Remembering Steve Jobs

Today the world lost a very special man: Steve Jobs, the co-founder and CEO of Apple. For those of you who were unfamiliar with him, Steve was an unthinkably brilliant and unique man who started Apple with Steve Wozniak in his parents’ garage and was with the company for the vast majority of its short history. He was nothing like an average CEO. There is a place on the Apple website for people to send in their condolences to rememberingsteve@apple.com, and the following is what I sent:

At 11 years old, before I discovered writing, I wanted to work with computers. I wanted to write for MacWorld. I wanted to design new versions of Mac OS X and its slick, clean, humanistic interface. And Steve was my idol all the while; I watched every keynote, hung on every word that came from the emaciated figure in the black turtleneck … I can’t even begin to process what’s happened. For me, this is like losing someone who I didn’t even know could die. He exuded passion and love for his work, and from his tone of voice and gait alone one could tell that inside his brain resided a true genius’s soul, the soul of a true idea man, a man who could think with brilliant economy and foresight without losing any of his creative power. Steve was the closest thing on earth I’ve seen to a god, to someone who simply transcends all the industries and standards around him. I used to sketch all my ideas for new Mac OS X versions in notebooks and write on the back that if they were found, they should be mailed to Steve Jobs, 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino CA. To those who knew Steve personally I offer my deepest and most heartbroken condolences, for their tragedy is greater than mine could ever be. The world will remember Steve and all he did for the technology industry, but I’ll remember him for what he represented to me: innovation, clairvoyance, and cleanness of soul. May he rest in peace, and may his light continue to shine over the earth.