(CNN) -- It's well known that the secret to Apple's meteoric success in the world of consumer technology was the vision, leadership and creativity of Steve Jobs, the company's celebrity founder. "Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that -- it is in our DNA," Tim Cook, Jobs' successor, wrote in a staff memo after Jobs resigned from his post as Apple's CEO in August. What's less talked about is what drove Jobs, who died Wednesday at 56. As with anyone, Jobs' values were shaped by his upbringing and life experiences. He was born in 1955 in San Francisco and grew up amid the rise of hippie counterculture. Bob Dylan and the Beatles were his two favorite musical acts, and he shared their political leanings, antiestablishment views and, reportedly, youthful experimentation with psychedelic drug usage.
@highlight
Steve Jobs' values were shaped by his upbringing and life experiences
@highlight
"That's been one of my mantras: focus and simplicity," Jobs said in 1998
@highlight
Traversing India sparked Apple co-founder's conversion to Buddhism
@highlight
Jobs on his goals: "We're here to put a dent in the universe"
Apple enlisted the help of @placeholder police to investigate.
However, @placeholder and Jobs didn't make much of a dent with philanthropy.