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Monday, August 29, 2011

Steve Jobs Is A Change Agent

A terrific article by David Carr in the NY Times this morning on the effect that Steve Jobs had on many industries including computing, publishing, and music. And while many articles have praise Jobs, it is sad to note that they sometimes read like an obituary. Despite resigning as CEO, my hope is that he is still fighting the good fight to return his health to normal and to remain a key part of Apple.

It is this quote in Carr's article that most got to me, "In truth, Mr. Jobs’s effect on the media landscape has been less pernicious than opportunistic. He did not set out to destroy existing business models, he just noticed their lack of relevance and came up with new ones that kept consumers happy and Apple fat." Before Apple, the web was already hurting a number of industries. Illegal downloads and declining subscriptions were results of the web. Apple found business models that encouraged purchases and expanded the ways to easily watch, listen, and read. He made us need devices we didn't even know we wanted. And made iPhones, iPads, and iPods essential items.

Jobs may have had his failures (Lisa is named on many lists) but it is exactly what our parents and teachers remind us, from failure comes success. Jobs was never afraid to fail and his continual trying to make it right will be recognized for many years to come. I only hope that Steve Jobs remains with us just as long.