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So I've just read Ask Iwata, a book by Shigisato Itoi which has a collection of essays that Iwata made about his life and work ethic he made on Itoi's website (basically a posthumous autobiography) along with interviews with Miyamoto and Itoi about him and how he was different from other CEOs.

It was rather interesting. It seems like Iwata was truly different from other CEOs, but I guess that's mostly because Japan probably doesn't have an equivalent to the Ford vs Dodge ruling that puts shareholders as the top priority. That's why I compare him to Gabe Newell in that sense.

There were also some other interesting facts like how Iwata was inspired by Itoi marketing the Mother series for kids and adults which is why the Wii was heavily advertised as a family console.

However the one thing that resonated with me is one part when one Nintendo employee (can't remember which one) was talking about him. He said that he was nicknamed "Kirby" and that's because people will leave out boxes of candy and other junkfood for him and he will gobble all of it. No wonder he died from cancer at 55. Semi-related, but I've also heard that Masahiro Sakurai does not like the taste of water for some reason and he is a huge Diet Coke addict to the point that Nintendo leaves a mini-fridge of Diet Coke for him every time he directs a new Smash game.

Moral of the story: take pride in your work and enjoy your success, but please take care of your health.