Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc., is widely regarded as a technological visionary and a business genius. His leadership and innovation have transformed the tech industry and made Apple one of the most successful companies in the world. Despite his busy schedule, Steve Jobs was known to personally reply to emails from users, customers, and fans.

At first, this might seem surprising. After all, Steve Jobs was the CEO of one of the most valuable companies in the world. He had a lot of responsibilities, and his time was undoubtedly precious. However, Jobs was famous for his attention to detail and had a relentless focus on providing the best user experience. He understood the importance of customer feedback and valued the opinions of Apple users.

In fact, Jobs was known to have a personal email address (sjobs@apple.com) that he used to communicate with others. According to reports, he energetically replied to emails from customers or fans who had questions, requests, or criticisms regarding Apple’s products or services. He also used this email to communicate with colleagues, employees, and journalists.

Many people who received emails from Steve Jobs reported that his responses were direct, to the point, and sometimes even blunt. Jobs was famous for his straightforward personality and his tendency to focus on the big picture rather than the small details. However, even his brief responses were valuable to the recipients, and they felt honored to have received an email from the tech icon.

For example, in 2008, a student named Diana wrote an email to Steve Jobs asking for a refund for a faulty iPod. To her surprise, Jobs personally replied to her email, apologized for the inconvenience, and arranged for a new iPod to be sent free of charge. Diana was thrilled and felt that her experience exemplified Jobs’ commitment to customer satisfaction.

Another example of Jobs’ personal email use was when he received an email from a software developer named Greg Slepak in 2008. Slepak had developed an app that allowed users to encrypt their text messages, but it was rejected by the App Store. Slepak emailed Jobs asking for an explanation, and Jobs responded personally, telling him that the app was rejected because it violated App Store guidelines on encryption. Jobs’ personal response was appreciated by Slepak, who later said that he felt like he was “talking to someone who had his finger on the pulse of technology and society.”

Overall, Jobs’ use of personal email to communicate with others was one of the many ways in which he fostered a culture of innovation, collaboration, and customer focus at Apple. His personal touch and willingness to engage with users and developers were part of what made Apple products so successful, and his legacy lives on today.