Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
No, Steve Jobs didn’t say this about wealth as he was dying
If Your Time is short
-
Jobs’ sister said in her eulogy that Jobs’ final words came after he looked at members of his family: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."
-
There is no evidence Jobs said this as he was dying — or ever.
In 2011, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died as a result of complications from pancreatic cancer. More than a decade later, some people are still finding inspiration from words he allegedly said on his deathbed — but there’s also still no evidence to support that he’s the source of this wisdom.
"At this moment, lying on the bed, sick and remembering all my life, I realize that all my recognition and wealth that I have is meaningless in the face of imminent death," Jobs said in his last days, according to a Jan. 10 Facebook post. "You can hire someone to drive a car for you, make money for you, but you cannot rent someone to carry the disease for you."
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
We found no credible source connecting Jobs to these words.
Featured Fact-check
It didn’t come up in his obituary in the New York Times or in Walter Isaacon’s 2011 Jobs biography or in the eulogy given by his sister, Mona Simpson, who said that Jobs’ last words were spoken after he looked at members of his family: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
In previous years, several other fact-checkers who have looked into the claim that Jobs said what’s written in the Facebook post have come up empty. And in 2015, Snopes checked a similar statement and found it wrongly attributed to Jobs.
Claims that another supposed billionaire made the statements have also been debunked. Unlike Jobs, this person didn’t actually exist. Like Jobs, he didn’t make this statement.
We rate this post False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Jan. 10, 2022
Facebook post, June 13, 2019
The New York Times, Apple’s Visionary Redefined Digital Age, Oct. 5, 2011
The New York Times, A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs, Oct. 30, 2011
Steve Jobs, 2011
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
No, Steve Jobs didn’t say this about wealth as he was dying
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.