Before he died, Steve Jobs kept a letter from Bill Gates by his bed
Gates spoke this week with students at a school in South London, where he acknowledged that Jobs had said critical things about him in the past. But according to The Telegraph, Gates said the two were comfortable with one another by the time Jobs became gravely ill late last year.
"There was no peace to make. We were not at war," Gates said. "We made great products, and competition was always a positive thing."
In fact, Gates said he received a phone call from Jobs's wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, about negative comments her husband had made to biographer Walter Isaacson, in which he called Gates a "basically unimaginative person who "has never invented anything." Gates said Jobs's wife told him that Isaacson's book didn't "paint a picture of the mutual respect" the two had for one another.
Gates also revealed that he wrote a letter to Jobs when his death was imminent, in which he told the Apple co founder "he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built." Gates also wrote about Jobs's kids, who he had gotten to know.
Jobs's wife reportedly told Gates that Jobs appreciated the letter, and even kept it at his bedside.
Gates's latest comments come only days after he spoke with Nightline about Jobs, as well as his own philanthropy and efforts to eradicate diseases like malaria. Gates said in that interview that it was strange to have someone as "vibrant" as Jobs die so young.
127 Comments
…Gates said. "We made great products…
Well, Steve made great products. Bill made great copies.
Other than the lying to the creator of DOS to get an improbable discount and the theft of Mac OS 1.0 to make Windows and stagnate the industry for twenty years, Bill was a decent guy.
I DO agree that he's a good person, particularly with the things he has done since Microsoft and plenty of stuff during. But the good in his life didn't come from his business. He was a very dishonorable businessman.
Just like the good in Steve's life came from his business. Incredible works that truly exemplify the Crazy Ones speech.
Steve and Bill were antitheses. Two poles of the same magnet. Bill's good came with people. Steve's good came with business. On the opposite fronts, they were quite despicable.
I wonder if it was only coincidence that they existed in the industry at the same time or if they had to exist to balance each other.
Well, Steve made great products. Bill made great copies.
Other than the lying to the creator of DOS to get an improbable discount and the theft of Mac OS 1.0 to make Windows and stagnate the industry for twenty years, Bill was a decent guy.
I DO agree that he's a good person, particularly with the things he has done since Microsoft and plenty of stuff during. But the good in his life didn't come from his business. He was a very dishonorable businessman.
Just like the good in Steve's life came from his business. Incredible works that truly exemplify the Crazy Ones speech.
Steve and Bill were antitheses. Two poles of the same magnet. Bill's good came with people. Steve's good came with business. On the opposite fronts, they were quite despicable.
I wonder if it was only coincidence that they existed in the industry at the same time or if they had to exist to balance each other.
This is the first time I agree with you.
This is a historical moment, truly. Gates = Great person, despicable businessman.
Jobs = Despicable person, great businessman.
[Whom he had gotten to know. -Ed]
This is the first time I agree with you.
This is a historical moment, truly. Gates = Great person, despicable businessman.
Jobs = Despicable person, great businessman.
Very true. As of myself, I am looking forward for the event where Steve Ballmer (or, more likely, the one in charge after him), will explain on stage how much Microsoft and Apple care for each other, while a giant screen will display Tim's face, smiling (but moderately, as always with him ..).
Well, Steve made great products. Bill made great copies.
Other than the lying to the creator of DOS to get an improbable discount and the theft of Mac OS 1.0 to make Windows and stagnate the industry for twenty years, Bill was a decent guy.
I DO agree that he's a good person, particularly with the things he has done since Microsoft and plenty of stuff during. But the good in his life didn't come from his business. He was a very dishonorable businessman.
Just like the good in Steve's life came from his business. Incredible works that truly exemplify the Crazy Ones speech.
Steve and Bill were antitheses. Two poles of the same magnet. Bill's good came with people. Steve's good came with business. On the opposite fronts, they were quite despicable.
I wonder if it was only coincidence that they existed in the industry at the same time or if they had to exist to balance each other.
From reading the Jobs biography (and from being an Apple customer/Mac fan for the last 27 years), Jobs was not exactly an "honorable businessman" either. Neither of them seem to have been above lying, cheating, and stealing.
There is no doubt that Jobs' eye for aesthetics, good design, and elegance far surpassed Gates complete lack thereof. But trying to extrapolate that further is of questionable utility.