At Penn Olson, Charles Custer translates comments by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun on Apple founder Steve Jobs, whose resignation last week caused ripples in China and around the world. Among the flood of tributes, however, few were as colourful as Lei’s:
I believe Jobs is one of the great men of this age. He’s a Hollywood blockbuster. As things changed around him, he remained steady. He experienced leaving Apple for twelve years, from 1985 to 1997. It was twelve years of practice and experience, and when he returned, he shined as bright as ever. Even when Bill Gates became a big star in the early nineties, he said ‘I’m still just number two to Jobs.’
But Jobs will die someday, so there are still opportunities for us. The meaning of our existence is just waiting for him to kick the bucket. Of course, on the one hand, we wish him a long life, but on the other hand, we don’t want the world to be blinded by his light; we’d rather live in a more colorful world.
There are no gods in this world; the gods of the new age are still being created […] In China, the next ten golden years will give rise to many heroes. Everyone should cherish this. Our successes will all be depending on China’s golden twenty years.
Source: Lei Jun: ‘We’re All Just Waiting for Steve Jobs to Kick the Bucket’ – Penn Olson
