Steve Jobs
In 1997, Jobs returned as CEO to a near-bankrupt Apple after it acquired his company NeXT. His comeback sparked a string of era-defining products, the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad, that made Apple one of the most valuable companies in the world.
The Garage Startup
Born in San Francisco and adopted as an infant, Jobs co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976. The Macintosh he unveiled in 1984 brought the graphical interface to the mass market.
Exile and Return
Pushed out of Apple in 1985, Jobs founded NeXT and bought Pixar. When Apple acquired NeXT in 1997, he returned to rescue the company from the brink of bankruptcy.
Reinventing Industries
Working closely with designer Jony Ive, Jobs led the launch of the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. He died in 2011 at age 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, leaving a transformed tech landscape.
Career Timeline
- 1976Co-founds Apple with Steve Wozniak
- 1984Introduces the Macintosh personal computer
- 1985Forced out of Apple; founds NeXT
- 1986Buys Pixar and becomes its majority owner
- 1997Returns to Apple as CEO
- 1998Launches the iMac, reviving Apple's fortunes
- 2001Unveils the iPod music player
- 2007Introduces the first iPhone
- 2010Launches the iPad tablet
- 2011Resigns as CEO and dies on October 5
Biggest Hits
- Jobs bought Pixar from Lucasfilm in 1986 and later saw it become an animation powerhouse with 'Toy Story.'
- The 'Think Different' campaign that launched on his return helped rebuild Apple's brand around creativity and design.
Portrait: Matthew Yohe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons