Will We Cry When You Die? An Open Letter.

Dear Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Larry Page and other CEOs of large American corporations:

I am sure you all saw the news when Steve Jobs died. The spontaneous, international show of mourning was nothing short of amazing.

My question is, do you think we will cry when you die?

The irony is that Jobs was more like you than like us. Jobs was a multi-billionaire who lived in a walled mansion and flew around on private jets when he traveled. Most of us never got to meet Jobs and we certainly couldn’t call him or schedule a meeting with him – just as most of us will never have a chance to meet you either.

The reality is, you are much more like him than we are. You are all visionaries and innovators in your own right. You all imagined a world, far off in the future, that didn’t exist yet and set out to build it. Each of you, your products and companies really did change the way we live our lives…in the case of a few of you, arguably even more than Jobs did.  You took big risks, sometimes winning and sometimes losing, and in the process you lived the America dream and built huge, multinational corporations. You’re all pretty remarkable people by any standards and, there is no question, we respect you.  Though I’m sure you’re all pretty decent guys, we won’t cry when your time comes because, well, we just don’t love you.

And that’s the one thing Jobs had that resulted in mass shows of emotion when we lost him. We loved him. We didn’t love him for what he built or accomplished. Those things are not, in comparison to all of you, exceptional. We loved him for something he gave us that exists on a level far greater than any product or technology - he gave us something to believe in. It is that one seemingly minor thing, something deeply seeded in our reptilian, limbic brains, that he mastered and most of you have lost. Steve Jobs stood for something.

If you have any fantasies of spontaneous public love when your time comes, then you need to go back to your own roots. You need to rediscover your own cause – the thing that inspired you when you had nothing but a dream and a bunch of friends willing to help you build it. You used to be able to inspire a room with your words, now you work hard to ensure the analysts like what you say.

Go back to the time when you were the idealist, when you stood for something, when your dreams were clearer than the reality that told you that you were crazy. Go back to that. Be that person again…the one we used to love.

Jobs was not unique for what he built. He was not unique for the gift he had. It wasn’t even unique that he had a bold vision for how the world should operate. What made him remarkable was that he never lost it…not until the day he died.  And for that, we miss him dearly.

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Comments

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Thanks for such a great post and the review, I am totally impressed! Keep stuff like this coming.

[lisa]

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[Fedotov]

I think you overestimate Jobs and his intention to change word. Apple is a cause of huge pollution in Africa (along with other IT companies who prefer to store there waste and old computers; nothing personal, just cost saving). Maybe you know battery for iPad was created with short life term (in order people make their purchases more frequently). And I can't say that the cost of the Mac-computers promote computer literacy in poor countries. So he thought more about money and his ideas than about people.

[sustanon]

Go back to the time when you were the idealist, when you stood for something, when your dreams were clearer than the reality that told you that you were crazy. Go back to that. Be that person again…the one we used to love.

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Steve Jobs wasn't perfect, but he always went for "it". He couldn't stop his creativity. That's a beautiful thing. A lot of CEO's get comfortable and stop creating. They let the fear take over instead of living their vision.

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Former ones.i in a waste; HangChengYuSi, were destroyed in with

[Christian Louboutin]

Very cool idea. I think I will have to try this one. I just love the "It's the Little Things" line. Thanks!

[Bobalat]

It is a really good queation what in my mind, too. When you gone, the person who will cry for you is your family or your friends.

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He is great man and i must say that we lost the person with full mind knowledge.

[Wilson tennis racquets]

Well, everyone has the ending day. I will miss the thing what he created, it is wonderful.But i think no matter how you suceed, when you gone it is nothing to left.Your words is so nice, thanks for sharing and i really enjoy your article.

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That was exactly what I was looking for.

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This is a great post and steave jobs is a great person and yes he is a billionaire and he is a great person and he intrude and great brand in front of us and yes wee cry when you die jobs...

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　　The sum of behaviour is to retain a man’s own dignity, without intruding upon the liberty of others

[Surabhi]

Incredible! Its funny how your words just force me to open a new window to comment. I am usually too lazy.

"Go back to the time when you were the idealist, when you stood for something, when your dreams were clearer than the reality that told you that you were crazy. Go back to that. Be that person again…the one we used to love.

Jobs was not unique for what he built. He was not unique for the gift he had. It wasn’t even unique that he had a bold vision for how the world should operate. What made him remarkable was that he never lost it…not until the day he died. And for that, we miss him dearly.""

These words go in my quote book. Thank you.

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Thanks for the information. I really enjoy reading the whole article.

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555sql Anything to work hard to make, the outcome is that god's will, don't begin no faith and produce not hard, this is confidence.

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I am so glad this internet thing works and your article really helped me. Might take you up on that home advice you.

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He was a visionary, a great innovator....the world won't be the same, nor will Apple, Inc....!!

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Very true..I agree with your perception and i am glad to see your work.Steve jobs will be missed no matter what.I guess the best way to honor him is to become what we aspired.

[true religion outlet]

hello.There‘s always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.
Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.

[Jackie Paulson]

Ya know I really don't think about death, it is what it is.

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[Jason]

I think this letter could have been written for anyone who once/still had ideals...

[Liz Gilbert]

If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.