Steve Jobs biography, net worth, daughter, ethnicity, age and cause of death

Biography of Steve Jobs

Steve Paul Jobs was an American inventor and entrepreneur, co-founder of Apple Inc. He first made history by revolutionizing personal computers with the graphical user interface. He then transformed the music industry by inventing the iPod and iTunes. Finally, by creating the iPhone and later the iPad, Apple became a leader in the mobile device market.

Childhood

Steve was born in 1955 in San Francisco. His biological parents were an unmarried couple: Syrian Abdul Fattah (John) Jandali, a political science professor, and German Joanne Schieble, who met at the University of Wisconsin. Joanne's family opposed the relationship and threatened to disinherit her, so she decided to give the child up for adoption.

Paul and Clara Jobs from Mountain View, California adopted the boy and named him Steven Paul Jobs. His adoptive mother worked at an accounting firm, and his father was a mechanic at a company that made laser systems.

When Steve was in 7th grade, increased crime in their neighborhood forced his parents to spend their last savings on a house in the more affluent Los Altos. They could only afford a modest three-bedroom bungalow on Crist Drive. The house where Steve assembled the first Macintosh is now on popular tourist routes, and the city has become part of Silicon Valley, the world's most progressive tech hub.

The house where Steve Jobs spent his childhood

In school, Steve was a restless troublemaker, but thanks to his teacher Mrs. Hill's efforts, young Jobs began showing exceptional academic performance. As a result, he skipped from fourth to sixth grade at Crittenden Middle School.

In elementary school, Steve was a restless troublemaker

In middle school, Steve became passionate about electronics and befriended Bill Fernandez, a boy who shared his interests. According to Bill, he clicked with Steve because he was a "nerdy, socially awkward, smart guy." Later, Bill became the first employee of Apple alongside Jobs and Wozniak. As a teenager, Steve spent lots of time at Bill's house, which Bill's mother had decorated in a Japanese minimalist style. Fernandez believes his house's design influenced Jobs' love for minimalism.

In middle school, he showed an interest in electronics

At 13, Jobs called William Hewlett, president of Hewlett-Packard, at home. The boy was building an electronic device and needed parts. Hewlett talked to the boy for 20 minutes, agreed to send the parts, and offered him a summer job at his company. Steve attended extracurricular lectures at an HP branch for a long time.

Education and Early Steps

After high school, Steve Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but quickly dropped out when the tuition proved too expensive. During his brief time there, Steve met Daniel Kottke, who became his best friend. He received a job offer from Hewlett-Packard and accepted it. At work, Jobs met his future partner, Steve Wozniak, with whom he would make history.

Alongside his studies, Jobs was fascinated by the art of calligraphy. Though it seemed impractical, Steve simply enjoyed the meditative process of crafting beautiful letters with a pen. Ten years later, though, that calligraphy training proved invaluable when Jobs designed fonts for his first computer. It is believed that the fonts of the first Macintosh computers laid the foundation for modern personal computer fonts.

In February 1974, Steve returned to California, where his friend and technical genius Wozniak invited Jobs to work as a technician at Atari, a company that manufactured games, like the famous arcade game Pong.

From his student days, Steve was drawn to hippie subculture, and later became captivated by Zen Buddhism. So after working at Atari for six months, he traveled to India. The journey proved brutal: Jobs contracted dysentery and lost 33 pounds. Later, Kottke joined him, and together they searched for a guru and spiritual enlightenment. Years later, Steve admitted he'd gone to India to resolve the inner turmoil from being abandoned by his biological parents.

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

In 1975, Jobs returned to Los Altos and Atari, volunteering to create a circuit board for the video game Breakout in record time. Steve had to minimize the chips on the board, earning $100 for each chip eliminated. Jobs convinced Wozniak he could finish the job in four days, though such work typically took months. Jobs succeeded, and Wozniak cut him a $350 check, lying that Atari had paid him $700 instead of the actual $5,000. After pocketing what was serious money back then, Jobs quit his job.

The Creation of Apple

When Steve Jobs was just 20, Steve Wozniak showed him a homemade computer and convinced him they should start manufacturing computers for sale. They started with circuit board production but eventually moved on to assembling complete computers.

Steven Wozniak convinced Steve Jobs to create PCs for sale

In 1976, they brought on engineer Bill Fernandez (who would leave after 18 months, thinking the company had no future) and draftsman Ronald Wayne. On April 1st, the duo founded Apple Computer Co. For starting capital, Jobs sold his Volkswagen Microbus, and Wozniak sold his programmable calculator, totaling $1,300.

The pair also sold phone hacking equipment to phreakers—the predecessors of computer hackers. To hack, a 2600Hz tone was needed. Using simple children's whistles, former U.S. Air Force radio operator John Draper created a device called the "blue box" that emitted the required sound and enabled free long-distance calls. Jobs and Wozniak teamed up with Draper to sell his invention, raising enough money to build their first batch of computers. Unfortunately, Draper eventually landed in jail.

Shortly after, they received their first order from a local electronics store. The two Steves convinced the store owner their computer was revolutionary: it could display data while accepting input and would be delivered fully assembled and ready to use. Wozniak's technical genius and Jobs' speaking skills persuaded the owner to order 50 computers.

But the team didn't have enough money to buy parts for such a big order. So Steve rallied all his friends. He set up a workshop in his parents' garage where they soldered, assembled, and packaged everything. Witnesses say Jobs was a demanding leader. He never raised his voice at Steve Wozniak.

A month later, in July 1976, they delivered the first batch of Apple I computers to the store, each priced at $666.66.

Steve Jobs, John Sculley, and Steven Wozniak

IBM's first mass-produced computer hit the market the same year Wozniak finished the Apple II, pushing Jobs to launch an advertising campaign and design eye-catching packaging with a logo to beat the competition. The new Apple computers sold 5 million units worldwide. By the age of 25, Steve Jobs became a millionaire.

By the age of 25, Steve Jobs became a millionaire

In late 1979, Steve and other Apple employees visited Xerox's research center, where Jobs got his first look at the Alto computer. He was instantly inspired to build a PC with an interface that used cursor-based commands.

Around this time, Apple was developing the Lisa computer, named after Steve Jobs' daughter. Jobs planned to incorporate Xerox's innovations and spearhead this groundbreaking computer project, but his colleagues – Mark Markkula, who had invested over $250,000 in Apple, and Scott Forstall – reorganized the company and pushed Jobs aside.

In 1980, Steve Jobs started working on the Macintosh project

In 1980, computer interface expert Jeff Raskin and Jobs launched a new project – a portable machine that would fold into a compact case. Raskin named the project Macintosh after his favorite apple variety.

Stephen Jobs was a demanding and tough boss

Even then, Jobs was demanding and tough, making it challenging to work under his leadership. After numerous conflicts with Jeff, Jobs had him sent on leave and later fired. Soon after, disagreements drove John Sculley from the corporation, with Wozniak following in 1985. That same year, Jobs founded NeXT, a company specializing in hardware.

In 1986, Jobs took the helm of Pixar Animation Studios

In 1986, Jobs took control of Pixar Animation Studios, which released world-famous animated films like "Monsters, Inc." and "Toy Story." In 2006, Jobs sold his brainchild to Walt Disney but stayed on the board of directors and became a Disney shareholder with a 7% stake.

In 1996, Apple Corporation wanted to buy NeXT. This allowed Jobs to return after years in exile and join the board of directors as CEO. By 2000, Jobs earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the CEO with the lowest salary – just $1 per year.

Steve Jobs 1997 Interview: Defending His Commitment To Apple

The Gadget Revolution That Changed Everything

In 2001, Steve Jobs unveiled Apple's first music player, the iPod. This product would later become Apple's cash cow, as the MP3 player was both the fastest and most storage-packed device of its era.

The original iPod boasted two game-changing features: a touch-sensitive scroll wheel that was revolutionary for its time, and storage options of either 5 or 10 gigabytes. The new product's slogan was: "A thousand songs in your pocket!"

Evolution of the iPod (2001-2023)

From that point on, Apple dropped a new iPod annually, with each generation packing more storage than the last. By 2004, the player sported a color screen, and in 2005, it could handle video playback. In 2006, Apple launched the iPod Classic line, which stood out for its massive storage capacity – the top-tier model could pack up to 160 gigabytes of music, photos, and videos. Many personal computers couldn't even match that kind of storage space.

Meanwhile, starting in 2004, Apple rolled out the iPod Mini (which eventually evolved into the iPod Nano) and the ultra-compact, screenless iPod Shuffle.

In 2007, Apple's touchscreen iPhone hit the market. It wasn't the first touchscreen phone by any stretch. Ericsson had already dropped its first touch-sensitive phone back in 2000, well before its Sony merger. In 2004, Philips launched the model 550 with a stylus-responsive screen. Three years before the iPhone's debut, Nokia – the mobile market leader at the time – had launched the touch-enabled 7710 running Symbian OS.

The first iPhone appeared in stores in the summer of 2007

The iPhone, which launched in June 2007 (later dubbed the iPhone 2G), featured a super-responsive touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a sleek design that left competitors in the dust. Sure, the iPhone had its flaws – like no 3G support – but it ran a dedicated OS that let users download apps from the App Store.

Steve Jobs had a subtle sense of what the buyer needed

The iPhone 2G spelled doom for button phones and kicked off the global smartphone obsession. Since then, Apple's made it a tradition to drop a new iPhone annually (typically in fall), and despite premium pricing, it consistently crushes sales records. In 2008, Apple unveiled the MacBook Air, the world's thinnest laptop at the time.

Steve Jobs introduces iPhone in 2007

In 2010, Jobs introduced the iPad tablet, which initially left the public scratching their heads. But Jobs had a knack for convincing consumers they needed this gadget, pushing tablet sales to 15 million units annually. Apple later released the smaller iPad Mini, and in 2015 – sadly, without Jobs – launched the iPad Pro with its larger screen. The booming mobile app market transformed the iPad into a legitimate – and often more convenient – laptop alternative. Today, iPads can handle everything from music production and note-taking to drawing and design work.

Jobs had an uncanny ability to tap into what consumers craved, so he set out to build sleek machines that could fulfill every modern user's desire. Steve's genius wasn't always about groundbreaking innovation – he had a talent for taking existing third-party tech and perfecting it, then "packaging it in an irresistible wrapper." Since his passing, new Apple products like the Apple Watch haven't quite captured that same revolutionary magic.

Steve Jobs' Personal Life

Steve Jobs called Chrisann Brennan his first love. He met the free-spirited girl in 1972 after they both ran away from their parents. Together, they studied Zen Buddhism, took LSD, and hitchhiked.

Steve Jobs' first love was Chrisann Brennan (in the photo with her daughter)

In 1978, Chrisann gave birth to their daughter Lisa, but Steve stubbornly refused to acknowledge he was the father. A year later, a paternity test proved Jobs was indeed the father, forcing him to pay child support. The tech mogul rented a house in Palo Alto for Chrisann and Lisa and covered the girl's education, but Steve didn't actually start building a relationship with her until years later.

In 1982, Jobs began a relationship with folk singer Joan Baez, who was 14 years older. The relationship lasted three years, until Steve fell for a young student named Tina Redse and had a brief romance with her.

Tina Redse, the most beautiful woman in Jobs' life, refused him

Steve later described meeting what he called the most beautiful woman in his life. Tina Redse was a computer consultant and was interested in hippie culture. Their romance lasted four years before Jobs proposed – but she turned him down, and they broke up.

At a Stanford Business School lecture in 1989, Steve happened to meet a banking employee named Laurene Powell. A year later, the young couple got married, and in 1991 they had a son named Reed. Laurene later gave birth to two daughters - Erin (1995) and Eve (1998).

Steve Jobs with his wife Laurene Powell and children

Illness and Death

In August 2004, doctors diagnosed Steve Jobs with pancreatic cancer, a notoriously difficult disease to treat. Typically, tumors in this location are considered inoperable, but Jobs was relatively fortunate to have a neuroendocrine tumor, which grows much slower and responds better to treatment; this occurs in one out of 20 cases.

Steve Jobs fought cancer for a long time

The doctors were hopeful—surgery and a treatment course would likely have put the disease into lasting remission. However, Jobs declined surgery, opting instead for treatment from Hindu gurus. Jobs didn't want his body "cut open and poked around in." He treated his cancer with a vegetable diet, meditation, and acupuncture. Nine months later, he went for a follow-up examination. The tumor hadn't just grown significantly—it had also metastasized. Precious time had been lost.

Jobs went through chemotherapy, but the tumor kept growing. In 2009, Jobs had his liver, which was infected with cancer cells, completely removed and received a transplant. Immunosuppressive drugs helped his body accept the new liver, but this caused the metastases to grow.

Despite doctors continuing treatment and giving optimistic forecasts, in August 2011, the inventor resigned, and on October 5, 2011, Steve passed away from respiratory failure.

Steve Jobs is buried at Alta Mesa Cemetery in California

Legacy

After Steve's death, Tim Cook, the former COO, became the CEO of Apple. The company continues to thrive, releasing new models of smartphones, tablets, and computers.

In 2013, the film "Jobs: The Man in the Machine" hit theaters, featuring Ashton Kutcher as Steve, depicting the inventor's college years. Two years later, the biographical drama "Steve Jobs" reached theaters, starring Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet in the lead roles.

Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine - Official Trailer

His son Reed studied history at Stanford University and after graduating, joined the investment fund Emerson Collective, founded by his mother. Soon after, he established the Yosemite Fund, supporting new cancer research methods.

Steve Jobs: latest news and articles

From a dark thriller to a children`s cartoon: Three films that Steve Jobs kept on his iPad

24 Feb 2025

Meet Reed Jobs: The Fascinating Son of Steve Jobs

2 Sep 2023

Steve Smith

After the movie about Steve Jobs I immediately want to go to programming course. Jobs really made a progress.

2021-05-09 22:32:39
Karen Mason

Is that case when one person can change all the rules of industry, Jobs forever.

2021-05-06 12:16:33
Carlos Austin Wood

Amazing brain, lateral thinking and perseverance - brilliant components of Jobs.

2021-05-05 14:37:07
Angel William Miller

Steve Jobs was a genius person, many of us will keep using his heritage long time.

2021-05-05 11:10:11
Melissa Bridges

Steve will always stay in the history of technological development for the people. He is genius.

2021-04-03 13:21:39

Photos: Steve Jobs