Steve Jobs became Apple’s permanent CEO in 2000 after serving as interim CEO. Apple had appointed him interim chief executive in 1997, following the acquisition of NeXT.
The title “interim” reflected uncertainty about Jobs’s long-term role while Apple reorganized. During this period, he helped simplify Apple’s product strategy, reduce the number of projects, and restore the company’s focus on a smaller set of products.
Apple removed “interim” from his title at the Macworld Expo in January 2000. By then, the company had released products such as the iMac and was rebuilding its financial and cultural position. Jobs remained Apple’s chief executive until his resignation in August 2011.