Valleywag is reporting that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has tentatively agreed to take the stage at this year’s All Things D Conference scheduled to take place later this June.
An appearance at D would not only speak to Jobs’ continuing physical vitality but also his willingness to grapple with some of the thorny new controversies surrounding his company, including its newfound power over news media publishers and rival Adobe. At an Apple event, Jobs is in control; on a stage at D, he’d be fielding questions from the likes of the Journal‘s Walt Mossberg and All Things D’s Kara Swisher.
Jobs last took the stage at All Things D back in 2007 when he shared the spotlight with former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates where the two praised each other and answered a bevy of questions about the history and future of the tech industry.
Here’s something you might not know, though. During a 1-1 interview with Jobs, Walt Mossberg remarked that the prevalence of iTunes made Apple a de-facto Windows developer. Jobs quickly replied, “It’s like giving someone in hell a cup of ice water…” Upon hearing of Jobs’ remark, Bill Gates reportedly became infuriated, but settled down enough to appear on stage with Jobs and be civil.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Hi Edible
Eh… actually, the Jobs gag about “water in hell” was made to Mossberg right in front of Bill Gates, who was siting further to the right.
(Maybe because Steve had been very generous in praising Gates’ getting it that software was so important… whereas Bill had witheringly admitted the Mac was “a little ahead”)