emily: microsoft went on to buy hotmail.ell me about where you come from and what kind of kid where you. arizona.was born in i was inspired by my dad growing up. he had one of the first computers. the ability to program the machine. unlike other experiments that would take time to learn. amalie: you graduated from stanford first in your class. an mba from stanford. love to learn. i rolled right from my undergraduate degree into a .asters i eventually had to go get a job. the hoodies and the dropping out wasn't as popular back then. he worked for steve jobs and apple. they tried to recruit you at pixar. steve: it was a short. of time it was pretty intense. he has this incredible laserlike focus on whoever he is speaking with. would go that we were on. i want to study the way he did business. not that i could be like him but just to try to understand him. i just asked him. he came to my house to speak when i was at stanford business school. he stayed for like three hours. what i remember was that he was just obsessed with appl

emily: of course, microsoft went on to buy hotmail. want to talk about how you became a guy who can make these kinds of predictions and big bets. tell me about where you come from, what kind of kid were you? steve: i don't know if i ever grew up. i was born in arizona to estonian immigrants who came here. i was inspired by my dad growing up. i started programming when the apple ii computer first came out. i think there is something inspiring about the ability to code machines, unlike other experiments that take time to learn. the learning cycle is so rapid when you program. emily: you graduated from stanford first in your class, you got a masters in electrical engineering, and mba at stanford. steve: i love to learn, and that is what i love about being a venture capitalist, i am always learning. i enrolled into a phd, which i didn't intend to take. it sort of happened. i eventually had to get a job, so i took off. emily: after you got all this schooling, you work for apple, you worked with steve jobs at next, and he tried to recruit yo

emily: of course, microsoft went on to buy hotmail. dfj made millions of dollars. want to talk about how you became a guy who can make these kinds of predictions and big bets. tell me about where you come from. what kind of kid were you? steve: i don't know if i ever grew up. that is the first thing that comes to mind. i was born in arizona to estonian immigrants who came here during the early days of the semi-conduct or industry. i was inspired by my dad growing up. i started programming when the apple ii computer first came out. i think there is something intoxicating about the ability to program a machine to code things and have immediate feedback, unlike other experiments that take time to learn. the learning cycle is so rapid when you program. emily: you graduated from stanford first in your class, you got a masters in electrical engineering, an mba at stanford. steve: i love to learn, and that is what i love about being a venture capitalist, i am always learning. at school, i did not want to leave. i rolled from my undergraduate to my masters to a phd, which

emily: when you made an early investment in hotmail, and you bet on e-mail before it was anything. what did you see? steve: it is usually a combination of things. an entrepreneur getting excited and jumping out of his seat, and an idea unlike anything i have seen before, which is, wow, e-mail wherever you go not tied to a corporate system or an e-mail server. we invested in what became the first example of viral marketing on the internet. emily: want to talk about how you became a guy who can make these kinds of protections and big bets. tell me about where you come from, what kind of kid were you? steve: i don't know if i ever grew up. i was born in arizona to estonian immigrants who came here. i was inspired by my dad growing up. i think there is something inspiring about the ability to code machines, unlike other experiments that take time to learn. emily: you graduated from stanford first in your class, you got a masters in electrical engineering, and aba at stanford. steve: i love to learn, and that is what i love about being a venture capitalist, i am always learning. i enrol

reuters reports former microsoft employees say chinese authorities hacked into more than a thousand hotmail accounts several years ago, targeting ty betan leaders. >>> and at&t is doing away with two-year contracts next week. starting january 8th, you'll only be able to buy a new paying a full price or as part of an installment plan. the new policy doesn't apply to business customers. verizon and sprint got rid of two-year contracts in august, while t-mobile stopped offering them two years ago. kerry and michael, back over to you. very happy new year. get your spot in times square. >> absolutely. landon, question. will you be at the exclusive cnbc reception tonight? >> obviously. if i make it through. looks like i'm going to have to have a nap. >> i hear you on that. >> happy new year. >> same to you guys. >>> still ahead, times square isn't the only plabe to ring in the new year. we're going to look at some of the other new year's celebrations happening in our area. >>> plus, a news 4 exclusive. a local pastor accused of stealing money out of the church offerings. why is he still holding s