The Biden administration announced today that Steve Jobs is receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously. Steve Jobs died on October 5, 2011, from complications following a relapse of pancreatic cancer. Jobs is among a list of notable Americans receiving the honor, including olympian Simone Biles, former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and John McCain, who is also receiving the medal following his 2018 death.
The White House describes Steve Jobs with the following broad strokes:
Steve Jobs (d. 2011) was the co-founder, chief executive, and chair of Apple, Inc., CEO of Pixar and held a leading role at the Walt Disney Company. His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have, and continue to, change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries.
Of course, his life was more nuanced and well-documented with countless biographies and public appearances. Nevertheless, he was still a fiercely private person and increasingly so later in life as he battled cancer. As John Biggs wrote following his death, “The man got sicker, he almost quit, kept at it. He embraced a successor and groomed him to be as calm a force as he once was. He kept us surprised, entertained, constantly speculating.”
The awards will be presented at the White House on July 7, 2022. The White House has yet to announce who will receive the award for Steve Jobs, but it’s likely Laurene Powell-Jobs, his wife of 20 years.