The Steves That Built Me
It’s hard to put into words what Apple means to me. I know it’s odd to hear anyone say that a corporation “means” anything to them. But Apple’s not just a company, it’s an idea cooked up by two crazy ones in a garage 50 years ago. It’s been a driving force in my life since I was conscious enough to know what a computer was.
I first experienced the magic of Apple when my dad showed me photoshop on his PowerBook G3 Pismo as a little kid. This seminal moment birthed not just my love for Apple, but my fascination with design and creativity. I’d see multi-colored iMacs in his office, at my cousins' homes, and there were iBooks galore. We’ve been a Mac family since before I was born.
Several years later when I got my first iPod, it was over. I was hooked. Eventually I got my first iPhone and iPad, both of which I spent summers mowing lawns, saving up to buy. I was lucky enough to sit down 1:1 with Woz in high school and have made my way into a few Apple events where I’ve gotten to meet a whole slate of executives that unknowingly shaped my life. My walls are adorned with vintage ads, my shelves hold nearly every book ever written on the company, and I’ve got more white boxes than I know what to do with. Suffice to say, Apple’s never stopped meaning the world to me.
As important as the brand is, it pales in comparison to the impact that Steve Jobs himself had on my psyche and my life. As a kid, I didn’t have prints of actors or athletes, I had prints of Steve. I’d give faux keynotes in front of the family iMac. I dedicated my college essay to him as an analysis and expansion on his iconic 1994 interview, where he said “everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it.” To me, those words were the most important he ever spoke. While I’ll never have the chance to thank him for inspiring me, I hope that continuing to support the brand he built from nothing and by living his ideals, the ones that make Apple, Apple, I can honor him every day.
So here’s to the crazy ones. Here’s to the Steves. Here’s to 50 more years of an idea that’s so much bigger than a computer company. Stay hungry. Stay foolish.