Tim Cook pays tribute to ‘brilliant’ Steve Jobs on the fourth anniversary of his death

It’s been four years to the day since Apple CEO Steve Jobs passed away, and his successor Tim Cook has marked the occasion with a moving tribute.

In an internal email to staff obtained by The Telegraph, Cook described the company co-founder as a “brilliant person” who “embodies his spirit of innovation”.

He said: “Steve was a brilliant person, and his priorities were very simple. He loved his family above all, he loved Apple, and he loved the people with whom he worked so closely and achieved so much.

“What is his legacy? I see it all around us: An incredible team that embodies his spirit of innovation and creativity. The greatest products on earth, beloved by customers and empowering hundreds of millions of people around the world. Soaring achievements in technology and architecture.

“Experiences of surprise and delight. A company that only he could have built. A company with an intense determination to change the world for the better.”

Jobs’ office at Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop headquarters in California remains exactly as he left it, complete with messages and drawings from his children.

The technology mastermind, who founded Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976, died as a result of complications related to pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011.