Chapter 5
Into the Future
W
hen Steve returned to Apple, the company was in sham-
bles. Jobs’s innovative ideas not only saved the company
but took Apple to new heights. Today it is one of the most suc-
cessful corporations in the world, which is largely due to Jobs.
Befriending a Rival
Apple lost $1.6 billion under Gil Amelio. When Jobs saw the
mess the company was in he started campaigning for change. In
July 1997, the board of directors fired Amelio and offered Jobs
the CEO slot. He turned down the offer but agreed to serve as
interim (temporary) CEO. He also turned down the board’s offer
of a huge salary, opting for one dollar a year instead. This was not
unusual for Jobs. He had not taken a salary at NeXT, and his top
salary at Pixar was $50. Jobs had more money than he needed.
He was more interested in getting Apple back on track than in
getting richer. Jobs explains: “I was worth about over a million
dollars when I was twenty-three and over ten million dollars
when I was twenty-four, and over a hundred million dollars when
I was twenty-five and it wasn’t that important because I never did
it for the money.” 52
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