In a recent Op-Ed about Steve Jobs in The New York Times, “Against Nostalgia”, Mike Daisey ended his brutal analysis by stating, “Jobs always believed passionately in brutal honesty, and the truth is rarely kind. With his death, the serious work to do the things he has failed to do will fall to all of us: the rebels, the misfits, the crazy ones who think they can change the world.” I’m a little biased, I deeply admire Steve Job’s business and marketing strategy, but was that not an unfairly spiteful Op-Ed?

Daisey is correct that Apple is not at the forefront of fair labor (Apple is one of the many electronic companies guilty of exploiting Congo for resources), but harping on the negatives is unnecessary and does not change the fact that Steve Jobs is one of the most influential figures for the rising workforce that will be running the world in the years to come. As one of the “crazy ones who think they can change the world”, I ask why waste time disparaging flaws when we should look at criticism as a platform on which to improve? 

In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a speech called “How to Live Your Life Before You Die” at the Stanford University graduation ceremony. He recounts dropping out of college, getting fired from his own company, and being diagnosed with cancer, and how those pivotal moments shaped his outlook on life. This is how we should remember Steve Jobs, not just as the man behind the Apple, or the innovative wizard of our time, but as a man who found opportunities in every nook and cranny and didn’t just see the world as it is, but how it could be.

Jobs is right, the future does require sacrifice and boldness, so who is willing to gamble on failure and step up to the plate? Batter up.

And now, as a nod to Steve Jobs, I urge you, my friends, to stay hungry, stay foolish.

Arianna