Bill Gates: “I Will Miss Steve Immensely”

Bill Gates, who during his long career at Microsoft was both a partner and rival to Steve Jobs, called working with Jobs “an insanely great honor” and said he would miss the Apple founder “immensely.”

Shortly after the announcement of Jobs’s death, Gates sent a statement to AllThingsD, offering his condolences to Jobs’s family and friends and praising Jobs’s impact.

The pair appeared together in a memorable joint interview at D5 in 2007, in which each praised the other’s accomplishments and reminisced together about their long careers.

Asked what the biggest misunderstanding about their relationship was, Jobs quipped that it was the fact that the two had kept their marriage secret for so long. Then things turned serious, with Jobs noting how the two men — once the youngest men in the room — were now the old men of technology.

“And, you know, I think of most things in life as either a Bob Dylan or a Beatles song, but there’s that one line in that one Beatles song: ‘You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead,'” Jobs said. “And that’s clearly true here.”

For his part, Gates reflected on Jobs’s sense of the consumer and his willingness to take big risks, including Apple’s bold bet with the Mac.

I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

Here are some video highlights of the memorable stage appearance by the two men at the D5 conference: