Almost 23 years ago, an employee at Apple described Steve Jobs as one of the world’s few “rock star CEOs.” At that time, I couldn’t grasp why someone would refer to a CEO in such a glamorous way. A rock star is an artist who shapes cultural moments and garners a devoted following, whereas a CEO is just a CEO, right?
In my youth, I was unaware of Jobs’s profound impact on the tech sector—this was just over a year after Apple had introduced the original iPod, which had yet to dominate the market. However, I soon understood what that employee meant. My role at Apple was non-technical and relatively low-level, but when people learned I worked at the company, their eyes lit up, and one of their first questions was invariably, “So, what is Steve Jobs like?”
Although I never met Jobs personally, I once spotted him in Caffe Macs, Apple’s employee cafeteria. I remember telling someone about this encounter, and their response was, “Count yourself lucky. Very few people will ever be in the same room with a historical figure.” They went on to express how listening to their iPod mini was often the highlight of their day and asked me to convey their gratitude to Jobs for inventing such innovative devices.
That’s when it dawned on me—Jobs was indeed a rock star, admired even by strangers. Now, 20 years later, after witnessing how technology has permeated every aspect of our lives in ways even he might not have anticipated, I believe Steve Jobs will likely be the last universally beloved tech leader the world will ever see.
And that’s probably a good thing.
The Musk Factor
This thought didn’t emerge randomly; I’ve been reflecting on tech CEOs, particularly Elon Musk.
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