I actually worked with several people who used to work at Apple's Cupertino headquarters--at least one worked as a manager under him, not just an engineer. And yeah--he was awful to work for... very awful. They quit, after all. But, in the end, that's how he gets people to squeeze out their best. A lot of them recognized that, too, despite STILL leaving unhappy. There's a bit of yin and yang to working for him.

All that said, why are people overly crediting Steve Jobs as an inventor or a visionary? He didn't do anything inventive or visionary. I just heard CNN radio claim that the mouse was a Steve Jobs concept. Excuse me? Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse in 1963. Please, people, he was a business and marketing genius--but he's not a visionary. :P Just the same, he was a VERY successful businessman and deserves as much credit. He was GREAT for competition and a GENERALLY respectful adversary in business. He did, at least, give computing a the kind of public image it needed--simple, clean and functional. An uncomplicated image.

R.I.P.