Steve Jobs will soon receive the highest civilian honor awarded in the U.S., the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The announcement was made today by President Biden and the award will be presented posthumously to the co-founder of Apple, Inc. on July 7, 2022, along with 16 other individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the United States.
The Medal of Freedom has no specific criteria and each U.S. President can award this honor to anyone that is deemed worthy. President Biden explained his picks as Americans that demonstrate the power of possibilities, a common theme in his speeches about the potential of the nation.
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Steve Jobs brought us the iPhone, the revolutionary device that changed the meaning of a phone and introduced a new way to work and communicate. Apple is a major contributor to the U.S. economy, generating over 2.7 million jobs and investing hundreds of billions of dollars domestically. Funding will be spent on iPhone, iPad, and Mac research and development and network infrastructure, green energy, Apple TV+ productions, and other capital expenditures.
Along with Steve Jobs, President Biden selected several other well-known and inspirational Americans to receive the Medal of Freedom, including Simone Biles, winner of 43 Olympic and World Championship medals; former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords; former Senator John McCain (posthumous); former Senator Alan Simpson; Olympic gold medalist and Women’s World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe; and the biggest celebrity on the list, Denzel Washington, acclaimed actor and director that has received two Academy Awards, a Tony, and two Golden Globes.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is represented by a star-shaped insignia that can be worn as a badge, as a lapel pin, or around the neck. It comes with no special privileges or awards and is simply meant to recognize and honor individual contributions to the security and national interests of the United States, as well as efforts that benefit cultural development and world peace.
While Steve Jobs didn’t push Apple to such great success single-handedly, Apple might never have reached this level of excellence without his guidance and drive. The Medal of Freedom seems like an appropriate honor for a visionary business leader.