Cover Story “Until the U.S. Justice Department says this is a clear antitrust problem, I don’t think the judge will find there are antitrust problems,� Samuelson said. (The Department of Justice was scheduled to weigh in on the settlement Thursday, Feb. 4, after the Weekly’s press deadline.)
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hile Reback is clearly impassioned about the settlement, its implications, and antitrust in general, there is more to him than just the law. He’s a swimmer, a Civil War buff and a member of two books clubs. He reads books the old-fashioned way and does not own a Kindle or e-reader. Dr. Michael Greenfield, a friend for 20 years, said he appreciates Reback’s wide range of interests. In their book group, for example, Reback is comfortable discussing mathematics, history, philosophy and, of course, literature, Greenfield said. “He’s taken math classes at Stanford and knows an incredible amount about business. It’s a hackneyed phrase, but he’s almost a Renaissancetype person,� Greenfield said. One might expect a lawyer to dominate such a group, but Reback “never overwhelms people with his opinions. He is smart and eloquent, and will debate them strongly, but he’s a generous person and will listen to others,� his friend Ron Rosenfeld said. Rosenfeld said he particularly enjoyed listening to Reback’s tales of writing his book. “As enormously proud of it as he undoubtedly is, he is remarkably modest about it and self-deprecating. He was willing to share mistakes he made, mistakes in judgment he has made along the way. I really appreciate when someone at the top of his field, as Gary is, comes across like that.� With all his experience in antitrust, one might think Reback would be interested in working for the Justice Department or the Securities and Exchange Commission. But he said that kind of public service requires a different mindset, and perhaps a patience, that he doesn’t have in sufficient quantity. When asked about his vices, he claimed to squander what could be more leisure time, thanks to his penchant, he said, for disorganization. When writing his book, or a brief, he barricades himself in a conference room to seal himself off from distractions. “I tend to spend a lot of time thinking, and I sometimes can’t turn that off when I get home. It spills over,� he said. “I am testy, inwardlooking and frustrated when I can’t figure it out.� For now, Reback will have to try to burn off the nervous energy generated by the Google case via another one of his habits, exercise. He said he does some of this best thinking in the pool or on an elliptical machine. “If my optimism quotient was a little higher than my pessimism quotient, it would be better for everybody,� he said. N Susan Kostal is a San Franciscobased freelance writer. She can be e-mailed at skostal@mac.com.
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