Apple Inc.
Ultimately, Jobs' biggest contribution isn't just a smartphone, a tablet or an operating system, but Apple itself, a 12,000-strong organization that was once on the brink of irrelevance. Since his return to the company in 1997, Jobs has rebuilt it into the most valuable technology company in the world, surpassing other heavyweights like Microsoft or HP. It may indeed be the greatest turnaround in business history.
Nothing better exemplifies that in design or scale than Apple's upcoming new headquarters, a 2.8-million square foot campus that will house 300,000 square feet of research facilities, a 1,000-seat auditorium, a power plant and underground parking. "I think we do have a shot at building the best office building in the world," Jobs said, who arguably wouldn't settle for anything but the best where any area of his company was concerned.
