The departing of a genius

I was shocked earlier in the week when I heard of the passing away of Steve Jobs.  Whilst it has been obvious for some time he had been very poorly I had not anticipated that his illness was terminal.  

I have spent the last few years reading lots about Steve Jobs and Apple.  Many of the things which Apple have done has certainly influenced some of the strategic decisions we have taken at _space group and also some of the cultural developments we have made. 

I don’t say this lightly but I do think Steve Jobs had an incredible gift and could be defined as a genius. 

He had the ability to see into the future and sense markets producing unbelievable products which broke new ground every time.  There is often much debate about what the word innovation means however I think much of what Apple and Steve Jobs done can only be defined as innovative.

He built a culture and a brand in his relatively short life span with a global dominance in such a short space of time.

Whilst he is renouned for his success at Apple in recent times I also think similar successes are equally amazing. 

He started out pushing new ideas with the Mackintosh computer and maybe he was too soon or dominated by the Microsoft juggernaut.  When he fell out with the board  at Apple he put everything into 3D animation and Pixar.  Having read his biography of his time it is clear that he gambled a lot and even remortgaged his house to keep the funding going for Pixar.  Ultimately he went on to sell Pixar and become a major shareholder in Disney who are yet another major global brand. 

His success at Apple during his second tenure is probably his greatest achievement.  His legacy will come from this period, a range of products which have had a huge impact across the globe. 

I hope the culture that Steve Jobs built is maintained and that the team he leaves behind continues to be innovative themselves rather than living in the shadow of Steve himself.

I think it will be many many years if ever that one person will have such a huge impact on culture across the globe.