Obama, Gates, Zuckerberg mourn loss of Steve Jobs

— -- Political leaders to luminaries from across the creative and tech and game worlds mourned the loss of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs online and, even more, on Twitter.

In fact, "#RIP Steve Jobs" quickly became the top-trending topic on Twitter, followed by "#ThankYouSteve" and "#iSad."

•President Obama: By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike.

•Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg (via Facebook): Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.

•Microsoft co-founder and longtime rival Bill Gates: "Melinda (Gates' wife) and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."

•Robert Iger, CEO of Walt Disney, which bought Jobs' Pixar animation studio in 2006 for $7.4 billion in stock, making Jobs Disney's largest individual shareholder:

"Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted adviser. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an 'original,' with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost a rare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a great friend. Our thoughts and prayers."

•Twitter CEO Dick Costolo: "Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesn't just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement."

•Larry Page, CEO of Google: "I am very, very sad to hear the news about Steve. He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me. He was very kind to reach out to me as I became CEO of Google and spend time offering his advice and knowledge even though he was not at all well. My thoughts and Google's are with his family and the whole Apple family."

•Eric Schmidt, Google's executive chairman, in a statement: "Steve defined a generation of style and technology that's unlikely to be matched again. Steve was so charismatically brilliant that he inspired people to do the impossible, and he will be remembered as the greatest computer innovator in history."

•Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: "Steve lived the California dream every day of his life, and he changed the world and inspired all of us."