I never met Steve Jobs. I was never in the same room with him, or said Hello in passing. Yet he still had a profound impact on my life.

I remember seeing Triumph of the Nerds that my Dad taped from PBS when I was 14 or 15 and watching it over and over. I was captivated by the stories of the computer industry pioneers. One person in particular, I was enamored with. When Steve Jobs spoke about why art is important in technology products and the importance of a good user interface, it was hard not to be entranced by his charisma. It still is a potent reminder of why I revere Silicon Valley so much and why despite all of its annoyances, I still find it somewhat magical to be working here today.

His work has changed the lives of millions of people and undoubtedly has touched the lives of billions. Steve's attention to detail, unwillingness to accept anything less than the best and desire to be, above all, an artist are what made Steve one-of-a-kind. I've soaked up as much as possible of what he's written and his rare interviews. You can't help but become more passionate about things like design and vision when you hear him speak. His spirit will live on in all of us that have been influenced by him in some way.

He led the most impactful life that anyone could hope to have. My count is that he changed industries four times in his life. Entire industries. FOUR times...

The Apple II led the personal computer revolution.
The Mac brought a GUI revolution to mass-computing.
The iPod triggered a business model shift for the entire music industry.
The iPhone popularized the idea that anyone can make use of a smartphone.

All these things were not accomplished by Jobs alone but his persistent vision, incessant tweaking and unwillingness to launch before they were ready were critical to these successes. Arguably, in another 3-5 years, it will be apparent that another computing shift was triggered by the iPad. That would make a fifth time. And I know he still wasn't done.

He faced death numerous times over his final years and had plenty of time to embrace his fate. He made the most of his remaining time. We should all be so lucky to make peace with ourselves and our mortality before the end. There will be innumerable tributes to him and his life, this post is just one small part of that. But I personally thank you, Steve. You were one of the crazy ones. You pushed the human race forward.