October 5, 2011 was perhaps the saddest day for the tech industry when news broke out that Steve Jobs, the famous co-founder and leader of Apple, has passed away. Hailed as the Edison of our era, he created some of the most innovative, life-changing, and iconic products in recent years.
Rarely comes a human being who influences the lives of millions if not billions of people from around the world. It goes without saying that everyone, including his rivals, secretly admired Steve Jobs. Google, one of Apple’s closest competitors right now, wrote a simple tribute on its homepage, linking directly to Apple’s website. Even Bill Gates, who was his career’s biggest rival, had the following words to say:
“Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”