By SDCN Staff
Sacramento, CA–For California’s American Innovation Coin, Governor Gavin Newsom has recommended world-renowned innovator Steve Jobs.
The coin, which will be minted by the U.S. Mint, highlights California’s legacy as a global hub of innovation.
The American Innovation $1 Coin Program, launched in 2018 by the U.S. Mint, celebrates the spirit of ingenuity that defines America. Each state, territory, and the District of Columbia is honored with creating a unique coin recognizing an innovation or innovator from their region.
“Innovation and California are synonymous, and Steve Jobs encapsulates the unique brand of innovation that California runs on: innovation not driven by business alone, but as a vehicle to forever change the world,” Governor Newsom stated in a news release.
This week, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) Director Dee Dee Myers presented the state’s nomination of Jobs and his legacy to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, which will take design recommendations to the Treasury Secretary for final approval. This project is led and facilitated by the U.S. Mint. California’s coin will be produced and made available in 2026.
Jobs’ legacy spans industries and products: Jobs was the co-founder and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, bringing to life the world’s first fully computer-animated feature: “Toy Story.” But even that legacy-defining achievement is surpassed by his work as co-founder and two-time CEO of Apple, launching several revolutionary computers, including Apple II – the first mass-produced microcomputer – and Macintosh – the first mass-market personal computer that included a graphic display, so users could see what they were working on.
The goal, according to Jobs, was to “bridge the gap between sophisticated technology and ‘the rest of us’ who make up most of humanity…to make complex technology easy to use and fun to use.” That approach led to the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, devices that refined existing technology to make it more precise, more intuitive, and more functional.
By focusing on who he was innovating for – other people – Jobs used technology to connect people to the broader world, bringing people onto the same level by providing them with equal access. And that approach was built on a willingness to try new ideas and push the boundaries of what was possible – an approach that embodies the California spirit.
“California has a sense of experimentation about it, and a sense of openness about it—openness and new possibility—that I really didn’t appreciate till I went to other places.” – Steve Jobs.
