Part 12: Steve Jobs on the impact of the Internet
Asked about the future of the Internet, Jobs said: "It's very exciting because it is going to destroy vast layers of our economy" and clear the way for many new companies to emerge and thrive.
"The Internet and the World Wide Web are clearly the most exciting thing going on in computing today. They're exciting for three or four reasons.
"No. 1: Ultimately computers are turning into communications devices, and ultimately we're spending more and more of the cycles of the computer to not only make it easy to use but to make it easy to communicate. The Web is the missing piece of the puzzle which is really going to power that vision much farther forward. It's very exciting in that way.
"Secondly, it's very exciting because it is going to destroy vast layers of our economy and make available a presence in the marketplace for very small companies, one that is equal to very large companies....
"The third reason it's very exciting is that Microsoft doesn't own it and I don't think they can. It's the one thing in the industry that Microsoft can probably never own. I think one of the things that's essential is that the government continue to fund the Internet as a public trust, as a public facility and remove any of these ridiculous notions of privatizing it that have been brought up. I don't think they're going to fly, thankfully."