Steve Jobs, a unique great innovator/entrepreneur/businessman

Steve Jobs passed away at a time when innovators/businessmen like him are needed to most to advance the world out of the mess created by the financial industry.

Jobs shared some traits with other extraordinary technologists/entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates in that he developed a passion for technologies during his childhood. Though he has genuine and deep appreciation of technologies, he never developed cutting edge technologies by himself. He fortunately had exceptionally brilliant technical staff such as Steve Wozniak surrounding him, creating the fabulous products while getting little credits from the public. Jobs never had the technical depth to advance the frontier of science or technology by his own work. By choice or necessity, he approached product development from usability point of view. His journey to India to search for spiritual enlightenment and his being fired by his chosen successor allowed him to think deep and out of the box for prolonged periods of time. This turned out to be fortunate for Jobs, Apple Inc. and the world. His confidence in his understanding of the consumer world and its future, his determination and focus on the direction he believed in produced products not fitting the taste of the public, but changing and enhancing it. He is truly unprecedented taste master. I do not know if or when the world will have a great taste master like Jobs.

Apple’s future depends on whether Jobs had developed a winning culture or just a cult following him.

Condolences to his family.