The Biden Administration has announced the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for this year. Included among the list of 17 recipients is the late Apple CEO and cofounder Steve Jobs. The award will be posthumously presented to Jobs next week on July 7.
The posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom will be awarded to Jobs for his role in changing the way the world communicates, as well as for “transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries.” The announcement from President Biden explains:
Steve Jobs (d. 2011) was the co-founder, chief executive, and chair of Apple, Inc., CEO of Pixar and held a leading role at the Walt Disney Company. His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have, and continue to, change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries.
For full context, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the “highest civilian honor” in the United States. It is presented to those who have “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”
Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Posthumous Medal of Freedoms are rare but not unheard of. This year, other posthumous recipients include John McCain and Richard Trumka.
President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities. These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith. They have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities – and across the world – while blazing trails for generations to come.
The awards will be presented at the White House on July 7. The announcement does not make mention of who will be in attendance in representation of Steve Jobs. We would assume that it would be Laurene Powell-Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs.
You can find the full list of the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients on the White House website.
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