Mike Godwin and others have been saying it, but Steve Jobs was more than just a CEO to me. He quite literally shaped my life. From the day my dad, who was teaching computer science at the time, brought home one of the first Apple II computers, to today when I testified before Congress on the importance of the mobile apps economy, I am struck by the realization that he has been a part of my life for more than 30 years.
I remember my friends and I gathering around the Apple II in the late 70’s writing code and storing it on cassette tapes. I remember the original Macintosh that occupied the “computer desk” in my dad’s office, and how amazed we were with the 10 MB hard drive we bought. I remember having a Mac shipped to me in Taiwan so I could do translation work for my job.
And I remember standing in line for the first iPhone, doing radio interviews with reporters from all over the world, each one asking me “do you think it will be worth it?” Looking back today, I have only one message:
Mr. Jobs, it was always worth it.