On Steve Jobs

I think Plato described the philosopher king, who really understood what was in the best interests of his subjects and made those things happen. A similar idea is the benevolent dictator. I think those ideas fit Steve Jobs. He really did think, in terms of technology, that he had a pipeline to the truth. This didn't always lead to great products, but it did often enough that the company he led attracted other great minds who could help him execute his ideas. He had no other ambition except to create great products, and his intuition pointed to true north in doing that. These products helped us connect with one another with elegance and ease. That's why they were so successful and emulated. We admire that intuition even if on occasion his style was one of humiliating others to achieve his goals, which is not so admirable.

However, this does not mean we must not be leery of those who believe they know the "truth" and want to impose it others. Throughout human history, it has too often been those types who have fomented war and destruction on the world. The greatest among us are remembered for what they did for others. The reviled are those who exploited others for their truth. If you are bothered by the behavior of so-called Tea Party members, it is their insistence on their way or the highway that is so off-putting.

Let's admire Steve Jobs for the things he gave us. Let's hope others with his insights succeed him. Let's not seek to make him a role model in his sometimes less-than-admirable methods of achieving his goals.

I think in the end we can say Steve Jobs was more of a good guy than not (as I'm sure we would like ourselves to be thought of), who left us too soon, and because he gave us so many wonderful tools, he will be remembered among the great of business and, who knows, human history.