WhereIsAtlas · Technology

Steve Jobs

Co-founder of Apple; architect of the iPhone era

Deceased — Died October 5, 2011, aged 56, of pancreatic cancer.

Steve Jobs co-founded Apple in a Los Altos garage in 1976 and spent the rest of his life oscillating between triumph and exile. Ousted from his own company in 1985, he built NeXT and financed Pixar, only to return to a near-bankrupt Apple in 1997 and orchestrate the most remarkable corporate turnaround in modern history.

The run that followed — iMac, iPod and iTunes, iPhone, iPad — reshaped computing, music, phones and publishing in little over a decade. Jobs died on 5 October 2011, one day after the iPhone 4S announcement, leaving Apple as the world's most valuable company.

His estate has largely stayed out of the spotlight; the Steve Jobs Archive preserves his papers, and Apple Park — the 'spaceship' campus he planned — opened in 2017 as his final product.

Timeline

  1. 1955 — Born in San Francisco: Steven Paul Jobs is born on February 24 and adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs.
  2. 1976 — Apple founded in a garage: With Steve Wozniak, Jobs founds Apple Computer and ships the Apple I. (Los Altos, CA)
  3. 1984 — Macintosh launches: The Macintosh introduces the graphical interface to the mass market with a legendary Super Bowl ad.
  4. 1985 — Ousted from Apple: After a boardroom clash with John Sculley, Jobs leaves and founds NeXT; he buys Pixar the next year.
  5. 1997 — The return: Apple buys NeXT and Jobs returns, cutting product lines and launching 'Think Different'.
  6. 2007 — iPhone changes everything: 'An iPod, a phone, an internet communicator' — one device redefines the industry.
  7. Oct 5, 2011 — Death at 56: Jobs dies of pancreatic cancer; tributes pour in worldwide and Apple flags fly at half staff. (Palo Alto, CA)
  8. 2017 — Apple Park opens: The campus Jobs designed — his 'last product' — opens in Cupertino.

Quick facts

Born
Feb 24, 1955, San Francisco
Died
Oct 5, 2011 (aged 56)
Co-founded
Apple (1976), NeXT (1985)
Also led
Pixar (1986–2006)
Signature launches
Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Steve Jobs — Wikipedia (2026-01-10)
  2. Steve Jobs Dies at 56 — The New York Times (2025-12-28)
  3. 'You've got to find what you love' — Stanford University (2005 commencement) (2025-12-28)

Related: elizabeth holmes · theranos · sony · ipod · itunes · sim wong hoo