Bill Watkins's @#*&! Bright Idea

Bill Watkins’s $200,000 Bentley convertible is littered with leftovers from Jack in the Box. He’s collected $160 million in investor money for his latest company, a high-tech lighting manufacturer called Bridgelux, but rails against venture capitalists. He calls himself a liberal and is against corporate taxation.

None of which is to say he’s difficult to pin down. If you want to know what Watkins thinks about something—anything—just ask. For example, the details of his 2009 departure from disk-drive maker Seagate Technology, where he served as chief executive officer for more than five years. Watkins wanted to place a bet on flash drives through a merger or acquisition, but when he presented the idea to board members, they refused, claiming the stock would take too big a hit. “I got in a big fight, and to be honest, I personalized it by insulting people and losing my cool. They thought I was going to punch out one of the board members. I didn’t, but I did call him, ‘You f-‍-‍-ing motherf-‍-‍-er,’ ” Watkins says with a guffaw that nearly makes him choke.