This week’s resignation announcement from Apple CEO Steve Jobs came as a shock to many, despite his widely-publicized medical leave. While many people have registered their opinions on Jobs as a man and as a CEO, we decided to take a fresh approach and ask some prominent members of the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Mac ecosystems what their feelings were about the end of the Jobs era.
“Steve Jobs is a pioneer whose unsurpassed vision has established Apple as a world-class company, and has truly impacted the way we experience the world we live in. Due to his extraordinary success millions of jobs have been created, a true blessing for his legacy. The exceptional team that he has built will carry Apple’s success well into the future.” – Ezra S. Ashkenazi, President and CEO, iHome
“While Steve Jobs’ resignation announcement came as a surprise to the industry, we believe his decision was well calculated and in the best interest of the company and its shareholders.
In his new position, I expect Steve to remain an integral and inspirational part of Apple and the products it creates. Steve Jobs over the years has redefined Apple and has set the company on a path that is poised for continued success and innovation. We wish Steve the best of health and look forward to many more years of his inspiration.” – Andrew Ackloo, President and CEO, iSkin
“Steve Jobs and Apple have done something that no company has ever been able to do; weave itself into the very fabric of society on a global scale. He has been an inspiration to me and my team. We look at Apple both as a standard in which to be measured from a business prospective as well as a cultural one. Apple has raised the bar in business both in product innovation as well as social responsibility. We at Incipio wish Mr.
Jobs the best in his new role and welcome Mr.Cook into his new position as CEO. We are eager to continue our focus on Apple accessories.” – Andy Fathollahi, CEO of Incipio
“We are very pleased to hear that Steve Jobs will be continuing on as chairman of the Board and wish his successor the best at continuing to lead an incredible organization that has helped changed the way people live. We’re looking forward with excitement as Apple continues on their path of making technology so easy to use for everyone, the “one more thing” that Apple always has in store. We look forward to a bright future of working with Apple and will never stop thinking of how we can elegantly make the experience of using one of their products even better.” – Nils Gustafsson and Erich Huang, Co-Founders, Just Mobile
“Steve Jobs’ resignation announcement affects me on several different levels. Personally, there is no person on the planet, other than friends and family, that has affected my life more than Steve Jobs. Professionally, Steve and Apple are not only the ‘target’ of Twelve South’s product efforts, they ‘inspired’ the creation of the company in the first place.
