FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING BIOGRAPHIES OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND ALBERT EINSTEIN, THIS IS THE EXCLUSIVE BIOGRAPHY OF STEVE JOBS. Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and … roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.
Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.
Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.
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Great read, tragic loss of a visionary before his time.
I always wondered how Steve Jobs and Woz went from the garage to millionaires. It seems it was pretty fast. And informative read. My only complaint is that the iPhone and it’s development is nowhere in the book. I learned how the iPod came about and how Steve got back into Apple and the Pixar story. All very interesting. But there should have been …
A very difficult book to get into and did not hold my interest. Reading it was a job, not an enjoyment.
Loved reading the book but found I didn’t like Steve Jobs.
A very good book if you are an Apple / Steve Jobs fan. The man led an amazing life and was truly a pioneer in the personal computer field, and was a true innovator. Some things in his personal life were not all that admirable though. I would recommend this book.
Insight into a genius, although a difficult personality. Well-written and an exceptional biograpy.
This book gives a candid look into the life of Steve Jobs. He allowed the author free rein to write his story without glossing over the facts. The result was a very well written and interesting biography.
Very interesting window into the life and character of Steve Jobs. A real eye-opener! Credible because Jobs gave the author free rein to “tell it like it is.” Not much of a father to his daughter and a bear to work for.
My son worked for Steve Jobs for a good while; thus, it was he who gave me a copy of the book. He said that the book accurately depicts the persona, or the enigma, of Mr. Jobs. My son never knew whether to engage with Steve (as he might double your salary if he agreed with your suggestions) or whether to hide when he saw Steve approaching (as he …
I was terribly disappointed to find out Steve Jobs real personality. He may have been brilliant, but as a human being, he was terrible in the way he treated his family.
Really enjoyed learning about the personal life, as well as his founding of Apple. He was a very convoluted person so this made for a very interesting read.
Very interesting and informative.
Great sad book. Jobs was a driven perfectionist who changed the world as we knew it. As good as he was in business he did not seem to be that happy.
My ranking is based on a personal viewpoint, not indicative of the detail and information contained in this book.
No one can argue against what the late Steve Jobs accomplished, nor the affect of his products on society, starting with the Apple computer, the MAC, and the i-phone … The books provides behind the scenes coverage of these Apple …
Finished it and enjoyed learning more about the man behind some of my favorite products. And even though I don’t believe Steve Jobs was a nice person, I still believe he had quite a bit of genius in him.
Interesting to find out something about the man.
Always worthwhile learning all one can about the indeosynchrcies of rare geniouses such as Steve Jobs.
This is a must reac
Very good, interesting profile of a very complex man. So intelligent and visionary, yet full of human foibles. A difficult person, but so are most geniuses and those who are obsessed with ideas. A great loss to the world when he died .
If you would like to know a lot about Steve Jobs read this book.