Jobs, Steven Paul

Jobs, Steven Paul (jobz) [key], 1955–, American businessman, b. San Francisco. Working with Stephen Wozniak, Jobs helped launch the personal-computer revolution by introducing the first Apple computer in 1976. Jobs later successfully established Apple's line as a user-friendly, graphically oriented alternative to the IBM-Microsoft personal computer and an important factor in desktop publishing. He resigned in 1985 after losing a corporate power struggle. In 1985 he founded the NeXT Computer Company and in 1986 bought Pixar Animation Studios, a computer animation firm founded by George Lucas. When Pixar went public in 1995, Jobs became an overnight billionaire; in 2006 Pixar was purchased by the Walt Disney Company, making Jobs the largest shareholder in Disney. In 1997, Jobs returned to Apple as chief executive and since has helped revive the financially ailing company while reestablishing his own reputation as an industry visionary.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.