By 
Researcher and reporter: Shama Sultana Isfaqul Kabir
Icons in the tech industry include Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. However, at one point their camaraderie turned into hostility. In the realm of technology, the rivalry between Jobs’ Apple and Bill’s Microsoft is regarded as the most intense. In the middle of the 1980s, their friendship evolved into rivalry.
Let’s find out how they developed two of the top companies in the world and how their relationship transformed.
The commencement of companionship
In the late 1970s, when Apple and Microsoft were both very modest start-ups, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs first crossed paths. Next, to get software for the recently created Apple Computer, Steve Jobs approached Microsoft. That was when Gates was writing software for the Apple Macintosh. Following that, they established a cordial corporate partnership and shared aspirations to create novel technology.
The two’s lives, however, were entirely different before that. On opposite ends of America, they were born in 1955. Whereas Steve was adopted by a family, Bill was the son of a wealthy business. That being said, Steve’s family was not wealthy. Bill was able to receive a quality education, a college education, and other study aids. Later, Bill registered at Harvard University, but he dropped out to focus on his own business, Microsoft.
On the other hand, Steve’s life was not without its challenges. After enrolling at Reed University, he was forced to leave because of financial difficulties. A free meal was provided to him once a week at his neighborhood Krishna temple, and he also gathered old Coke cans for meals. He was later influenced by and came to believe in the “Happy Generation” philosophy. After seven months, he left for India to launch his firm and came back to America.
The Apple 2 appears on the market by Bill and Steve jointly. Here, Bill contributed to Apple’s software development. Approximately 6 million Apple Two units were purchased. Customers could start using it right out of the box at the time because it was so simple to use. Bill and Jobs were extremely wealthy as a result of this.
Steve has a slightly different style to his work. He integrates all of the goods produced by his company. For instance, you cannot use the software of any other business to run Apple products. You need to utilize an additional Apple device to even unlock Apple devices. That was entirely unrelated to the technological world. In contrast, Bill was quite meticulous about his products and made sure that they worked with any computer.
commencement of hostilities
Their differences escalated in the early 1980s. Raising the bar for their operating systems was a goal shared by Apple and Microsoft. When the Microsoft Windows operating system was released, Jobs was particularly certain that Gates had pilfered his ideas. Their bond soured as a result, and Jobs referred to him as a traitor. Gradually, their friendship evolves into animosity due to this competitiveness.
The story of the friendship turning into enmity between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. | Photo: Collected
enormous success for Microsoft and Apple
Bill receives an invitation from Jobs to write the programming for the new “Apple Lease” product from his company. Bill responds that while he’s willing to work on the project, he needs a prototype. i.e., I require a genuine copy of the item. Although Jobs spends a lot of money on Apple Lease, hardly 10,000 customers own one. I was then required to introduce my product to the market. Thus, he introduced Windows One Point Zero to the consumer. Jobs sits there and says that Bill stole his system. This was the beginning of their animosity toward one another. Later, due to a variety of circumstances, Steve Jobs was forced to depart his own company.
In contrast, Bill was leading a rather contented existence. At the age of thirty-one, he became the youngest billionaire in history in 1987. His business broke record after record. Bill has risen to the position of the world’s richest man by 1995.
Jobs was working on developing his new business, Next, in the interim. Jobs’s previous Apple was failing behind the scenes. Thus, Apple made the decision to rehire Steve Jobs in 1997. Additionally, Apple paid $429 million to acquire Steve’s Next. Steve goes back to work for his old employer right away.
However, Bill gave Steve’s company a $150 million investment when it was about to file for bankruptcy in 1997.
It’s time to reveal Steve’s talent to the world. He introduced the newest offering from Apple. which was referred to as “iMac”. it yielded great results. Steve didn’t end there. When Apple unveiled the “iPod” in 2001, music enthusiasts saw a revolution. The public did not embrace Microsoft’s “Zoom Media Player,” which it released afterward.
By releasing the first iPhone, Apple stunned the world once more. A failed attempt was made by Microsoft to release new phones with their operating system.
The final chapter of Companionship
Despite their long-standing animosity, they made another attempt to patch things up a few years before Steve Jobs passed away. Together, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs made an appearance on a TV show in 2007 where they shared memories of their past and expressed mutual admiration. Noting that Gates was a patient man, Jobs said, “Bill Gates is an excellent businessman.” However, Steve Jobs’ inventiveness was commended by Bill Gates, who said, “Steve was a skilled designer and his courage was incredible.”
The final chapter of the friendship between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. | Photo: Collected
Bill Gates’s reaction to the passing of Steve Jobs
Bill recently referred to Steve Jobs as a “genius” in an interview following his passing. He added that Jobs’ brilliance was something he envied in the Apple legend. The founder of Microsoft observed, “Steve Jobs was a great magician when it came to inspiring people.” Additionally, according to Bill, Steve’s return to Apple allowed the corporation to turn things around.
The dynamic between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs was complex. From amity to friendship, and then back to amity again. It is not just their brilliance, but also their competition, that has revolutionized the tech industry today with Apple and Microsoft. Bill Gates is still regarded by many in his nineties as the world’s richest man. This demonstrates the degree of global impact Bill was able to garner. However, Apple still holds Steve Jobs in high regard for his innovations.
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