Dear Steve…my letter to Steve Jobs
Dear Steve,
I’m sorry it has taken so long to write you this letter. Every time I started to write, I became overwhelmed with sadness and appreciation, simultaneously. I couldn’t formulate the words to express what I wanted to tell you. I needed time. I’m sure you understand. Plus you probably have your hands full with the iPhone 4S release up there, too.
We never met in person, but, just like millions of people, you have had a profound impact on my life. I saw you in Cupertino on campus once, outside cafe Macs. I was there for my Creative Training and then for Macworld in 2009. I wish we could have met. I probably would have fainted or something.
Anyway, there’s so much I wish you knew. You already know the obvious: you are a genius. There will probably not be anyone like you in my lifetime. You have connected millions of people around the globe using technology. One of the things I enjoyed most about working for Apple as a Creative was the interaction with people; the first time Mac users, the iPhone users, the professionals, the students, the kids, the team…the TEAM. I learned that I love teaching and helping people be the best that they can… Apple taught me to be a leader.
I witnessed firsthand the impact your vision had on people. I am lucky to have been a part of it, personally. And not just in a tangible capacity in the production of personal computers, but on an emotional level that words simply are not capable of describing. With your products, your vision, and your concern for how to make the world a better place, relationships were mended or broken or created because you gave people an accessible, fun medium to express themselves. Grandparents could see their newborn grandchildren via iSight or FaceTime or Skype. Long distance relationships grew stronger. The Family Room in the Retail Stores was a place to gather and have fun and learn at the same time. And Apple did become my family.
Personally, Apple was the first place I felt like I belonged. I felt like I was a part of something greater than myself. And I was. You created a forum for Geeks to be cool, for it to be cool to use computers and learn about technology, and meet people who felt the same. The people I have met because of Apple have been, and continue to be, some of the most important people in my life.
It has been exactly ten years since I got my first Mac. Today, I run my life with Apple. I am left speechless and in awe by what you have created, and that you are no longer here, in form.
Miss you,
Julie
Former Lead Creative at Apple, The Galleria, Ft. Lauderdale
“I can no other answer make but thanks,
And thanks, and ever thanks…”
–Sebastian, Twelfth Night, Act 3, scene 3
