Cook’s sincere message read, “Thinking of my friend Steve on his birthday – the lives he touched, the vision he shared, and the profound impact he had on our world.” He went on to quote Jobs’ famous motto, “We’re here to put a dent in the universe.Otherwise, why else even be here?” With the message attached is a picture of Steve Jobs from 2001 wearing his iconic black turtleneck.
This is not Cook’s first fond tribute to his former boss and mentor. In interviews, he has often spoken of lessons learned from Jobs, like the importance of enjoying the journey rather than solely focusing on end goals. “You know I always used to think about the next thing, and always sort of put off the happiness until the next thing occurs. And of course, the next thing never occurs. But he taught me the joy is in the journey,” Cook has said.
In a tribute tweeted on Jobs’ birthday last year, Cook wrote that “People with the most to teach live like they have the most to learn – and Steve loved learning. He was the most curious person I’ve ever met, which made him the best teacher I’ve ever known.”
Jobs, who co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976, revolutionised personal computing with products like the Macintosh computer. After being ousted from Apple in 1985, he returned in 1997 when the company acquired Jobs’ new venture NeXT. His second tenure oversaw the launch of iconic, revolutionary products like the iMac, iPod, and iPhone. By the time of Jobs’ death from cancer in 2011, Apple had been transformed from a struggling company to one of the world’s most valuable.
Now 11 years after Jobs’ passing, his influence still permeates Apple and the technology landscape as a whole. If he were still alive, today would have marked the tech icon’s 69th birthday. But through tributes like Cook’s latest heartfelt message, Jobs’ vision and spirit live on.