Last night’s 16th Annual Webby Awards saw a tribute to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The tribute was introduced by the actors who starred in some of Apple’s most well-known advertisements. Justin Long and John Hodgman, better known as the Mac and PC of the “I’m a Mac” ads, spoke briefly before introducing Richard Dreyfuss, who provided the voice-over for the 1997 “Crazy Ones” ad.
Dreyfuss spoke briefly about Jobs and his impact on the world of technology – and the world in general. He noted that companies like Google and Facebook produce products and services that are widely used and extremely popular, but that the companies themselves are not trusted. Jobs, he said, was different; he “got it.” Though not particularly interested in the cult of personality, Jobs was able to produce hugely popular products while simultaneously maintaining an excellent public image for both himself and his company. Acceptance speeches at the Webbys are generally limited to five words, and Dreyfuss did his best to uphold this tradition by describing Jobs as the “exception that proves the rule.”
A video tribute to Jobs followed Dreyfuss’s speech. The video features several well-known figures offering their own tributes to Jobs – some in only five words, some in a few more. You’ll probably recognize quite a few faces in the video, which includes tributes from Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bono, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, President Obama, and others. Check it out below:
And in case you don’t remember the “Crazy Ones” ad, you can check it out, too. The voice over was written by Jobs himself. He even recorded it himself, though he ultimately chose to have Dreyfuss provide the voice for the ad.