New York (CNN Business) Steve Jobs was a wizard who "cast spells on people" to help keep Apple afloat during the company's darkest days, according to longtime rival Bill Gates.

Microsoft MSFT Thefounder discussed his and Jobs' leadership styles with CNN's Fareed Zakaria Sunday . Both men are known for being tough leaders who foster an intense workplace culture.

Apple AAPL Gates said people often emulate the negative elements of thefounder's personality, but Jobs was also a unique leader who took Apple from near-death to its pedestal as the most valuable company in the world (before Microsoft usurped that crown this year). Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy when Jobs rejoined the company in the late 1990s; it is now worth just shy of $1 trillion.

Jobs was "a good example of 'don't do this at home,'" Gates said. But nonetheless, he added, "I have yet to meet any person who in terms of picking talent, hyper-motivating that talent and having a sense of design, of 'this is good, this is not good.' So he brought some incredibly positive things along with that toughness."

Gates said Jobs had a way of turning around failures by "casting spells" both on his own staff and outside observers. Gates dropped a Harry Potter reference when he called himself a "minor wizard" for being able to see through Jobs' "spells."

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