Steven Jobs is the founder, along with Stephen Wozniak, of Apple Computer, Inc., perhaps the most innovative force behind the personal computer revolution of the 1980s. Jobs' relationship with the company he co-founded has not always been a happy one. He was forced out of Apple in 1985, then returned as a consultant 11 years later. He was named interim chief executive officer of the ailing company in September 1997, was chiefly responsible for returning it to profitability, and was named CEO in January 2000.

Jobs also is the CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, which produces computer-generated films such as Toy Story in 1995, A Bug's Life in 1998, and Toy Story 2 in 1999.

Unlike large, established computer companies, Apple tried from the beginning to bring computers into every household. Its watchword was "user-friendly," and this customer-oriented philosophy is generally cited as a key to its phenomenal success. Only six years after Jobs and Wozniak...