I wanted to avoid posting any more of the Steve Jobs retrospectives, but I thought Jean-Louis Gassée did a great job at summing up the outpouring of support for Jobs at the time of his death, and a good assesment of his legacy, Apple. I think Gassèe’s position as a former insider gives him some unique insights:
When he returned to the helm at Apple in 1997, Steve Jobs righted a foundering company. Upon his death fourteen years later, Jobs left behind a giant… and many questions: Could Apple pull off more miracles like the iPhone and the iPad? Would Tim Cook be more than a supremely competent operating executive? Four years ago, on October 5th, 2011, Steve Jobs left us. His demise triggered an outpouring of grief that’s rarely seen for political and religious leaders, let alone a mere CEO. Within minutes — literally — flowers and testimonials began to pile up at the door of his neighborhood Apple store in Palo Alto and, soon, around the world: At the time, I felt that the breadth and depth of the sentiment was justified. There had never been such a successful company turnaround, such a string of successful products, such an arc of personal transformation from unruly young man to Grand Master of Management. Four years later, I’m still moved by the reaction to Jobs’ death, and I wouldn’t change
