Steve Jobs' last email to himself had one powerful message — humanity is nothing without community

Steve Jobs has earned a prolific name not just as a founder of Apple, but also as a visionary in the world of technology and innovation. Jobs, who, although he had a rough patch in his later years in terms of reputation, was the unknown side of this technology pioneer that many discovered to appreciate post his demise. In a now-popular post shared by u/HauteA$$Mess on September 8, the user shared an email penned by Steve Jobs to himself, uncovering a different side of the late visionary founder.

The email, which was sent from the founder's Apple ID on September 2, 2010, was a note that he had penned just a year before his untimely demise. In the form of a poem, he talks about the important aspects of his existence over which he had no control, while acknowledging the efforts and contributions made by others in shaping his life. He was deeply aware of those who walked before us, and beside us in our journey as humans, and how much everyone has contributed to the life we lead today. 

Steve Jobs touched upon the importance of community. The long, poignant note reads, "I grow little of the food I eat, and of the little I do grow, I did not breed or perfect the seeds." Jobs outlines how every contribution that is made is a collective effort, rather than taking sole credit. Clothes come from the labor of others, while language is not self-made. Steve writes, "I do not make any of my own clothing. I speak a language I did not invent or refine."

The note continues, "I did not discover the mathematics I use. I am protected by freedoms and laws I did not conceive of or legislate, and do not enforce or adjudicate. I am moved by music that I did not create myself. When I needed medical attention, I was helpless to help myself survive. I did not invent the transistor, the microprocessor, object-oriented programming, or most of the technology I work with. I love and admire my species, living and dead, and am totally dependent on them for my life and well-being." The poetic verse highlights Job acknowledging the often-ignored aspect of human contributions that have made modern life possible.

The mail reflects on Steve Jobs acknowledging that his success was built on the contributions made by many others. In a study conducted by Lulin Yang et al. from Cornell University, the authors point out that large teams are essential for scaling innovations. Underlining the 'Mathew Effect' where well-known individuals receive disproportionately more credit and recognition than lesser-known peers, the study challenges the myth of the lone genius and urges the acknowledgment of shared human effort — a perspective Steve Jobs acknowledged in his note.

Jobs' note, which has now been widely discussed on Reddit by users, has everyone amazed. While some users are intrigued to find the note being written by the founder almost a year before his death, others shared the stark differences in modern technologists. u/pierreor wrote, "I don’t think Steve was a genius, or a good person. I don’t admire him. But I think he was a very human entrepreneur (compared to his algorithm-driven 21st-century counterparts) and had a reverence for human creativity, especially arts and humanities, in a field that has nothing but contempt for them. I don’t know if he was entirely genuine, and I’m not eulogising him – but I am sad that that sort of fun, utopian Scholastic attitude has been eradicated from technology and the internet in the years since."

u/bottleglitch commented, "Ok, I know the guy himself is/was problematic and some of this is ironic coming from him, but the message of this was something I needed to hear. I feel so absolutely done with humanity a lot of the time, and I encounter a lot of racism and sexism. It can make me forget that that’s not all we are. I needed a reminder about our interrelatedness and the way we’re always helping each other even when it doesn’t necessarily feel like that’s the case."

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