The Apple executive insisted on finding a new operating system for Mac away from Apple, and after the acquisition of NeXT, Steve Jobs returned.
The years Steve Jobs had to spend at NeXT after leaving Apple must have been a real ordeal for the co-founder of the Californian company. But they were part of a Stations of the Cross necessary that would later make him a genius and a visionary in the technology industry. A sacrifice that transformed him into a better version of himself, as clearly demonstrated by an emotional and humble message from his latest emails.
But for this to happen, the figure of a woman unknown to many Apple fans had to enter the scene.
Her name is Ellen Hancockand her insistence on finding a new operating system for Mac computers transformed her into the capeless heroine who brought back Steve Jobs. The butterfly effect, you know.
Ellen Hancock: a life dedicated to the technology industry
After Apple fired Steve Jobs in 1985, the company took a rocky course in which it didn’t really know what to do or what to sell. They even sold a collection of clothing, briefcases, toys and other rare products. Remember that the company was in crisis and only a miracle could put it back on the path to success.
After the passage without pain or glory of John Sculley Yes Michael Spindler As CEO of Apple, the board chose to name Gil Amelio CEO, who in turn named Ellen Hancock as the company’s CTO.
Steve Jobs poses with his Macintosh in one of the Apple visionary’s most iconic photographs
Decisions related to determining the future of the operating system for Apple’s Mac products fell to Ellen. His task was to create a completely redesigned operating system from scratch under the code name “Copland”.
But Ellen Hancock ended up canceling the project and as ZDNET very well points out, they recommended looking at other alternatives outside of Apple to find the perfect operating system for Mac. And that’s where NeXT came into play.
NeXT had an operating system called NeXTStep that was perfect for the operation. It’s like that, NeXTStep is the ancestor of Mac OS. Apple management has chosen NeXTStep as the operating system for its Mac computers.
Apple acquired NeXT in 1997, and with that, Steve Jobs returned as a “consultant”. It only took him a few months to regain power. Steve Jobs became CEO in September 1997, years after establishing his legend as history’s greatest visionary.
Ellen Hancock died at the age of 79 in 2022. and she was a woman who dedicated her entire life to the world of technology, playing a key role in major companies such as IBM, National Semiconductor and Apple.
