Bob Belleville

{{Short description|American computer engineer}}

Robert L. Belleville is an American computer engineer who was an early head of engineering at Apple from 1982 until 1985.

{{Infobox person

| name = Bob Belleville

| birth_name = Robert L. Belleville

| occupation = Software Manager at Apple (1982–1985)

| years_active = 1982–present

}}

Belleville worked at Xerox, where he was a primary designer of the hardware for the Xerox Star.{{Cite book |title=Revolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VQQCtFT1CGIC&pg=PR21 |location=Sebastopol, California |publisher=O'Reilly Media |date=2005 |isbn=9780596007195 |first1=Andy |last1=Hertzfeld |first2=Steve |last2=Capps |page=xxi }}{{cite news |first=Michael A. |last=Hiltzik |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-22-fi-62387-story.html |title=Fans Celebrate Fallen Xerox Star |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=June 22, 1998 }} Steve Jobs is said to have invited him to join Apple by saying, "Everything you've ever done in your life is shit, ... so why don't you come work for me?"{{cite news |first=Drake |last=Baer |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-on-steve-jobs-2015-1 |title=This Bill Gates Quote Summarizes What The Tech World Thought Of Steve Jobs |newspaper=Business Insider |date=January 16, 2015 }} In May 1982, he became software manager for the Macintosh 128K; in August that year he became engineering manager of the Macintosh division. As Apple Director of Engineering, he played a major role in developing the LaserWriter.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/1994/10/canon/ |title=Canon, Lone Wolf |magazine=Wired |date=October 1, 1994 }}{{cite book |first=Jessica |last=Livingston |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ktm885vGIXEC&pg=PA285 |contribution=Charles Geschke, Cofounder, Adobe Systems |title=Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days |location=Berkeley, California |publisher=Apress |year=2008 |isbn=9781430210788 |page=285 }} He resigned from Apple in summer 1985 after Jobs announced his resignation,{{cite news |first1=Bro |last1=Uttal |first2=Darienne L. |last2=Dennis |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1985/08/05/66254/index.htm |title=Behind the Fall of Steve Jobs |newspaper=Fortune |date=August 5, 1985 }} and later worked at Silicon Graphics.

In Alex Gibney's documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, Belleville said that the pressure of working at Apple had ended his marriage{{Cite web |title='Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine' to make TV Debut on CNN/U.S. |url=http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2015/12/09/steve-jobs-the-man-in-the-machine-to-make-tv-debut-on-cnnu-s/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213055802/http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2015/12/09/steve-jobs-the-man-in-the-machine-to-make-tv-debut-on-cnnu-s/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 13, 2015 |website=CNN Press Room |publisher=CNN |date=December 9, 2015}}{{cite news |first=Johnny |last=Woodard |url=http://www.islandpacket.com/entertainment/movies-news-reviews/article34704138.html |title=Movie review: Apple founder's dark side revealed in 'Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine' |newspaper=The Island Packet |date=September 7, 2015 |type=with video of Belleville speaking }} and that Jobs "[was always apparently] seducing you, vilifying you, or ignoring you",{{Cite news |first=John |last=Anderson |title=Review: Alex Gibney's Documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine Pulls Back the Curtain |url=https://time.com/4010454/steve-jobs-man-in-machine-documentary-review/ |newspaper=Time |date=August 26, 2015 }} but he cried when he recalled working for him.{{Cite news |first=Jim |last=Slotek |title='Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine' review: Documentary a brutally honest look at Apple genius |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2015/08/21/steve-jobs-the-man-in-the-machine-review-documentary-a-brutally-honest-look-at-apple-genius |newspaper=Toronto Sun |date=August 21, 2015 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&sortOrder=Sort+&story=Leave_Of_Absence.txt|title=Leave Of Absence|last=Hertzfeld|first=Andy|date=March 1984|website=|access-date=}}