Steve Jobs would not be happy about polarization in US: widow Laurene Powell Jobs

Steve Jobs would not be happy about the polarized discourse in the US, the Apple co-founder’s widow said.

Laurene Powell Jobs was asked on Wednesday at a tech conference in Los Angeles what her late husband would have thought about the state of the country.

“I would say not only [would he not have been happy about] the polarization, not only the fact that people are really coming to blows within families and communities and our country, but also just that he loved our country so much,” Powell Jobs said.

“He loved California so much, but he loved our country,” she added.

Powell Jobs appeared on stage with her late husband’s successor as CEO, Tim Cook, and Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief who was Steve Jobs’ close friend and collaborator on key products such as the iPhone, iPod, and iPad.

“He loved the idea of America. He loved what it allowed the individual and the communities to become,” she continued. “He loved the unfetteredness of it.”

“He loved the personal freedoms and liberties, but also the connectedness and responsibility for each other.”

Her comments were reported .

Jobs, the visionary entrepreneur who co-founded Apple alongside Steve Wozniak in 1976, was not politically outspoken but did support Barack Obama’s run for president. He also favored pro-business Republicans before his death from pancreatic cancer in 2011.

Under Cook’s leadership, Apple saw its market capitalization exceed $3 trillion, before falling to around $2.4 trillion during this year’s market turmoil. Last year, Cook was awarded $100 million in compensation.

According to Forbes, Powell Jobs is worth $12.1 billion. Most of her wealth is derived from ownership in Apple and Disney stock which she inherited following her husband’s death.

Powell Jobs is minority owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals. She is also a majority stakeholder of The Atlantic magazine.