"Death is ... the single most important invention of life," then
Apple CEO Steve Jobs told students at their Stanford University
graduation ceremony.
Existential words for a once self-described Buddhist, but Jobs is a
complex guy. "Death is very likely the single best of invention of
life ... it is life's change agent," he told the grads. "Your time
is limited. So don't waste it by living someone else's life."
Watch these classic Jobs videos -- performance and candid scenes.
He jokes, chides and waxes eloquent. He discusses his thoughts on
his childhood, his love of design, early work with Apple cofounder
Steve Wozniak, views on Microsoft, Xerox PARC, innovation and, most
poignantly, how to live life with an acute awareness of inevitable
death. Carpe Diem.
"When I was 17," he said, "I read a quote that went something like,
'If you live your life each day as if it were your last, some day
almost certainly you'll be right. And I never forgot it."
The crowd shifted uncomfortably. Some nervous laughter among
journalists and analysts. Jobs was just a year into his treatment
for a rare form of pancreatic cancer at the time -- but he ignored
the discomfort and went on.
"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to
avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are
already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." The
crowd fell silent.
If this sounds more like Sartre or Kahlil Gibran than the
hard-driving, fist-pounding image you have of Jobs, who resigned as
Apple CEO Wednesday, get ready.
Start here in 1997. Below, Steve Jobs first announces his return
to Apple. It had been 13 years since his embarrassing, public
ouster from the company he founded with Steve Wozniak in 1975.
It doesn't get more frank than this. Here Jobs waxes eloquent on
a variety of topics, entreating students to be aware of their
inevitable deaths and make the most of every day.
Remember Jobs' announcement of the first iPod? This from
2001.
In this video, Jobs unveils the iTunes store and opportunities
to make apps for it to developers. It's a true music medium and
platform. For many, it's hard to remember life without iTunes. I
bet Jobs intended that. Ubiquitous iTunes..
Jobs is in rare form here at the iPhone announcement.
And here he is introducing the Apple iPad. January 2010.
In this edgy technews panel, Jobs rails on why "Apple does not ship
junk" and deeply describes design and manufacturing aesthetic.
Jobs takes on Microsoft designwise. Pretty rough stuff!
Here he tells Bill Gates a joke.
Editor: Inside joke. Jobs is quoting ex Apple CEO Gil Amelio,
repeating a serious answer Amelio gave me in a 1994 industry party.
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, Jobs' best friend, was in earshot. He
thought it was hilarious. He told Steve, and I guess now it's part
of the repertoire.
The satire makes even made Bill Gates guffaw.
Jobs talks about Xerox PARC, which gave Wozniak and Jobs the
earliest look at its graphical user interface.sh. "Xerox could've
owned the computer industry," he said. Apple took some of the best
ideas and ran with them, he said in this compelling, candid
interview.
On a lighter note, fans the world over are posting tribute
videos about Jobs. YouTube is rocking this. Jobs has a bigger
fanbase than Elvis -- or maybe it just looks that way to BYTE.
Check this out and smile. Best of luck to you, Steve.
Jobs left at the top of his game -- ironically the same day
Apple shot down Google Android with a major blow in Europe. Always
the showman, Jobs couldn't have possibly timed it that way. Or
would he?
Source:
InformationWeek USA