Bill Campbell
I've never seen him not intense. I've known him since 1983. I started at Apple then as the vice president of marketing, and now I sit on its board.
There hasn't been a day in Steve's life that he doesn't get up, think about the company he works for, or what he's going to do next. These are things that drive him. He is a wonderful husband and a wonderful father, but his life is all about doing this kind of thing.
He wants to create something that has value, that has a legacy. "Legacy" is my word. I'm not sure he ever thinks about legacy. He's just driven like that.
The biggest thing for me was to watch him hire. He's a terrific interviewer. He understands what he wants, and he knows how to get great people. And if you take a look at his management team after 12 years, some are still there, some are gone, but in every [position, you'll find] a high-quality person.
When you watched how the company performed without him, I think the durability of what he created was pretty evident. Who knows what it would look like if he had stayed away longer? As close as I am, I don't even know. But I know that him coming back puts real excitement into the product development process.
-- Interview by A.L.
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