Apple CEO Tim Cook Remembers Steve Jobs on Fifth Anniversary of His Death

As he has done over the past four years, Apple CEO Tim Cook has shared a tribute to the late Steve Jobs, touching on the importance of remembering the Apple co-founder and former CEO today, which marks the fifth anniversary of his death on October 5, 2011.

sj-death

Since his death, Jobs' founding and presence at Apple has only become more scrutinized by the public after a string of films and documentaries aimed to depict his life and decisions during both his time at Apple and his years away from the company. Prior to his death in 2011, Tim Cook took the reins of the company as CEO on August 24, 2011, introducing the iPhone 4S, iOS 5, Siri, and iCloud to the public on the day before Jobs passed.

In previous years, Apple also updated its website to remember Jobs, creating a two-minute slideshow of his various keynote presentations and most famous audio clips on the one year anniversary of his death. In the days following his passing, Apple started posting "Remembering Steve" comments from fans on its website. The company noted that well over one million submissions came in for the project, all from well-wishing fans in the wake of Jobs' losing battle with pancreatic cancer.

Update: An email from Cook to Apple employees has been shared by MacGeneration:

Team,

I know many of you are thinking of Steve today, as we mark five years since his passing. His presence remains strong here at Apple, and his influence is still felt profoundly all around the world.

Personally, I think of Steve every day. His memory is an inspiration and source of strength for me, both in my job and in my personal life. I think of the bold risks he took as an innovator and a leader, and I think of the ordinary conversations we would have almost every day about our company, our customers, our families and friends. They are memories I will cherish forever.

More than ever, our daily lives are shaped by the products and ideas Steve brought to life. I wish he could see how popular and powerful iPhone photography has become. And I know he would love the magic and emotion of our new Memories feature in Photos on iOS 10.

Apple, the company he built and later rescued, is in many ways Steve’s most enduring legacy. He believed deeply that Apple should inspire us to do the best work of our lives, creating products that enrich the lives of others.

Steve made Apple’s values very clear. He showed us how to focus on doing a few things extremely well, and to set the bar incredibly high for ourselves. He demanded that we always strive for simplicity, in our products and our approach. And he knew that by being collaborative within Apple, we could achieve things no other company could do. We owe all of Apple’s success over the past two decades to those basic principles.

Steve also taught me that life’s great joy is in the journey, not in any particular occasion or event. It’s not about shipping or selling or winning an award. The real joy is in getting there.

Steve was a special, unforgettable person. Thank you for being a part of his legacy, and for joining me on this journey as we carry it into the future.

Tim

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
General Apps Messages Redux

Singapore Orders Changes to iMessage by December

Tuesday November 25, 2025 6:39 am PST by
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...

Top Rated Comments

Beeplance Avatar
119 months ago
R.I.P. Steve.

There were times when I find myself wondering what would Apple be like in 2016 if he was still at the helm.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
119 months ago
I wonder what he would make of the way Apple is run today and how Apple constantly fail to innovate year after year?
For so long, people accused Apple users of caring more about aesthetics than real computer power. Now that Apple have an in-house chip with double the single-core performance of the competitor, people start moaning about things like bezels.

But hey, I guess 'innovate' means different things to different people.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
119 months ago
I'd say Apple is worse off without his guidance and vision
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
119 months ago
R.I.P. Steve.

There were times when I find myself wondering what would Apple be like in 2016 if he was still at the helm.
Let it go folks. If Steve were alive, he would probably have done things different. Sure.... But he's dead, and we need to accept that.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
meaning-matters Avatar
119 months ago
I miss Steve's tantalising product presentations.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Braderunner Avatar
119 months ago
I miss Steve's tantalising product presentations.
NOBODY did it better.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)