Soundoff: RIP Steve Jobs

Generic Script

Wednesday, Oct. 5, the co-founder of Apple Steve Jobs—who also served as its chairman and Chief Executive Officer—died after struggling with pancreatic cancer. As the well-known technological maverick who had once owned Pixar, created the technology behind many of our easy-to-use gadgets today and revolutionized the way entertainment is delivered, Jobs' death was felt ubiquitously. The Chronicle's Chinmayi Sharma spoke with students about their reactions to the loss of this innovator. 

"If I were Steve Jobs, I would want to hear all the good things that people say about me before I died. It is said that all of the acknowledgement of him and his work comes when he is gone and can no longer appreciate it. He really did revolutionize technology and the way we use it. It’s weird how people always acknowledge people after they’re gone, like Michael Jackson.”

—Kelsey Short, senior

"I think Steve Jobs helped define how our society perceives entertainment and he played a key role in creating the technology to deliver it. The loss will be felt primarily there because he innovated much of the delivery methods we rely on because he knew both ends of the stick—in charge of Pixar, he learned what goes into a good movie but he also knows the technology to create it."

—Ethan Gottlieb, freshman

"It is extremely rare that you have a ‘great man’ more or less single-handedly shaping history—but Steve Jobs was exactly that."

—Scott Grundei, sophomore

"Without a doubt, Apple under Mr. Jobs was a visionary company that paced the rest of the field but to say that there will be a vacuum of innovation is truly underestimating the strength of the tech industry. While competition does partially dictate innovation, so too does necessity, demand and individual creativity. These factors, among others, I feel will continue to drive the industry. As far as innovation within Apple goes, I believe that Mr. Jobs was not the lone innovator in the room and so moving in the future, the type of people that Jobs hired and the company spirit and mentality he fostered will carry the company in the future and will sustain the innovation."

—Derek Schocker, freshman

"The news of his death is not only saddening, it also shows just how willing he was to continue working up until his final weeks. That, right there, shows his commitment and passion for his art."

—Joseph Lee, junior

"I was shocked at the news last night after being informed by Facebook. I couldn't believe such a giant in the world of technology had passed. Thinking about all that he had accomplished, it became very clear that Steve Jobs really had changed the world for a better place, bringing people together over entertainment with iTouches and iPods and revolutionizing the industry. Steve Jobs will always be remembered through the worldwide phenomena he created. Technology lost a mastermind yesterday."

—Matt Brown, junior

"I am truly saddened by Steve Jobs' death. I carry his Stanford graduation speech in my journal and sketch perspective studies of Apple products. Steve Jobs and his work have long inspired me. This will not change with his passing."

—Lina Colucci, senior

"Steve Jobs was a phenomenal human being who understood how to live life before death. He touched the lives of so many around the world through his inventions. However, there has been some criticism because little is generally known about his philanthropic contributions. Apple as a company has not been as receptive as some other companies regarding the use of conflict minerals in their products. He was a good man, but some more direct capital investment towards world's problems in education, health, environment, etc...similar to other billionaires like Gates or Zuckerberg would have been ideal. Nonetheless, his impact on mankind resonates strongly through the happiness he brought to many people via technology."

—Braveen Ragunanthan, senior