Steve Jobs posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

What you need to know

Steve Jobs has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Jobs is among seventeen recipients of the award.
The White House will hold a ceremony on Thursday, July 7.

“President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities.”

Over a decade after his passing, Steve Jobs will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Today, the White House announced the seventeen recipients of the Presidential of Freedom. President Biden said that the recipients of the award “demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith.”

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.

One of the recipients this year is Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and CEO who passed away in 2011. The announcement says that Jobs is receiving the award because “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.”

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.

The full list of the seventeen recipients are below:

Simone Biles
Sister Simone Campbell
Julieta García
Gabrielle Giffords
Fred Gray
Steve Jobs (posthumous)
Father Alexander Karloutsos
Khizr Khan
Sandra Lindsay
John McCain (posthumous)
Diane Nash
Megan Rapinoe
Alan Simpson
Richard Trumka (posthumous)
Wilma Vaught
Denzel Washington
Raúl Yzaguirre

The White House says that the awards will be presented in a ceremony at the White House on Thursday, July 7.