Q&A: Was Steve Jobs the Walt Disney of the consumer electronics world?

Question by Chris C: Was Steve Jobs the Walt Disney of the consumer electronics world?

People are looking for comparisons between Jobs and other industry luminaries. Like Leonardo da Vinci, Edison etc. While Jobs had great vision he was not so skilled either as a product designer or a programmer, but he had great vision and focus; and lead a team of talented engineers very effectively. Similarly Walt Disney was no great artist but was an effective figurehead and man of vision. Furthermore it is hard to recall any other name associated with Apple or Disney except their founders – despite the obvious talent that lay behind the leaders. Is such a comparison fair? Let me know.

Best answer:

Answer by PoohBearPenguin
I wouldn’t put Jobs in the same category as Da Vinci or Edison, but comparing him to Disney seems somewhat apt. As you point out, Jobs’ real strength lay in his vision and leadership skills. He didn’t create the computer, or even the original Apple Computer, but it was his vision that created the Home Computer. Likewise he didn’t invent the MP3 player, but it was his vision that brought it to the mainstream market bundling it with iTunes.

However, unlike Jobs, Disney did create Mickey Mouse, and one of the first animated shorts to incorporate sound. Later Disney also created Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald Duck. He created other characters as well, like Clarabell Cow but they haven’t survived as well as the others. So in this regard, Disney is closer to Bill Gates than Jobs.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!