128 DELIVER THE EXPERIENCE
processors, not in June as originally announced, but today. See
Figure 11.1.
Few companies are more closely associated with their found-
ers than Apple is with Jobs. Regardless, Jobs himself is more
than happy to share the spotlight with employees and partners
onstage. A Jobs presentation is rarely a one-man play. He features
supporting characters who perform key roles in the narrative.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates was one of the most unexpected
partners to share the stage with Jobs. In 1997, at the Macworld
Expo in Boston, Jobs, who had recently returned to Apple as
interim CEO, told the audience that in order to restore Apple to
health, some relationships had to be revisited. He announced
that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer would be the default browser
on the Macintosh and that Microsoft would make a strategic
investment of $150 million in the company. On that note, he
introduced a “special guest,” live via satellite. When Bill Gates
appeared, you could hear some cheering, along with a lot of
boos. Gates spoke for a few minutes and graciously expressed his
admiration for what Apple had accomplished.Figure 11.1 Steve Jobs sharing the stage with Intel CEO Paul Otellini.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images