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On Thursday, co-founder of Apple Steve Jobs was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.
Apple CEO Tim cookswho took over as chief executive after Jobs passed away, acknowledged the honor on Twitter, stating that Jobs was a “visionary who challenged us not to see the world as it is, but for what it could be.”
Today Steve received the Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. He was a visionary who challenged us to see the world not for what it is, but for what it could be. We cherish his memory and we will build on his legacy. pic.twitter.com/G6cbBdGzvY
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) July 7, 2022
When the White House announced the recipient list, it said Jobs was on the list because his inventions changed the way the world communicated.
“Steve Jobs (deceased 2011) was the co-founder, chief executive and chairman of Apple, Inc., CEO of Pixar and held a leadership role at the Walt Disney Company,” the White House wrote. “His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have and continue to change the way the world communicates, as well as the computer, music, film and wireless industries.”
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian award and is “awarded to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, to world peace, or to other significant civic, public or private endeavors.”
Below is a complete list of the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Sister Simone Campbell
- Julia Garcia
- Gabrielle Giffords
- Fred Gray
- Steve Jobs
- Father Alexander Karloutsos
- Khizr Khan
- Sandra Lindsay
- John McCain
- Diane Nash
- Megan Rapinoe
- Alan Simpson
- Richard Trumka
- Wilma Vaught
- Denzel Washington
- Raul Yzaguirre
Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976 in a California garage next to Steve Wozniak. He was kicked out of the company in 1985, but returned to a struggling Apple in 1997, eventually leading the Cupertino computer maker into a number of popular products, including the iPod, macand iPhone†
Jobs died of cancer in 2011. He was 56.