Steve Jobs, Movie Mogul

Can he build Pixar into a major studio?

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By Peter Burrows and Ronald Grover

November 23, 1998 at 5:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The euphoria in the air is as thick as the fog in nearby San Francisco. One by one, employees of Pixar Animation Studios jump onto a makeshift stage on the company's outdoor patio to compete in the annual Halloween costume contest. A Roller Derby team cavorts to a 1970s' disco beat as Pixar's 400-plus employees hoot and holler. A decrepit John Glenn look-alike in a space suit canes his way onstage, waves weakly, and shuffles off. And, natch, Francis the Ladybug, a character from Pixar's upcoming movie A Bug's Life, waddles up for a moment in the spotlight. Nice try, but first prize--free airplane tickets to Europe or Hawaii--goes to A.J. Riebli. At 295 pounds, with a shaved head and clad only in diapers, he flops around in a perfect imitation of the infant star of Pixar's 1988 Academy Award-winning short film, Tin Toy.

So how did Pixar's real larger-than-life character, Chairman and Chief Executive Steven P. Jobs, dress? Silicon Valley's numero uno visionary was attired in jeans, a plaid shirt, and New Balance running shoes because, well, he just didn't have time to get all gussied up. No problem, he's wearing what really matters anyway--a grin that stretches from ear to ear.