Steve Jobs
The Apple co-founder whose mix of design taste, marketing showmanship, and brutal personal style produced the iPhone — and the modern founder archetype.
Origin
Steve Jobs (1955–2011) co-founded Apple in his parents' garage in 1976 with Steve Wozniak, was fired from his own company in 1985, came back in 1997 with NeXT and Pixar in tow, and saved Apple from near-bankruptcy with the iMac, iPod, iPhone (2007), and iPad. He was known for product perfectionism, public cruelty to staff, and the black-turtleneck-and-jeans uniform he wore on stage to launch each new device. He died of pancreatic cancer at fifty-six. The Walter Isaacson biography (2011) is the canonical source — and the canonical text every founder pretends not to have copied from.
Modern usage
'Reality distortion field' (Bud Tribble's name for his ability to convince anyone of anything in the room) is now standard for any charismatic founder. The black turtleneck and 'one more thing' are referenced in every Apple-launch parody. 'A Steve Jobs type' is shorthand for a difficult perfectionist who somehow still attracts a cult.
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