"Boss, I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Steven Matthew is a difficult man. No investor has ever been treated the way you were, Boss. And having drinks with him over dinner, too... It's astonishing."

Robert Ryan was genuinely amazed.

Since his smartphone hit it big, rumor had it Steven Matthew enjoyed slamming the door on investors and treating them with contempt.

Apple's stock climbed higher by the day.

Steven, who owned a sizable stake along with Cook, had his nose up in the stratosphere.

He'd never cared much about money to begin with.

Steven Matthew used Apple as a way to bring his imagination to life.

Only someone of Robert's stature could have gotten a meeting at all.

Steven's pride shot through the roof, right along with Apple's soaring stock price.

All over the world, admiration kept pouring in for the iPhun's amazing features.

The phrase Apple believers was even coined.

And the boss had had dinner with Steven Matthew, Apple's true owner.

Steven, who was said never to touch a drop, had enjoyed wine with the boss.

Robert couldn't follow what the two of them were saying.

Most of it was philosophy—life and death.

They traded weighty views on the future and the directions progress might take.

They were talking about what the boss called the future's bread and butter.

A wide-ranging conversation flowed about the whole Fourth Industrial Revolution—5G, self-driving cars, optogenetics, systems metabolic engineering, artificial intelligence and more.

The two marveled at each other.

Robert heard jargon only geniuses share.

More than half of what he heard went right over his head.

When they talked about a world changing without borders, Robert gave up on understanding and concentrated on his drink.

He knew this was out of his league.

The conversation went on late into the night.

As the wine gave way to tea, cheerful voices filled Steven's vacation house.

Despite the difference in age, the two became friends.

Steven carved out precious time to keep him through lunch the next day before they finally parted.

When they said goodbye, Steven Matthew hugged the boss and…