Steve Jobs and Bill Gates' brutal bromance went from betrayal to deathbed letter (2024)

The rivalry between the likes of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk is well-known, as two of the world's richest men race towards the stars.

It's the latest billionaire tiff in a long string of rivalries which have dominated Silicon Valley for decades, driving hostility, competition, and innovation between the world's biggest tech companies.

However, there's one rivalry in particular which gave birth to the modern tech world as we know it.

READ NEXT: Inside Bill Gates' 'Internet Tidal Wave' dossier that saw the future and got him sued

The founders of Apple and Microsoft, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates respectively, both started their tech careers at around the same time. In fact, they began as friends and collaborators.

But as their empires grew bigger and bigger, so did the rift between them⁠—which eventually morphed into a bitter public rivalry. So public, in fact, it became the subject of a 1999 movie 'Pirates of Silicon Valley'.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates' brutal bromance went from betrayal to deathbed letter (1)

Early on, Gates and Jobs worked together on software for the Apple II PC and later, the Apple Macintosh. At one point, Gates said he had more staff working on Mac projects than Jobs did.

However, when Microsoft released Windows in 1985, Jobs was furious and accused Gates of ripping off Apple's user interface.

Apparently, when Gates was confronted by Jobs about it, Gates said: "Well, Steve, I think there's more than one way of looking at it. I think it's more like we both had this rich neighbour named Xerox and I broke into his house to steal the TV set and found out that you had already stolen it."

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates' brutal bromance went from betrayal to deathbed letter (2)

Jobs said: "They just ripped us off completely, because Gates has no shame."

Gates replied: "If he believes that, he really has entered into one of his own reality distortion fields."

Their public comments against each other became increasingly nasty after that.

According to a biography, Jobs once called Gates more of a copier than an innovator, and said: "He'd be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates' brutal bromance went from betrayal to deathbed letter (3)

"Bill is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything, which is why I think he's more comfortable now in philanthropy than technology. He just shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas."

Meanwhile Gates called Jobs "fundamentally odd" and "weirdly flawed as a human being." He even said to the former Apple CEO Gil Amelio: "Don't you understand that Steve doesn't know anything about technology?

"He's just a super salesman... He doesn't know anything about engineering and 99% of what he says and thinks is wrong. What the hell are you buying that garbage for?"

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates' brutal bromance went from betrayal to deathbed letter (5)

However, as competition between the two companies heated up and Gates stepped away from the Microsoft CEO role, their public rivalry began to cool a little.

Gates later shared that he was jealous of Jobs, saying in an interview with Armchair Expert: "He was such a wizard at over-motivating people⁠—I was a minor wizard so I couldn't fall under his spells⁠—but I could see him casting the spells, and then I would look at people and see them mesmerised.

"I was so jealous."

He added that Jobs' second time leading Apple, which saw the company release the iPhone and iPod "truly phenomenal".

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates' brutal bromance went from betrayal to deathbed letter (6)

Despite the years of bitter rivalry, Gates and Jobs eventually made up and became good friends.

Gates told The Telegraph that he'd written a letter to Jobs on his deathbed. "I told Steve about how he should feel great about what he had done and the company he had built. I wrote about his kids, whom I had go to know."

He added: "There was no peace to make. We were not at war. We made great products, and competition was always a positive thing."

After Jobs' death, his widow Laurene called Gates. She told him that Jobs had appreciated the letter⁠—and kept it next to his bedside.

READ MORE:

  • Russia is starting to beat Ukraine and Anonymous in cyber-war
  • Jigzilla robot to solve world's hardest puzzles and put nerds to shame
  • 'Exotic' plant-based woolly mammoth burgers could be 'meatier' than a McDonalds Big Mac
  • Brit who lost £150m Bitcoin at dump says he'll give everyone £50 if he can look for it
  • SpaceX debris in farmers' gardens could make them 'millions' if they sell it on eBay

Story Saved

You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates' brutal bromance went from betrayal to deathbed letter (2024)
Top Articles
Your Security. Your Privacy. Our Priority.
Vanguard High Dividend Yield Indx ETF (VYM) Dividends
Craigslist Warren Michigan Free Stuff
Caesars Rewards Loyalty Program Review [Previously Total Rewards]
Mate Me If You May Sapir Englard Pdf
Tj Nails Victoria Tx
Nesb Routing Number
Beds From Rent-A-Center
Poplar | Genus, Description, Major Species, & Facts
Calamity Hallowed Ore
Which aspects are important in sales |#1 Prospection
Citi Card Thomas Rhett Presale
Weather Annapolis 10 Day
Matthew Rotuno Johnson
Moe Gangat Age
[PDF] INFORMATION BROCHURE - Free Download PDF
Günstige Angebote online shoppen - QVC.de
All Buttons In Blox Fruits
Vistatech Quadcopter Drone With Camera Reviews
Hanger Clinic/Billpay
Www Craigslist Milwaukee Wi
Zoe Mintz Adam Duritz
Scout Shop Massapequa
Providence Medical Group-West Hills Primary Care
Magic Seaweed Daytona
Chamberlain College of Nursing | Tuition & Acceptance Rates 2024
Criterion Dryer Review
Ou Football Brainiacs
Nottingham Forest News Now
Japanese Emoticons Stars
Jail Roster Independence Ks
Kiddie Jungle Parma
Σινεμά - Τι Ταινίες Παίζουν οι Κινηματογράφοι Σήμερα - Πρόγραμμα 2024 | iathens.gr
Indiana Immediate Care.webpay.md
Oreillys Federal And Evans
Kelly Ripa Necklace 2022
Mvnt Merchant Services
Indio Mall Eye Doctor
Citibank Branch Locations In Orlando Florida
Go Bananas Wareham Ma
Mississippi weather man flees studio during tornado - video
Actor and beloved baritone James Earl Jones dies at 93
Unblocked Games Gun Games
Craigslist Food And Beverage Jobs Chicago
Big Reactors Best Coolant
Fatal Accident In Nashville Tn Today
Doe mee met ons loyaliteitsprogramma | Victoria Club
Phmc.myloancare.com
Benjamin Franklin - Printer, Junto, Experiments on Electricity
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Manual Maggio

Last Updated:

Views: 6601

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (49 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Manual Maggio

Birthday: 1998-01-20

Address: 359 Kelvin Stream, Lake Eldonview, MT 33517-1242

Phone: +577037762465

Job: Product Hospitality Supervisor

Hobby: Gardening, Web surfing, Video gaming, Amateur radio, Flag Football, Reading, Table tennis

Introduction: My name is Manual Maggio, I am a thankful, tender, adventurous, delightful, fantastic, proud, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.