Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was given up for adoption at birth, dropped out of college after one semester, and spent time sleeping on the floor of friends’ dorm rooms. He was difficult, often cruel, and demanded perfection from people who were already exhausted. He was also right about almost everything. Jobs didn’t invent the personal computer, the smartphone, or the digital music player — he made them into things people actually wanted to use. He understood something most technologists miss: that design isn’t decoration, it’s how something works. He co-founded Apple in a garage, got fired from his own company, built Pixar into an animation powerhouse, then returned to Apple and turned it into the most valuable company on Earth. When he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he initially tried alternative treatments — one of the few times his stubbornness failed him. He died at 56. His last words, according to his sister, were “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.”