Steve Jobs was almost knighted in 2009; robbed of honor by Prime Minister

Sir Steven of Cupertino? According to a report in The Telegraph on Tuesday, Steve Jobs was almost given an honorary knighthood in 2009. The legendary Apple founder and CEO was to be honored for introducing products such as the iPhone and iPod, which revolutionized the industry. “Apple has been the only major global company to create stunning consumer products because it has always taken design as the key component of everything it has produced,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said at the time. “No other CEO has consistently shown such a commitment.” But Jobs reportedly refused to speak at the Labour Party conference, and former Prime Minister Brown is said to have blocked the knighthood as a result. Jobs’ appearance at the conference would have been a major score for Brown, and according to the report, he took Jobs’ refusal personally.

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