This One Quote Sums Up What It Was Like Working With Steve Jobs

Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesSteve Jobs

Steve Jobs is known for much more than the innovation he brought to Apple. Jobs had a reputation for being a perfectionist, which sometimes meant coming down hard on employees.

According to one former NeXT and Apple employee that worked with Jobs, his reputation doesn't do it justice. Ken Rosen, a managing partner at consulting agency Performance Works, summed up his experience working with Jobs in one quote:

"Steve Jobs was not just everything you heard, he's everything you've heard and with the volume turned up," Rosen said to Business Insider.

Rosen primarily worked with Jobs during his tenure at NeXT in the late '80s and early '90s.

"When he was good, he was better than his reputation," he said. "When he was rough on people, he was worse than you could ever imagine."

Rosen said Jobs was just like his reputation indicates, but more so.

Despite Jobs' sometimes harsh attitude, Rosen said it was worth it to be able to work with someone that you could learn so much from. While working at NeXT, Rosen said Jobs goal was pretty clear:

"He just really wanted to develop an organization where people knew what good products were."