Following the death of Kenyan marathoner Sammy Wanjiru in May, I wrote a memorial considering his place in the history of the marathon. Yesterday, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. While I know a great deal less about technology and the history of computing than of distance running, it still seems right as a historian to consider the important role that Steve Jobs has played in that story. For it seems that much as Wanjiru helped change the way athletes and non-athletes alike think about the marathon, Jobs helped lead the way in technological innovation off and on over the last three decades. And while I don't believe you need to be famous or visionary to warrant a memorial, still I think it's important to consider the achievements and effects brought on by innovative people or groups; there are a lot of reasons why movies from the end of the 90's feel dated, and Steve Jobs is one of them. So with that, here is a little memorial to Steve Jobs (1955-2011).
Upon his death, Mr. Jobs has been eulogized by many. Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money called Jobs, "the best America had." The Onion, a satirical newspaper, took the matter, well, satirically, a step further, calling Mr. Jobs, "The last American who knew what the F[***] he was doing." However which way you split it, Mr. Jobs' vision has clearly left a legacy.
But by what kind of legacy will we remember him? The Economist, a British newspaper, called Jobs a "Wizard" who, "stood out in three ways--as a technologist, a corporate leader and as someone able to make people love what had previously been impersonal, functional gadgets." His achievements followed from these premises. Says the Economist, "He repeatedly took an existing but half-formed idea--the mouse-driven computer, the digital music player, the smart phone, the tablet computer--and showed the rest of the industry how to do it properly." While controlling in his executive style, Jobs also " empowered millions of people by giving them access to cutting-edge technology." In short, the legacy of Mr. Jobs was established by his ability to innovate, and by the way his creations helped empower others to do the same.
The implications of this phenomenon have already proved wide-reaching. Some even speculate that Jobs' products could lead to new ways of thinking about government. Matt Bai, a blogger for The New York Times, suggests (here) that Jobs tapped into modern society's increasingly congruent notion of individualism (what Bai calls, "customization") and community, calling them "the twin pillars of the digital age." Bai argues that current political debate assumes these "pillars" are incompatible: "Either we're being told that centralized, 20th-century systems can never be changed to accommodate more individual flexibility (like, say, decoupling health care from employment), or we're being told that all federal programs are wasteful and that every American should basically fend for himself. Either we're suppose to entirely rely on large institutions, or we're suppose to rely only on ourselves."What future generations may believe is unknown, but the experience of growing up surrounded by Jobs-inspired Apple products may well help to bring digital political ethics into main-stream politics.
Whatever the implications, it is clear that, in the moment anyway, Steve Jobs has left an indelible mark on society and how people think about technology, politics, and the world. For better or worse, he overturned the notion that the customer always knows what he or she wants; instead, seeking to create products that fill a place in people's lives that did not yet exist. This in itself mirrors the emerging trend that upwards of half the jobs school-children today will one day occupy do not yet even exist. Furthermore, increasingly people on the web--such as Leo Babauta of ZenHabits--advocate that people can and should create their own job when traditional avenues of employment prove unfulfilling. The types of technology pioneered by Jobs has enabled an entire generation and more to dare to rethink society itself.
And it is on this point perhaps, which Jobs' legacy holds the greatest weight. Apple products of today will soon be out of date, and given sufficient time, the actual devices which Jobs pioneered will be relegated to the antiquated-technology pile. But the shift in social consciousness, and potentially even the inculcation of digital ethics in law and politics, could have profound effects upon future societies. These particular trends--should they ever materialize--will have many people to thank, and one of them will be Steve Jobs.
And so we celebrate the life and achievements of one of the great minds of our time. Not everyone agreed with him, and some may one day curse his name. But presently, it seems fitting that we should remember a person who dared to think differently, and create something novel for the world in which he lived.
Farewell, Steve Jobs, and thank you for your efforts. You will be missed even by those who never met you. Farewell.
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