Steve Jobs: 'American Spirit' Personified

Much is being written today about Steve Jobs the tech titan, visionary and creative genius. Accolades heard often during his life and ones he undoubtedly expected to populate his obituaries.

But I wonder if he knew how profoundly he influenced legions of aspiring entrepreneurs in large cities and small towns across the world. Was he aware that he inspired many of the foreign-born individuals who today lead more than half of Silicon Valley's technology companies?

I hope he was.

He challenged a generation to ‘think different’. At first just a clever ad slogan. Later a term that captured the essence of what many immigrants define as the ‘American Spirit’. That is the intangible characteristics that make Silicon Valley an irresistible draw for the foreign-born entrepreneur. Like the audacity to turn the impossible into the possible and then the probable. The vision to see beyond the horizon. The curiosity to ask ‘why not’ instead of ‘why’. The confidence to take risks. The determination to invent and build on a shoe-string. The good humor to motivate others. The generosity to mentor the newbies. The boldness to ignite competition. And in times of failure, the perseverence and energy to start over again.

Few embodied the spirit quite like Steve Jobs. He wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last. But for my generation he was the role model for the 'extreme entrepreneur'. And for many of us who grew up abroad, he epitomized the optimistic can-do mentality that we associated with America.

Thank you, Steve for inspiring the world with your American Spirit. May your call to ‘think different’ motivate future-generation entrepreneurs to invent, create and build.