At the conference when they first talk about their plans Gordon mentions the "disgraced megalomaniac." He's talking about Steve Jobs who had been booted out of Apple Computer (the company he co-founded) at which point he then founded NeXT Computer, the machine talked about and later shown at the end. Like the Macintosh, the NeXT was ahead of its time, but bugged by a series of technical issues and a hefty price tag, it was never a success. In the late 90's, when Apple was in desperate shape and facing possible bankruptcy, it bought NeXT Computer and used its technology to reinvigorate the company. With Jobs also back on board as chairman, Apple rebounded and eventually become the biggest company in the world.