Genius is non-transferable
Advertising exec Bob Hoffman, aka the Ad Contrarian, has a great post about the brilliance of Steve Jobs in his field. And it supports TOV's main argument about the leadership change at Apple: Steve Jobs genius goes well beyond product design. Worth a full read.
The consensus seemed to be that Jobs built a strong culture, hired smart people, and taught a way of thinking that will serve Apple well in the future. The story line went like this-- while Jobs will be missed, he is no longer essential to the future of the company and it will go on brilliantly without him.
I don't buy this for a second. Genius is non-transferable.
Jobs hasn't just created better computers, he has created a world that nobody else could envision. He brought an artist's sensibility to a field previously populated by capable but tone-deaf engineers. He didn't just make beautiful looking hardware, he took what was a dead screen full of little green letters on a blue background and turned it into an astounding, enchanting world of graphics, music, and video that has become a central feature of contemporary life.