Walking into my office here at SnapStream, I felt a different energy in the air. As I sat down at my desk, I watched my cube-mate watch an old interview of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates from 2007. Around the corner, I can faintly hear our IT guy have a conversation with our head tester about what had transpired the night before: Steve Jobs died.
Last night, I was at a party and someone mentioned that Steve Jobs just passed away. I instantly pulled up the Apple Web site, ironically on an iPhone that Steve invented, and unfortunately found the rumors true. The confirmation of his passing affected me in a subtle but profound way. I come from a design background and always admired the artistry and detail that Apple brought to the tech space. Steve saved us from the beige and lifeless personal computing concepts and literally molded our technology future.
If media is a litmus test of cultural significance, today is a prime example. Witnessing the Tweets, YouTube tributes and searches on TV (what we do), there is an unlimited sense of gratitude for what Steve Jobs meant to millions around the world. When I started here eight years ago, I was pretty much the only Apple fanboy in the office. Now, it’s sort of a company ritual to watch the live feed of every Apple announcement.
Steve Jobs delivered nothing less than magic, a type of magic that transformed our culture, inspired discovery and amazed the kid at heart inside us all. Proving the impossible to be possible—that was the standard in his eyes and I can’t imagine the mediocrity we’d be living in if that wasn’t the case. I am very appreciative to experience the world that Jobs helped to mold. Maybe Steve’s inspiring messages, like his commencement speech to Stanford in 2005, will ensure that his inspiration will live on with us.
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.