Today, Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple and became Chairman of its Board of Directors.
Some will see this as the end of Apple.
“Jobs’s greatest creation isn’t any Apple product. It is Apple itself.”
— John Gruber
While it is certainly the end of an era, it is not the end of Apple. Apple is Jobs’s greatest creation and it will continue in his image for the foreseeable future. Now, with him as Chairman. Later, when he retires completely.
Steve has been on medical leave from Apple since January. His third since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During each of these leaves, Tim Cook has acted as CEO while Steve has continued to be in contact with Apple and involved in all its major decisions. Now, that relationship becomes permanent. Tim Cook steps up as CEO and Steve Jobs becomes Chairman. In effect, nothing has changed.
Apple has also, over the last several years, created its own internal Apple University. This group has been charged with studying how Apple works and creating ways of teaching those secrets to all Apple employees. Apple’s innovations will not stop with the diminished input of its primary visionary. The vision and innovation will continue.
I wish nothing but the best for Steve and his family. For Apple, I expect it to continue to produce nothing but the best.
“Still unimaginable: that Jobs was the most important person in personal technology both in 1978 and in 2011.”
— Harry McCracken
