Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was among a large group of technology executives, Hollywood stars and political figures who attended the memorial service Sunday night for Apple co-founder Steve Jobs this weekend at Stanford University, according to a New York Times report.
Reuters describes the scene outside Stanford’s Memorial Church, saying guests “arrived in dozens of black limousines and walked up a path lighted by hundreds of large white candles” to attend the service, which was closed to the public. The news service says Apple CEO Tim Cook “walked up to the chapel with a man dressed in the garb of a Buddhist monk.”
Gates and Jobs were rivals for much of their careers, but a statement released by the Microsoft chairman upon Jobs’ death made it clear that their relationship was more complex than that — saying they were “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,” Gates said in the Oct. 5 statement. “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”
Apple reportedly plans a celebration of Jobs’ life for employees this week. No public memorial is planned, but Apple fans around the world continue to leave remembrances at the company’s stores, as shown in this picture taken by GeekWire’s John Cook this week at the University Village Apple Store.
