The death of Steve Jobs has inspired many, many people to share their thoughts on the life of a man they truly admired, and that includes a lot of big names. Following is a list of 100 such reactions from names many will recognize, spanning throughout the tech and journalism industries as well as celebrities in politics, movies, music, sports, etc.
Share your thoughts about Steve Jobs in the comments.
Note: In many cases, these are not the entire statements. Many had paragraphs more to say about Jobs. You could fill a very large book or perhaps a set of encyclopedias to really get it it all in there.
The List
1. The Jobs family: “In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness.”
Tech Leaders and Journalists/Bloggers
2. Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak: “It’s like the world lost a John Lennon – I mean Steve was clearly the most outstanding business thinker and almost everybody high up in the technology business recognized that somehow he had the ability to think out new ways of doing things, not just ways to improve what we have (do a better version of something) but do it in a totally different way that the world would swing towards.”
3. Apple CEO Tim Cook: “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being.”
4. Apple’s Board of Directors: “Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”
5. Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter: “He saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply ‘make it great.'”
6. Walt Disney President Bob Iger: “Steve was such an ‘original,’ with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started.”
7. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates: “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.”
8. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen: “We’ve lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by how he persevered.”
9. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer: “I want to express my deepest condolences at the passing of Steve Jobs, one of the founders of our industry and a true visionary. My heart goes out to his family, everyone at Apple and everyone who has been touched by his work.”
10. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang: “Steve was my hero growing up. He not only gave me a lot of personal advice and encouragement, he showed all of us how innovation can change lives. I will miss him dearly, as will the world.”
11. Google CEO Larry Page: “He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me.”
12. Google co-founder Sergey Brin: “From the earliest days of Google, whenever Larry and I sought inspiration for vision and leadership, we needed to look no farther than Cupertino. Steve, your passion for excellence is felt by anyone who has ever touched an Apple product (including the macbook I am writing this on right now). And I have witnessed it in person the few times we have met.”
13. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt: ““Today is very sad for all of us. Steve defined a generation of style and technology that’s unlikely to be matched again. Steve was so charismatically brilliant that he inspired people to do the impossible, and he will be remembered as the greatest computer innovator in history.”
14. Google Research Director Peter Norvig: “Honor Steve Jobs: resolve to do something insanely great.”
15. Google head of web spam Matt Cutts: “The tech industry lost an amazing, world-changing person today. Rest in peace, Steve.”
16. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: “Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.”
17. Dell CEO Michael Dell: ” The legacy of Steve Jobs will be remembered for generations to come.”
18. Serial entrepreneur Bill Gross: “Steve Jobs is in 6.36% of EVERY Tweet in the world right now, 50% of my Google+ stream, and in 100% of our thoughts. #HeMadeTheWorldABetterPlace”
19. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop: “Steve’s passion for simplicity and elegance leaves us all a legacy that will endure for generations.”
20. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo: “”Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesnt just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement. #RIPSteveJobs”
21. Twitter/Square co-founder Jack Dorsey: “Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. Your genius will live on for generations to come…”
22. Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley: “”
23. Sean Parker of Facebook, Napster, Plaxo, Spotfiy, etc.: “Steve Jobs was the most important technology leader of our era—perhaps even the most important business leader of our era. He was also a unique figure in the world of business and technology, a man who demonstrated—more so than any other—that pure force of will, energy, and creative drive can change the world for the better.”
24. Virgin Chairman Richard Branson: “He was a truly great businessman but more than that he was an inspiration to young people, entrepreneurs, inventors, designers, early adopters, budding musicians, and people with disabilities who discovered with Apple’s devices a way to engage with the world.”
25. AOL co-founder Steve Case: “”I feel honored to have known Steve Jobs. He was the most innovative entrepreneur of our generation. His legacy will live on for the ages.”
26. Salesforce CEO Mac Benioff: “”Steve Jobs was the greatest leader our industry has ever known. We are all blessed by his life. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
27. Sony CEO Howard Stringer: “The digital age has lost its leading light, but Steve’s innovation and creativity will inspire dreamers and thinkers for generations.”
28. iEntry CEO and WebProNews Founder Rich Ord: “A sad day for America. Steve Jobs was our generation’s Thomas Edison.”
29. Journalism industry voice Jeff Jarvis: “We have lost our Gutenberg, Edison, Picasso, Carnegie….”
30. O’Reilly Media Founder Tim O’Reilly: “May the uncompromising vision of Steve Jobs live on, inspiring others, making them reach further, do better.”
31. Technologizer Founder Harry McCracken: “Pixar alone would have been a dazzling legacy.”
32. Demand Media CEO Richard Rosenblatt: “I am sad; just teared up when I heard steve jobs died; a true inspiration and the CEO I admired most with no real number 2. Farewell.”
33. Mark Cenedella, Founder of The Ladders: “We’ve lost our Jobs. Life / swipes by, fingerprints reveal: / He adopted us. #ThankYouSteve”
34. Search Engine Land Editor-in-Chief Danny Sullivan: “Me to boys: Did you hear about Steve Jobs. Yes. What do you think about that? ‘It’s sad because he has four kids.’ Kids always bring it home.”
35. Mashable Founder Pete Cashmore: “‘Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.’ — Steve Jobs”
36. Mashable editor Ben Parr: “You were the force behind multiple computing revolutions. You created a company that changed how we interact with the world. And for good measure, you created on[e] that changed the face of entertainment.”
37. Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walt Mossberg: “He did what a CEO should: Hired and inspired great people; managed for the long term, not the quarter or the short-term stock price; made big bets and took big risks.”
38. GigaOm founder Om Malik: “Every generation has its heroes. I was too provincial to love the Beatles and cry over John Lennon. I was too Indian to care much about Elvis. And I read about President Kennedy in books. But for me, Steve Jobs was all of those people. I don’t know why, how and where that happened but Jobs was my icon.”
39. TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington: “Damn. People like steve jobs are supposed to live forever.”
40. Tech influencer Robert Scoble: “I was driving on the freeway in Cupertino when I heard the news. Shocking. So much emotion is swirling about.”
41. Journalist Katie Couric: “Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. You’ve changed forever the world you leave behind.”
42. Film critic Roger Ebert: “I’m reading about the loss of Steve Jobs on the 17th Macintosh I’ve owned.”
43. Huffington Post Founder Ariana Huffington: “My thoughts go out to Steve Jobs’ family and friends. Thank you for changing our world.”
Politics
44. President Barack Obama: “Steve was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.”
45. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg: “Again and again over the last four decades, Steve Jobs saw the future and brought it to life long before most people could even see the horizon.”
46. California Gov. Edmund Brown: “”Steve Jobs was a great California innovator who demonstrated what a totally independent and creative mind can accomplish. Few people have made such a powerful and elegant imprint on our lives.”
47. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: “”His sage advice was respected by policymakers on both sides of the aisle. His courageous fight against cancer brought strength to many.”
48. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney: “Steve jobs is an inspiration to American entrepreneurs. He will be missed.”
49. Maria Shriver: “I’m so happy that I knew him and was so blessed by his friendship. He impacted all of our lives and changed the world.”
50. Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich: “Steve jobs was an American original-courageous, determined, creative, willing to take on the establishment-he will be missed.”
51. Presidential candidate Herman Cain: “This country is made great by those who personify the American Dream; Steve Jobs gave us new ways with which to dream.”
52. Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman: “Sad to hear about the passing of Steve Jobs, a true inspiration and a great American innovator.”
53. Congressman Charles Rangel: “#ThankYouSteve Your iPad has opened a whole new world for me at age 81. We’re sad to see u go but are grateful to have had u. RIP”
Entertainment
54. Actor/writer Wil Wheaton: “I feel so weird about Steve Jobs’ passing. I never knew him, I never met him, I don’t think I was ever in the same place with him… but he had such a huge impact on my life, I can honestly and without hyberbole say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”
55. Alyssa Milano: “Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. You were always a big part of my world with your special inventions. Thank you for your brain.”
56. Actor/comedian Dane Cook: “Thank you Steve Jobs for so many ‘wow, that’s really cool’ moments. You changed the world by believing in your dreams.”
57. Filmmaker George Lucas: “The magic of Steve was that while others simply accepted the status quo, he saw the true potential in everything he touched and never compromised on that vision. He leaves behind an incredible family and a legacy that will continue to speak to people for years to come.”
58. Musician Jeffrey Biegel: “Steve Jobs expanded technology and the progress of computerization from the 20th to the 21st century as Ludwig van Beethoven transcended the world of music, transitioning from late Classical style to the Romantic style from the 18th century into the 19th century.”
59. Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Steve lived the California Dream every day of his life and he changed the world and inspired all of us. #ThankYouSteve”
60. Rapper Snoop Dogg: “RIP Steve Jobs Rest in peace homie.”
61. Comedian/actor Jimmy Fallon: “Thank you, Steve Jobs, for all of the fun and amazing ways you made our lives better….Sent from my iPhone.”
62. Singer Weird Al Yankovic: “RIP Steve Jobs. Thanks for improving life as we know it.”
63. Comedian/Actor Patton Oswalt: “RIP Steve Jobs. Closest thing we had to Tony Stark.”
64. Actor Neil Patrick Harris: “Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. Your genius will live on for generations to come…”
65. Actor Ashton Kutcher: “We have all surfed on the wake of Steve Jobs ship. Now we must learn to sail, but we will never forget our skipper.”
66. TV producer Steve Levitan: ” I’m so sorry to hear about the death of Steve Jobs. He was truly one of my heroes. He leaves one hell of a legacy. #iSad”
67. Radio personality Howard Stern: “Steve Jobs was a true original. So Sad. A tremendous loss.”
68. Performer will.i.am: “#youchangetheworld we lost a great innovator…steve jobs designed a whole new world…he will be missed…”
69. TV/radio personality Ryan Seacrest: “‘Have the courage to follow ur heart & intuition. They already know what u truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.’ – Steve Jobs”
70. TV host Nancy Grace: “About to go to air & discovered news about Steve Jobs – My heart goes out to his family tonight. #RIP Steve Jobs”
71. Actor Zach Braff: “RIP Steve Jobs. A legend. A visionary innovator.”
72. Singer Nick Lachey: ” Best wishes to the family of #stevejobs. What an amazing man and amazing life! Certainly, his legacy will be with us all forever. #RIP.”
73. Actor/filmmaker Jon Favreau: “We lost a man of true vision today. Condolences to the whole Apple family.”
74. Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof: “Steve Jobs. On behalf of every dreamer sitting in his or her garage who is crazy enough to try to change the world, you will be missed.”
75. Actor/writer/comedian Donald Glover: “R.I.P. Steve Jobs. I can honestly say you changed my life and the world many times over.”
76. Model/TV personality Tyra Banks: “As I type on my iPhone, tears spring2 my eyes4an amazingMan I never met. His genius has touched us all. Steve Jobs, you will b/with us 4ever”
77. Actor Jim Carrey: Steve Jobs was an amazing man. He will live in my hard drive forever! ?;^}”
78. Actor Steven Weber: “‘Death…is life’s change agent…’ Steve Jobs”
79. Actress Busy Phillipps: “RIP Steve Jobs. What an incredible man. He will leave a legacy that will go far beyond his inventions…”
80. Actor Zachary Levi: “May we all aspire to change the world the way Steve Jobs has. We’ve only one life. Make the best of it. #ripstevejobs”
81. Actor/comedian Joe Rogan: “Steve Jobs has died and left behind the greatest computer company the world has ever known. A vision reached, a dream fulfilled.”
82. Comedian Hodgman (the PC in the Mac commercials): “Everything good I have done, I have done on a Mac.”
83.Actress Rose McGowan: “I am beyond sad about Steve Jobs’ passing. Beyond.”
84. Writer/director Harry Shearer: “Steve, thank you for changing our lives for the better.”
85. Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright: “Farewell and R.I.P. Steve Jobs. Written from a Macbook.”
86. Writer/actress Mindy Kaling: “Hard not to think how much Steve Jobs could’ve done with more years. So sad. You’re the best, Steve.”
87. Reading Rainbow host Levar Burton: “Even though I never met him, I’m feeling the loss of Steve Jobs on a very personal level.”
88. Writer/director/comedian David Wain: “Prayers to Steve Jobs. But he knows that, since his company’s been tracking everybody in a database for quite a while.”
89. Musician Trent Reznor: “Thanks for the tools, the inspiration, the possibilities… Miss you already Steve.”
90. Pee-Wee Herman: “RIP Steve Jobs.”
91. Actor Ben Savage: “Thank you, Steve Jobs. Your passion, intellect and creativity truly have changed our world. You will be missed.”
92. Actor Danny DeVito: “Steve Jobs miss you from the planet have you with me every day on earth”
93. Actor/comedian Tom Wilson (Biff from Back to the Future): “Prayers to Steve Jobs. But he knows that, since his company’s been tracking everybody in a database for quite a while.”
94. Actor Kevin Spacey: “The world lost a true visionary today. Think different.”
Sports
95. Cyclist Lance Armstrong: “‘A computer is the most remarkable tool that we’ve ever come up with. It’s a bicycle for our minds’ – Steve Jobs”
96. NBA star Lebron James: “R.I.P Steve Jobs. Someone who definitely left his mark on this world! Innovations that will live and last forever!!”
97. Pro skater Tony Hawk: “Steve Jobs was the man.”
98. NFL star Ndamukong Suh: “It is very sad to hear that Mr. Steve Jobs has passed.He Will be greatly missed in many ways, will pray for his family!! #RIPSteveJobs#Apple”
99. ESPN reporter Adam Schefter: “One of the greatest innovators in history is gone. RIP, Steve Jobs.”
100. NFL legend Jerry Rice: “Thoughts and prayers go out to the friends n family of Steve Jobs. The man is an icon who changed technology forever. #Apple #MAC”
Can you sum up your thoughts on Steve Jobs in a sentence or two? If so, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments (it’s ok if you go beyond two sentences).
You can join others in expressing your condolences on the Steve Jobs page at FamousDead.com.