I love this passage from the Steve Jobs bio:
When the deal was taking shape Jobs told Ellison, “You know, Larry, I think I’ve found a way for me to get back into Apple and get control of it without you having to buy it.”
Ellison was happy for his friend, but pointed out that something was missing. He said to Jobs, “If we don’t buy the company, then how can we make money?”
At this point Jobs got real close to Ellison and said, “Larry, this is why it’s really important that I’m your friend. You don’t need any more money.”
This is key to understanding Steve Jobs. He kept his eye on the ball: The desire to make a dent in the universe.
I also love how it continues:
Ellison agreed with that general sentiment, but thought it was stupid that some “fund manager at Fidelity” would make more money on Apple’s success than he or Jobs.
Jobs responded by saying, “I think if I went back to Apple and didn’t own any of Apple, and you didn’t own any of Apple, I’d have the moral high ground.”
Ellison’s response: “Steve, that’s really expensive real estate, this moral high ground.”
Can’t argue with that :)
(Quoted from BI’s excerpt.)
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