The Cult of Personality
Two days removed from Steve Jobs’ resignation as CEO of Apple, the dust has settled and a new era has been ushered in to the company that revolutionised computing.
Jobs made the decision to step down due to ongoing health problems stemming from pancreatic cancer he developed in 2004.
Described as an egomaniac by many and seen as excessively demanding by some of his fellow executives, Jobs’ innovation and drive to succeed could never be called into question. He is revered the world over by gamers, techies and computer enthusiasts. Jobs, who left the company in 1984, returned in 1996 and is hailed as the man who saved Apple from ruin.
O Globo, one of Brazil’s largest newspapers, stated, ”Steve Jobs created our world.”
On the back of his resignation, shares did drop marginally but nothing to the extent that some economists had predicted. Shares fell less than 1% and still did better than most other indexes.
He is succeeded by Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook, who faces a stern challenge at the beginning of his reign, with the launch of the iPhone 5. While Jobs was a charismatic figure and excellent public speaker, Cook is a more reserved, low-key individual based on statistics and analysis. It will be interesting to see how he manages the PR side of things.
Steve Jobs was a man who was respected both internally and by his competitors alike. Jobs’ infectious personality has become somewhat of a cult image in the gaming and technology industry and while Apple’s core has stepped aside, his legacy will live forever.
In Focus
NODE Architects Dave Egan Dave is a graduate of Bolton Street School of Architecture and a member of the RIAI. He worked with Noel O’Dwyer in Sam Stephenson & Company for two years after graduating and joined Duffy Mitchell Architects (later DMOD) in 1997. Over the course of 11 years with DMA/DMOD Dave designed and [...]
