Coding under the Hammer
Steve Jobs 1955-2011
Having never met the man, it does feel strange that I am so deeply sadden by Steve Jobs passing, and I suppose that is because what I do today is really down to him. Not only did Steve Jobs have the vision to create the Mac, iPhone and iPad that are in front of me on my desk, he also had the passion to make me want them too.
Looked up to by millions, Steve Jobs was a charismatic visionary, who will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest CEO of all time. Not only did he start the computing revolution when he founded Apple in 70s, in his second stint as Apple CEO he brought a company on the brink of bankruptcy to be the most valuable company in the world in just under 15 years. Time and time again he ripped up the rule book and released product after product that change the world for good.
I could go on about how he changed the world but you already know that, and there are plenty of other articles that put it better than me. What I would like to say is that Steve Jobs’ passing has reiterated 3 things to me:
1) Find what you love
You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.
Steve Jobs, Standford Speech (2005)
Don’t settle for second best, this is as true as it is for work as it is for love. You need to find what you love doing, and do that. If it makes you millions then thats great, but if it makes you happy then thats what counts.
2) Work hard to make it simple
That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.
Steve Jobs, Interview with Business Week, 1998
If you design an make stuff like me, your appreciate that one of the things that Steve Jobs has proven, is that users are willing to pay more for simplicity.
My favourite Steve Jobs Quote is:
Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
This goes hand in hand with simplify, it has to appear simple to use and be simple to use. Attention to detail in every aspect of design is key to a successful product. Make this your Mantra.
3) All good thing must come to an end
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.
Steve Jobs, Standford Speech (2005)
No matter how visionary you are, no matter how much money you have in the bank, one day you will be gone. Not everyone like Steve Jobs has the chance to become a legend, but you do have the chance to leave a legacy.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Well put !
Well put.
Although I don’t own any Apple products; I accept that without Steve Jobs’ leadership, Android probably wouldn’t exist.
[...] is not big on heroes but considered Jobs to be oneWalt Mossberg has some nice anecdotes…and three important quotesThere are lots more, you could probably spend most of today reading them all if you tried, but those [...]
I think you’re missing a big point of Steve, that is: don’t improve only. Create something new to change the world.
Agreed, but Steve didn’t invent the phone, tablet or mp3 player. What he done was redefine the given product category by simplifying it into something that people enjoyed using.
Yes, but his vision was completely new, that is. The way it worked, what you could do with a device. That was completely unimaginable before.
100% agree with you, he was a true visionary.
Steve Jobs RIP. This is a video for you: Steve Jobs RIP
I suspect that Steve Jobs represented different things to different people. I am not of the newer technologically savvy generation so I cannot begin to understand or judge the minds of others with respect to what Mr. Jobs represented to others perhaps for some he was a symbol of living life in the face of a terminal cancer diagnosis (keeping with the half full theme). On the other hand, I AM of the generation that knew, appreciated, and revered Mr. Shuttlesworth. I disagree with Brian’s assessment of the Washington Post’s coverage although below the fold, the Shuttlesworth obit was much more prominent on the front page than that of Mr. Jobs. In fact the single column on the front page regarding Mr. Jobs has a headline referring to his vision rather than his life. Maybe it is his vision that resonates with those who grieve his passing. Or maybe those people don’t have any idea why they are grieving a stranger; maybe it is simply the tolling of the bell that attracts them.
A good reminder to many of us that our day will come too and then we will ask what did we do during our lifetime, why we are here and what are we supposed to do.