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Reflection On American Genius

The document discusses the rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and how it shaped the personal computing industry. It argues that their rivalry pushed both men to be better and innovate more. While Gates initially had the upper hand with Microsoft's success, Jobs was able to regain success by implementing his vision when returning to Apple. In the end, their healthy competition benefited both them and the industry, and though they competed fiercely, their relationship resembled that of siblings.

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Ianna Carmel Quitayen
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3K views2 pages

Reflection On American Genius

The document discusses the rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and how it shaped the personal computing industry. It argues that their rivalry pushed both men to be better and innovate more. While Gates initially had the upper hand with Microsoft's success, Jobs was able to regain success by implementing his vision when returning to Apple. In the end, their healthy competition benefited both them and the industry, and though they competed fiercely, their relationship resembled that of siblings.

Uploaded by

Ianna Carmel Quitayen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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QUITAYEN, IANNA CARMEL Y.

AIS – 1 ACA
May 15, 2016

Reflection on “American Genius: Jobs vs Gates

According to famous American fiction writer, Philipp Meyer, “Sibling rivalry sometimes leads to
the bitterest competition.” This may be true for most people but on a scale of one to ten in the rivalry
between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, it is definitely a ten on positive rivalry. No bitterness but there
remains a challenge to make each other better.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were no different between siblings fighting over who would get the
last slice of cake on the table; however, the term “fighting over sweets” is an understatement because
the rivalry between the two greatly shaped the Personal Computers Industry today. They were both
pioneers that had greatly impacted the industry. I think that both of them needed the rivalry because it
both pushed themselves to be better. Even when they both had the stronger grip in all pioneers of
Personal Computers, Gates was the most competitive. Each time that he felt that Jobs was ahead of him,
he always made sure that he had the upper hand. He became a monopolist at the time where the first
ever Microsoft Windows was released to the general public and in which time, Apple Computers – the
company Jobs had founded, was in the brink of losing all its market shares. Although Microsoft – the
company where Gates belongs, was at the top of the chain, it felt less like winning. Winning meant more
than just being at the top. After all, it is called winning because you are advancing before the others you
are up against. In Gates’ case, he was not up against anyone to begin with, with the case of Apple
Computer Industries falling down. This is where I base my ground in saying that their rivalry was
important. Steve Jobs had been brought back by the board after more than a decade and he needed a
lot of money to pull the company back on its toes. Gates was also building a bad image for himself as he
had been caught in many controversies and disputes. They needed each other. When Gates was being
issued as “bad” for the industry, he needed a worthy competitor to eliminate the idea of him
monopolizing the industry. This is where Jobs comes in, obviously, since Apple was the only worthy
opponent capable of doing it. They reconciled and became better than the people they were back then.
Jobs finally became successful in implementing his vision for their products even when the number of
days he had left was very few. Gates was able to regain the people’s trust again when he started
becoming a philanthropist creating the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. But in my humble opinion, the
true winner was Steve Jobs, for he is the epitome of a true innovator who always kept his vision intact.
In conclusion, in the history of Personal Computing, the industry would not have been as great
as it is today if the rivalry between these geniuses were nowhere to be found. Their relationship
between each other resembled that of the relationship between siblings and even with the competition,
they were able to keep it healthy, cordial, and professional.

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