I woke up this morning to the news that Steve Jobs has passed away.  I opened Google Reader and instantly saw that the news has dominated the last 12 hours. As I read through the various articles it dawned on me just how big an influence Jobs had. I tried to think back to any other tech CEO that got such respect and outpouring of emotion and found none.

Rian van der Merwe wrote something this morning that struck a chord with me:

What’s most telling to me is the countless people – myself included – who feel like we have a connection with him because of the products he brought into this world. That’s extraordinary.

Let me start by saying that there are 3 tech CEO’s that I admire and Jobs is one of them. He will go down in history as the best product manager that communicated his vision to both his staff and to his users. Passion, purpose and simplicity is the three things that Jobs ensured were found inside Apple and their products.

The heavy weights of Silicon Valley have all expressed their sympathy to the Jobs Family. There are a few that stood out for me as I did not expect their names to be mentioned in relation to Steve Jobs:

Bill Gates

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.  For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor.  I will miss Steve immensely. 

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.”

I think OM Malik summarized my thoughts this morning the best:

Steve was my secret muse. Trust me –- he is a secret muse to many of us in the valley. Mark Zuckerberg. Jeff Bezos. Dave Morin. Jack Dorsey. We are all part of the tribe called Jobs. There is a whole generation of entrepreneurs who ask themselves this one question –- what will Steve do.

Jobs leaves a legacy like no other – Apple. He ensured that he left Apple on his own terms. He ensured that he put Tim Cook in charge to cater for what happened today and to ensure that it does not effect Apple negatively. I will miss being able to watch him in his customary jeans, black turtleneck and trainers communicating his excitement over something that his company made.

Thank you Steve, for making me a believer in creativity, design and for most importantly making products that form an integral part of my life.