He was not a hacker and that's precisely why he could lead the creation of great end-user products. He certainly did know a whole lot about programming : check

He was not a hacker and that's precisely why he could lead the creation of great end-user products. He certainly did know a whole lot about programming : check his WWDC 97 address, in particular this sequence at 22' : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GnO7D5UaDig#t=1283s http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v... he knew that coding isn't measured by the number of lines you write, and that providing a good environment to developers is absolutely essential. I don't know too many managers or CEOs who really grasp that.