News that Apple's CEO Steve Jobs had passed away rippled through executive ranks both within and outside the tech industry. Bob Iger, the President of Disney said Jobs' legacy "will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built."
"It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined," Iger said in an emailed statement.
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Iger said that Jobs was "a great friend as well as a trusted advisor." Jobs served on the board of Disney and sold Pixar to the company for more than $7 billion.
"Steve was such an “original,” with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era," Iger added.
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, a company that Apple had eclipsed in recent years with its fast-selling mobile products also paid tribute to Jobs.
"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor," Gates said in an e-mailed statement. "I will miss Steve immensely."
Gates, 55, and Jobs, 56, were twin figureheads in the early development of personal computers in the 1970s and 1980s. They became friends and fierce competitors.
"Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives," said Gates.
"I'm truly saddened to learn of (his) death," he said. "Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Reactions were also spreading over social media. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook had this to say on his Facebook profile: "Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."
Google's Larry Page said he was "very, very sad to hear the news about Steve."
"His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me. He was very kind to reach out to me as I became CEO of Google and spend time offering his advice and knowledge even though he was not at all well," Page said.
Lowell McAdam, the CEO of Verizon, which began selling the iPhone earlier this year said Jobs' creative genius had changed the world time and again. "Our industry and all of our customers benefited tremendously from his pursuit of excellence," McAdam said.
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