As discussions dragged on into late 1984, Alvy Ray Smith asked a friend of his, Alan Kay, if he knew of any potential investors—ideally someone with a bit of computer expertise who could appreciate what he’d be getting with the Pixar, and might also understand that getting Catmull and his team in the deal was worth the entire cost of the transaction. Kay thought he knew exactly the right person, and called on an old friend of his who happened to be both computer savvy and a multimillionaire: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
