Intuit CEO Brad Smith was a part of the 'Cola Wars' in the 1980s.

After graduating from Marshall University, Smith joined the Pepsi Bottling Group to become a district sales manager with one goal: Destroy competitor Coca-Cola.

"My early days in the Cola Wars taught many leadership lessons that I have carried with me since, and those Michael Jackson concerts were a blast as well," Smith wrote on LinkedIn.

Smith ended up holding several roles at Pepsi in sales, marketing, and general management. He joined Intuit in February 2003 as vice-president and general manager of the company's Accountant Central and Developer Network in Plano, Texas.