What is all of the hullabaloo about Steve Jobs? No disrespect to the man or anything, but he was just one guy out of many that died yesterday. For example, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, a civil rights icon also died. Strange but he does not quite get the sympathy that this multi-millionaire gets, though a case can be made that the Reverend singularly did more for Americans than what Steve Jobs singularly did for Americans. The difference between the two Americans probably reflects well on what is happening on Wall Street right now. Corporations and individuals; they are not one in the same. I believe we need to recognize the difference.
Jobs was the corporate face for what became one of the richest corporations in the world. However, that is not to say the Jobs was not an individual as well. He certainly was.
This is the fourth best thing I heard today. Thought someone might need to hear it. I certainly did.
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As important as the Reverend was, I never heard of him until now. So, if the passing of Jobs prompted you to give him his due respect, then itt sounds like Jobs passing may have brought this American to light.
ReplyDeleteCivil Rights Movement. Theres an APP for that: :http://tinyurl.com/4ypmjgw
And this too:
http://tinyurl.com/3hkj8pr
I believe Jobs should be emulated as a model of the true American Spirit, and very important to computers. But time for a reality check here: everything he did for you (if in fact he did anything at all for you), he did for your money.
ReplyDeleteAnd more than that, he did it for himself and those who invested in the company he ran.
He became a face and driver of a corporation. No different, in the end, than a captain on the most valuable ship ever built.
However, I loved, loved, loved his commencement address and it is that which I embrace more than anything else he may have contributed to society.
Perhaps I just don't understand your definition of "True American Spirit". Can you define it? Anyone that has followed him over his career knows he did it out of passion.
ReplyDeleteKnowing he was on the door step of death he never quit. If it was all about the money, then why would he continue to plan for the future of Apple. Great leaders of an kind are in such short supply. I have seen what bad ones can do. Steve was a great leader and we can learn so much from him. Logically speaking, a caption of a ship does not plan its blueprints and build it from the ground up. Nor does he spend his whole life with that same ship. Steve Jobs took a salary of only $1 dollar. He only benefited from his stocks. How many CEO's would have not taken a salary?
If you liked the commencement speech, then you would probably enjoy this clip from just 4 months ago. Steve knew he would not see his new campus but he felt so passionate about it that he spoke at city council.
http://youtu.be/gtuz5OmOh_M
Thanks.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I didn't choose the wisest of terms when I chose "True American Spirit" as a term to describe a business leader in the style of Henry J. Kaiser, J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Ray Kroc and others. I agree great business leaders such as these are in short supply. They all had passion, know-how and a record of success as did Jobs.
Jobs was a leader. To say or imply he is fully responsible for the success of Apple or technology in general, is to short-change the other contributors to the company or computing. He could not have done what he did with that company by himself.
The point of my post is to point out the fact that just because you or someone else uses an iphone does not merit this "sorrow" I saw emanating from everyone on facebook and everywhere else. For most of us, teachers did more for us personally than Jobs did for us. The Reverend did more for the poorest and most discriminated of Americans than Jobs did. Yet they all take a back page to some anonymous, and maybe reclusive guy who ran a company?
Hey he probably was a great guy. I feel bad for him on a personal level and for his family especially. He lived life on his terms. He followed his passion. He was succesful! But there it ends.
I appreciate the fact that the guy never quit. But really, you never hear of people with cancer who "quit". Everyone who has that horrible, nasty disease, would rather just keep working, do whatever they were doing or maximize whatever time they may have left in life. It is also very important for people in such a situation to be concerned with their legacy and want to leave something for those who follow (family, friends, colleagues, wills, business continuity plan, etc.) This man seems no different.
No salary? I will say it is more common than we may think, especially among proven corporate leaders when stocks and options are involved.
A visionary businessman and likely a good person, he led what became a ruthless, secretive and vindictive (yet extremely successful) company.
I guess people mourn in different ways. For many, he was an icon. And now this Icon will never touch them again as a living being.
ReplyDeleteCurious, would you put Ford above jobs as a "True American Spirit"?
I think you are spot on. And maybe I should not be so hard on those who lose someone they look up to. Who am I to say who and how people morn?
ReplyDeleteFord definitely made a mark and set the path for automobile manufacturing as it largely remains to day as he is credited with mass production and assembly line work.
I think Jobs will rank up there as well (time will tell). Unfortunately the two diverge if we talk about "American Spirit" in terms of production. I do believe Apple manufactures just about everything in China. However that is more a function of the times we live in and the economics in the equation.
Thanks a lot for your thoughts... You helped me to figure out an answer to my question.