Oct. 6, 2011 – When the news hit that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had died after a long battle with pancreatic cancerthe outpouring was immense and undeniable. Millions took to Facebook and Twitter to share their grief, many of them posting their messages from an iPhone or iPad. Thousands gathered outside the Apple flagship store in San Francisco, covering the glass wall with sticky notes offering touching tributes and heartwarming quips. Many lit candles and stacked bouquets of flowers, in what has become an ever-growing memorial to the man New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg referred to as the "Edison of our times."
Bill Gates said: "Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg fondly remembered Jobs as "a mentor and a friend," reflecting upon a legacy that showed "that what you build can change the world."
CEO of Google, Larry Page referred to Steve Jobs as an "inspiration" and "a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance."
Meanwhile, Apple co-founder and best friend since high school, Steve Wozniak, said the news "felt a lot like you just heard that John Lennon got shot, or JFK, or Martin Luther King."
In a released statement, U.S. President Barack Obama remembered Jobs as "among the greatest of American innovators."
"The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented," Obama wrote.