Thomas Midgley Jr. had an even bigger impact on the world than Steve Jobs. That's not the only measure of success.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.

>Legacy

>Midgley's legacy has been scarred by the negative environmental impact of leaded gasoline and Freon. Environmental historian J. R. McNeill opined that Midgley "had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history", and Bill Bryson remarked that Midgley possessed "an instinct for the regrettable that was almost uncanny". Use of leaded gasoline, which he invented, released large quantities of lead into the atmosphere all over the world. High atmospheric lead levels have been linked with serious long-term health problems from childhood, including neurological impairment, and with increased levels of violence and criminality in cities. Time magazine included both leaded gasoline and CFCs on its list of "The 50 Worst Inventions".

>Midgley died three decades before the ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas effects of CFCs in the atmosphere became widely known. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol phased out the use of CFCs like Freon.

I see your point, but it seems like something would have filled the void. There was no shortage of talented people wanting to drive global tech.

In the case of Woz, I'm not sure someone would have filled the gap for the local good he did. It may have just not happened.

depends on how you measure impact. If you're a teacher and you educate thousands of kids that arguably has more of an impact than being successful at selling a lot of gadgets, it's just not compensated as handsomely. To take it to the extreme, you can be a world famous celebrity for a decade or two but a few years after you retire nobody remembers who you are.

from the article

>"But something felt wrong. After a day of talking, I was often exhausted and unfulfilled. Two hours spent with one person who wants to “pick my brain” is two hours I could have spent making something that could be useful to the whole world, including that one person. Then people in America started emailing to ask why I’d been so silent. No new articles? No new projects? Nothing?So there’s the trade-off. When I’m local-focused, I may be useful to my community, but I’m not being as useful to the rest of the world."

the real problem here is mistaking the gratification one gets from github stars with the real impact one can have over a lifetime, and it doesn't always feel gratifying. Help one person instead of writing a thousand blog posts, don't confuse being well known with being genuinely useful.

> Jobs had a much bigger impact on the world.

He created the App Store fiefdom which taxes developers more than their government. It also compelled them to price their work at less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

He turned the general purpose computers in most Americans' lives into locked down, tightly controlled "experiences". (The iPhone, which lacks the ability to install whatever you want.)

He created an expensive laptop that isn't user upgradable.

His company is now suing a mom and pop healthcare app for having a logo shaped like a pear, which seems par for the course.

He sold status and glamour, and he wasn't a very good person. You can praise him if you want, but I think he's the epitome of selfish and don't consider him a role model. If you have to behave like that to win, it isn't worth it.

Gates, for all of his flaws, is doing really good work to make this world a better place. I look up to him instead.

It's not a competition.

Opinions on Jobs aside, I remember thinking this on the day he died. I couldn’t think of a person alive who had more impact on the world.

Apple never happens without Woz, and Jobs would have had a completely different career.

That was a good read. Thanks for sharing!