Hey Guys – did you know Steve Jobs has been sharing the stage ALL YEAR?


It’s amazing how much people love to speculate and focus on the health of Steve Jobs. The most recent thing has been several op/ed pieces from sites like MacNN and others about how speculation about Job’s future has arisen because he decided to share the stage at the Macbook event with other members of the company.

The problem is – this isn’t a new thing. Jobs has been sharing the stage ALL YEAR — but only now are people getting up in arms about it…I assume, because they have nothing else to talk about.

Jobs has shared the stage with other members of Apple at every event this year except Macworld. Every other time, other members of Apple’s creative and/or executive teams have been on hand to give at least a portion of the presentation.

This is not a bad thing – and it doesn’t mean that Steve Jobs is contemplating retirement, or that he’s dying. What it means is that there are more people at Apple than Steve Jobs…and frankly, it’s time EVERYONE starts to realize that.

Jobs is an amazing guy – but Jonathan Ive deserves much more credit than he usually gets. Many people like to think that Jobs sits on some kind of throne in the Apple HQ and shouts out demands while he’s busy inventing every new and amazing thing that Apple does.

That’s not true.

What makes Steve Jobs a genius is not his ability to invent amazing things – it’s his ability to sell amazing things that other people make. I’m not saying he doesn’t have any hand in the creation process – because he certainly does…but from the beginning, Jobs has been the guy that sells the products.

He has become such an important part of that process that people seem to forget that there are others that work at Apple besides himself.

So lets all take a moment to step back – realize that Steve Jobs plays an important role at Apple – but that there are also some amazingly talented people at the company. They do great work too – and I’m glad to see some of them on stage with Steve. They deserve to have been there all along.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

6 Comments

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  1. Apple knows that the public believes that Steve Jobs is the heart and soul of Apple. When he goes, their stock will tumble. Apple is trying to show the public that there are other major players at Apple that have been there a long time and know what they’re doing.

    I think they are trying to let the world know that Apple is not all Steve Jobs, they will be OK with out him. So if he shares the stage with a few key players, after a while. people will realize that maybe when Steve leaves one day, we won’t be in the trouble people think we’ll be in.

    Once you get to hear guys like Scott Forstall, Jon Ive, Bertrand Serlet talk, you realize that these guys know what they’re doing. They have the same vision as Jobs, the same commitment to excellence, and it shows in their work. I think they will be able to carry on the Steve Jobs legacy without a problem. Apple just needs to convince the public of that.

  2. Apple can’t win firstly it’s ” oh my god Steve Jobs looks so bad, what will happen if he can’t carry on” secondly Apple prove that there are plenty of people who can fill the hole when Steve retires because retire he will eventually, and everyone goes “oh no is Steve getting ready to leave”.
    This comes from speculation in the stock markets as well, no wonder we have an economic mess around the world.

    Sigh oh well.

  3. I’ve been following the keynotes for a few years now and if I remember right, he’s always had other people help with his keynotes. I’m sure Steve would be the first to say that there are people who understand the more technical aspects better than him. Let them talk about it.

    I also agree with krye, I think they really want to show off the rest of the Apple team.

  4. No investor or analyst cares if he’s been sharing the stage all year or even in the past. He has to do the whole kit and kaboodle and handstands to prove that he’s not dying. If he takes one sip of water too many, he’s dying, if he gets off the stage two minutes earlier than usual, he’s dying. Since he was in a hurry for the slowpokes at the back to finish looking at the machined case it was because he felt his life slipping away and didn’t want to waste each precious moment before dying. Let’s face it, if he doesn’t run the entire company by himself, he’s dying.

    I give up. There is nothing Steve Jobs can do or say to prove that his health is OK. Basically he’s being called a liar by investors and analysts. I don’t see what the big deal is if other executives do some the speaking. They’re part of the company and get paid well enough to handle various duties. Let them participate. Maybe they’d even asked to be involved. But no, to the world, all it indicates is that Steve is preparing for his final goodbyes, be whatever form that takes. This stupid rumor-mongering/speculation pisses me off to no end.

  5. I think he’s just finally trying to show people that Apple isn’t a one-man operation. He’s done a lot for the company, but Apple wouldn’t be here today without people like Mr. Ive, who as you know has been head designer since the ’96 iMac.

    Jobs is fine, people.

  6. well i really noticed the change in the Macbook event because i have always seen him work with other people in his keynotes but this one was very different…usually Steve is on stage more than the sum of any others on the stage and this time he wasnt…steve was there thru the entire event and of course showed off the important stuff…but from what i saw of the event it was like he was delegating more than he has ever done in the past…now im not saying this to say he is dying…we are all dying

    but what i am saying is i think he is trying to make it so that the public sees these other people more often and get that one of these people will be his successor…and he wants us to be ready for it…

    i see in the future him using his keynotes as a staging ground for his future successor…i think it will make him feel much better if he can pick someone that will give somewhat close to the same effect on the masses that he does…and its good practice for those people to learn how to become the icon that he is…even if he does make some inane mistakes now and then…anyway that is my take on this situation