CNBC has named Steve Jobs the most influential person of the last 25 years. On a list entitled “First 25: Rebels, Icons & Leaders,” Jobs ranks above the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffet — along with the founders of Google, Amazon, and other tech giants.
The organization claims Jobs deserves the spot because, “his vision spurred changes far beyond his industry and put an indelible stamp on the wider culture.”
They go on to write that:
His creative genius revolutionized not just his industry and its products, but also everything from music and movies to smartphones. He provided a platform for others to create and distribute apps, bringing innovation and change to an even wider sphere. Apple’s co-founder tops our anniversary list of the 25 most transformative leaders, icons and rebels of the past-quarter century. More than any other member of our group of extraordinary entrepreneurs and executives—all outstanding leaders—his vision spurred changes far beyond his industry and put an indelible stamp on the wider culture.
There’s one thing to note, however. In the first line of CNBC’s potted Steve Jobs bio, the news television group offers the opinion that, “As Bill Gates shaped the experience of using the personal computer that sat on our desks, so Steve Jobs fashioned the experience of using the one we now carry around.”
While coming in at first place means that there’s certainly nothing to cry about, suggesting that Bill Gates played more of a role “[shaping] the experience” of using a personal computer is just flat-out wrong. Has his OS appear on more machines than Jobs’ did? Sure. Did its innovations change how the majority of people think computers should work? Most definitely not.
Unless you’re a big fan of the blue screen of death, that is.
CNBC’s final list was reportedly compiled using a combination of editorial leaders, experts and TV viewers.
Source: CNBC
