Steve Jobs: the tributes

Such was the influence of Steve Jobs that tributes have flooded in not only from the world of technology, but from world leaders, rivals and admirers worldwide.

Here are a selection of the tributes paid to the former Apple CEO:

“There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.” President Obama

“Apple has lost a visionary and creative and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.” Apple statement

Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesn’t just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement

“When I heard the news, I could not hold back my tears. Because of him, the world has become different. Because of him, the boring world has become alive, the glum world has become creative, because of him a drab world has become colourful.” Yu Minghong, founder of China’s New Oriental Education

“Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.” Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO

“We’ve lost a unique tech pioneer and auteur who knew how to make amazingly great products. Steve fought a long battle against tough odds in a very brave way. He kept doing amazing things in the face of all that adversity. As someone who has had his own medical challenges, I couldn’t help but be encouraged by how he persevered.” Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft

“Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesn’t just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement.” Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter

“Steve defined a generation of style and technology that’s unlikely to be matched again.” Eric Schmidt, Google chairman

“Steve … saw the potential of what Pixar could be before the rest of us, and beyond what anyone ever imagined. Steve took a chance on us and believed in our crazy dream of making computer animated films; the one thing he always said was to simply ‘make it great.´ He is why Pixar turned out the way we did and his strength, integrity and love of life has made us all better people. He will forever be a part of Pixar’s DNA.” John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios

“I have been in love with the world Steve Jobs made ever since my first Apple Mac. He was one of the great architects of the real. RIP.” Salman Rushdie, author

“It’s kind of like when John Lennon died, or JFK… I’m a little bit, like, awestruck, just dumbfounded, and I can’t put my mind into gear.” Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak 

“He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me.” Larry Page, CEO OF Google

“Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family. In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family.” Family statement