How to Castrate a Bull

Dave Hitz has devoted much of his life to business. He did not set out to be a Silicon Valley icon, a business visionary, or even a billionaire. However, he became all three. He currently runs NetApp, Inc. , a data storage firm that began as an idea scribbled on a placemat and now takes in $4 billion a year. Hitz has seen his company go through every major cycle in business--from the Jack-of-All-Trades mentality of a start-up, through the tumultuous period of the IPO and the dot-com bust, finally to a mature enterprise company. NetApp is one of the fastest-growing computer companies ever and for six years in a row has been on Fortune magazine's list of Best Companies to Work For.