The death of Apple founder Steve Jobs generated substantial web activity and an outpouring of thoughts from leaders, such as Google CEO Larry Page, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and President Obama.

The death of former Apple CEO and technology visionary Steve Jobs on Wednesday night caused substantial activity on the web, quickly becoming a trending topic on Google Trends and Twitter.

Jobs, 56, suffered from pancreatic cancer and resigned as CEO of Apple on August 24, 2011, due to the effects of the disease and his ongoing treatment. Tim Cook took over for Jobs upon his resignation.

Apple’s CEO is widely considered one of the fathers of the internet era, and his iPads, iPods and Mac laptops generate consistent buzz online. It’s no surprise that the man behind the devices is catching his share of clicks today.

On Thursday morning, both “ThankYouSteve,” “Think Different” and “iSad” were trending topics around the country as Twitter users paid homage to the deceased Jobs.

At press time, “Steve Jobs” is the No. 1 trending search topic on Google, and a number of Apple-related queries are in the top 10. Further, it’s clear that Jobs’ legacy is increasing awareness of “pancreatic cancer,” as the term was the No. 2 trend. Among the top 10 searches, Jobs’ death is directly linked to eight trending topics. Google.com has also included a tribute to Jobs, including the text “Steve Jobs, 1955-2011” and an outbound link to Apple.com’s tribute to its departed founder and leader.

Upon hearing of the news Wednesday night, President Obama praised Jobs for his work changing the way the world uses computers, making them more accessible and easier to operate. He demonstrated Jobs’ impact on the online landscape, saying, “There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

Other noteworthy leaders to give statements on Jobs’ death include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft co-founder and Jobs’ long-time rival Bill gates, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo and Google’s Larry Page and Eric Schmidt.

“I am very, very sad to hear the news about Steve,” Page said in a post on Google+. “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.”

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.