When Asked About His Business Rivalry With Bill Gates, Steve Jobs Replied With A Beatles Lyric From This Reflective Song

In the tech world, few rivalries are as legendary as that between Apple's Steve Jobs and Microsoft's Bill Gates. The two pioneers changed the personal computer industry and how we use technology by pushing the envelope in their special ways for decades. However, when asked about his relationship with Gates in a rare joint interview, Jobs didn’t respond with competitiveness or rivalry – instead, he quoted a line from a Beatles song.

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During the 2007 interview, Jobs and Gates reminisced about their long history in the industry. They laughed, remembering their early years when they were frequently the youngest in the room. Gates noted how it was always wonderful to see someone like Jobs persevere through the many challenges and trends offered by the rapidly changing computer sector. 

Jobs, known for his passion for music, quoted The Beatles' reflective line: "You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead,” before adding, “And that’s clearly true here.”

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The lyric from The Beatles' "Two of Us" song perfectly captured the sentiment. For all their competition, Jobs and Gates shared a deep mutual respect. The song is about friendship, shared memories and a sense of journey – and that's exactly how Jobs saw his connection with Gates. After all, they'd both been through the ups and downs of building billion-dollar companies, watching trends come and go and surviving the intense pressures of leading groundbreaking tech firms.

It was a moment that showed the softer side of their relationship and that despite being rivals, Jobs and Gates weren't just competing tech CEOs – they were two individuals who'd shared a unique journey in an industry they helped to shape. Their antagonism had subsided into camaraderie based on mutual knowledge of what it required to get to where they were, shared experiences and the rare act of cooperation.

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Back in the late '70s and early '80s, Apple AAPL was working hard to get its personal computers into homes, schools and offices, aiming to make computers friendly, accessible and even stylish. Microsoft MSFT, on the other hand, was all about software under Gates’ direction. Gates aimed to install Microsoft’s operating system on as many machines as possible, including IBM, Apple’s main rival. And a long-standing rivalry was sparked by this action. 

Microsoft's Windows operating system, introduced in 1983, was strikingly similar to Apple's Mac OS and Jobs was not happy about it. He famously accused Gates of copying Apple’s interface, saying that Microsoft had no shame in borrowing ideas.

Ultimately, this brief Beatles reference from Jobs was a reminder of the humanity behind the industry giants. For those who grew up with either an Apple device or Microsoft software – most of us have used both – their partnership and rivalry have always felt like a part of our own experience with technology.

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