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Friday, October 7, 2011

Steve Jobs, the best we had

Just about every evening I watch Mad Money with Jim Cramer.  Last night Jim gave a moving tribute to Steve Jobs.  Of all the coverage I've seen or heard since Mr. Jobs passed away, this was, by far, the best.

Jim Cramer paid homage to Steve Jobs, a man he called uniquely American and "the best we had."

Cramer said it's hard to capture the importance of the iconic founder and former CEO of Apple.  Ford, Walton, Edison, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Steve Jobs left the whole pantheon in the dust.  While legends like Henry Ford revolutionized transportation and Sam Walton provided affordable clothing for all, Jobs had the power to transcend them all by making machines that made the impossible possible.  His Apple Stores have the greatest sales per square foot of anyone.  Apple's devices are not only innovative, but look cool and sleek.  Jobs seemed to know what the consumer would need 5 years ahead of time, and was one of the greatest CEOs in history.

Cramer said machines we never knew we needed turned out to be necessities, and it's hard to remember the time before computing was made easy for the masses.  He made machines that brought the democratization of thought to to all.  Just as inventions like the wheel, the pulley, the screw, the incline plane, and the lever were groundbreaking, we take them for granted now, like the iPod, iPhone and the iPad, but they were all invented once, too. Can you imagine if just one man invented all of them?  "He had vision. He had brilliance. He was otherworldly."

Then there's Jobs' $350 billion worth of wealth creation under his tenure.  This creation of wealth bought a lot of retirements and college tuitions and vacations, not to mention countless meals on the table.  Jobs was able to see four and five years ahead, to see around corners, and worked hard every day, never turning to Washington for help or money.

Cramer said Jobs was like Beethoven or Mozart and we simply may not be smart enough to truly understand his legacy.  In an era when Americans have a lot to not be proud of, Jobs showed us what we are capable of and provided us the tools to get there.

"It's Apple against the world.  And the world doesn't stand a chance."

Please take a moment to listen to this wonderful tribute in it's entirety.  It's worth your time.




6 comments:

  1. nice tribute...her was a brilliant mind and touched many lives and in ways that we never thought we needed....

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  2. I will listen to the clip at home - thanks for sharing that.  It's been lovely to see the wonderful tributes on facebook, too.  I will always think of him when I use my iPhone and iPod.  Such vision.

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  3. I LOVE that Everyone is paying such tribute to Steve Jobs - he was an amazing human being...his harvard speech alone was worth watching listening to - I hope I can leave just a small part of the legacy that hes left behind....thanks for this post

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  4. He was a truly brilliant man.

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  5. I concur.  He made so many contributions to education through his technology.  He was a visionary truly.  Awesome stuff written about him.  

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  6. I have only complaint on Jobs. He made his products so locked :(
    I love my iPod Touch. Thank You Jobs.

    http://reflectionspn.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/stay-hungry-stay-foolish/

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