Jobs became successful by revolutionizing the tech industry. After cofounding Apple in 1976, he introduced innovative products like the Apple II and Macintosh, which gained massive popularity. Despite being ousted from the company in 1985, Jobs founded Pixar, which became a major success with films like Toy Story. Upon his return to Apple in 1997, he led the creation of groundbreaking products like the iPhone and iPad, transforming Apple into one of the most valuable companies in the world. By the time of his death in 2011, Jobs' estimated net worth was around $10.2 billion, with much of his wealth coming from his shares in Apple and Disney.
Throughout his career, Steve Jobs achieved numerous milestones that changed the face of modern technology. He co-founded Apple and was instrumental in the development of revolutionary products such as the Macintosh, the first commercially successful personal computer with a graphical user interface. His vision led to the creation of the iPod, which transformed the music industry, and the iPhone, which redefined mobile technology. Jobs also founded Pixar Animation Studios, which produced iconic animated films like Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Under his leadership, Apple became one of the most valuable companies in the world, with products that continue to shape industries and lifestyles globally.