From start to finish, the Apple CEO is a man of contradictions. A young Steve Jobs, starting out in the working life, was faced between an unusual choice between the business world and the Buddhist monastery – to make a living of selling gadgets to masses or to devote his life to a famously non-materialist faith.

Worshiped by the Apple-cult, loathed by the PC conservatives, Jobs doesn’t struggle to spark an opinion.

Currently, the polo-neck enthusiast from California, makes it regularly to the headlines of the digital world. Yet in 2004, when London iTunes store was launched, a Guardian article described him as practically unknown compared to Bill Gates.

There’s also another massive difference between the two. Whereas Gates is busy keeping up his richest-man-in-the-world image in smart suits and a nice smile, Jobs rants about the future of the digital world in his black turtle-neck and misfitting jeans.

True visionaries tend to come with their drawbacks. Jobs’ character has led to trouble even within his own company.

After co-founding the Apple Computer Company in his garage (legend says he even sold his Volkswagen camper van to finance the original design) Jobs was sacked after a reported power struggle.

Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs

But in the style of true innovators this did not deflate Jobs. He continued his passion and entrepreneurial efforts, which eventually lead to both him and his new company being bought by Apple a decade later. There was still something in him, they thought.

The decision turned out to be, not just a good one, but a great one. Jobs has since revolutionised both the music and mobile industries and carries on fulfilling his vision – and/or making money.

Apple is currently estimated to be worth somewhere around $140 billion. It would be interesting to find out what the figure would be without Jobs. Having a character as a CEO is a powerful thing when you team that up with vision.

Jobs’ character has recently also been picked up by the entertainment industry. Cable channel Epix is planning a satire TV series set in Silicon Valley.

The series, which is written by Dan Lyons, the man behind popular parody blog fakesteve.net, is set to be directed by Larry Charles, director of Borat, Seinfeld and Entourage.

Titled iCon, the show is described as “a savage satire, a study of ego, power and greed” with its lead character, Tom Rhodes, being a composite of Jobs and other Silicon Valley titans.

Feature article

After months of sniping and grumbling at Adobe, Apple boss Steve Jobs didn’t leave anything to interpretation in his open letter on the company’s site. Read more…

Steve Jobs’ Flash rant – happened so far