When Lucas decided to sell Pixar, suitors came and went, but Steve Jobs was the most
determined and curious. He peppered Catmull with unending questions. Mild-mannered
Catmull had misgivings about Jobs’s strong personality, but Jobs interacted so forcefully
that he taught Catmull to defend his positions and to engage anyone who disagreed. He
admired Jobs’s focus, brilliance and ability to inspire, but Jobs could be “dismissive,
condescending, threatening, even bullying.” Jobs acquired Pixar in 1986, and Catmull
worked with him daily for years.