Jean-Louis Gassée is a French computer engineer and entrepreneur, best known for his role in the development of the Apple Macintosh during the 1980s. He served as the head of the Apple France division and later became a key figure in the company's software development efforts. Gassée's contributions helped shape the user-friendly interface that the Macintosh is known for today. After leaving Apple, Gassée founded Be Inc., a software company that created the BeOS operating system. This innovative platform was designed for multimedia applications and aimed to provide a more efficient alternative to existing operating systems. Gassée's work has had a lasting impact on the tech industry, influencing both software design and user experience.