Steve Jobs
4.5/5
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About this ebook
Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the 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, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in 21st 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 the author, he asked for no control over what was written. 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.
Steve Jobs is the inspiration for the movie of the same name starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels, directed by Danny Boyle with a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin.
Editor's Note
Imaginative & impactful…
Isaacson’s exclusive biography brings this generation’s leading innovator to life again, illustrating the impact of imagination through interviews and anecdotes.
Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of biographies of Jennifer Doudna, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein. He is a professor of history at Tulane and was CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN, and editor of Time. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2023. Visit him at Isaacson.Tulane.edu.
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Reviews for Steve Jobs
806 ratings215 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very interesting book. It was neat to hear about the behind the scenes activities of Apple. I knew Steve Jobs was a genius but I always thought maybe he was a really cool guy. Instead I find out he was a bully, tyrant and seemed like he didn't have great people skills. I would not have wanted him as a boss. That part of the story is a little surprising at how self-centered and selfish he was. But again, he was a genius who was a wonderful visionary and pushed people outside their comfort zone all the time.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent. Enjoyable. Informative.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This biography does everything a steller bio should do: provides a full portrait of a complex man who definitely brings to mind Whitman's phrase "I am large, I contain multitudes;" places him squarely in his time and generation without going overboard with the cliches of less skilled biographers (eg: "The 1960s were a time of free love and acid trips, a magical mystery tour of experience and experiment..."); explains clearly to the interested, but non-specialist reader the details of the growth of Apple (and to a lesser extent, Pixar) and the specific ways in which Jobs was a brilliant innovator, a true visionary, and an incredible jerk to most of the people that he knew. I think that Isaacson lingers a bit too long on the "adopted child needing to prove himself" theory, especially as Jobs dismisses it, but in general, I think that this book for the most part avoids the (also all-too-common) biographical trap of simplistic psychological evaluation and presents Jobs as the full, fascinating individual that he was.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listened to as audio book. Really good account of his life that does not try to apologize for the subjects behaviors, but also highlights the importance of the innovations this man is responsible for. Deserves its spot as the preeminent book to detail the historical significance a Jobs's life.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well written bio of a fascinating, assholish, genius mofo. I will forever look at my Apple products (and non-Apple products) differently. I wouldn't want to hang out with him, but the world truly lost a visionary last year.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Just excellent! Stays with you long after you are finished....
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5There is little to admire about the character of the man who turned a third tier computer company into the biggest consumer electronics company in the world, and Isaacson certainly has presented the unvarnished Steve Jobs, but comments on a book should be about the book...
I read and liked Isaacson's biographies of Franklin and Einstein. With Franklin, he had a chance to perhaps shed new light on a figure of myth using only the written record. Much the same with Einstein, he could enlighten the reader on personal, private elements though that time, there were people who he could interview who had known Einstein. But to write the life story of a living person, one as demanding as Jobs? It's no wonder he declined for so long. Still, he did a good job, only letting a little of the man crush show. I don't happen to like the Jobs total control model, but I do like his demand for simplicity and quality.
And despite the plain and simple fact that I will never own a Mac, Steve Jobs would probably be pleased that I read his biography on a iPad using Apple's iBooks reader app. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It is rare to see an entrepreneur who is successful more than once. More than twice is extremely rare. Steve Jobs was successful many times. His story is incredible and moving. On the business side, the book makes a powerful case for the effectiveness with users and in the marketplace for closed systems.
But over these 500 pages, I was shocked by a few things. Jobs cries frequently when he can't get his way. From an early age, he exhibits a bizarre habit of extreme eating: Eating single foods for weeks, then switching over to something else . . . compromised ethics around vegan food . . . The food issues alone suggest that Jobs was an extremely disturbed person. I suspect that there are untold stories involving mental health and therapy. It is hard for me to believe that he had any real friends towards the end of his life, and his family was clearly under torment. I'm not sure at this point that I really want to know even more more thing about Jobs. RIP. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you don't know much about Steve Jobs, you should definitely take some time to read this book. In fact, even if you think you know a great deal about Steve Jobs already, you should still probably read this book because I guarantee you'll learn something new. The story of Steve Jobs is absolutely incredible. There is and there never will be anyone like this man. He was a truly unique individual. His need for perfection was unprecedented. His desire for success was unmatched. And his creativity and vision were off the charts.Walter Isaacson did a great job capturing the many sides of Jobs. There are so many different stories in this biography, and in each one the reader learns a little more about the legend that is Steve Jobs. I know for a fact that Jobs actually played a huge role in the publication of this book, and I think it's much better this way. Jobs really wanted this biography to be the inside scoop of what actually went through his mind. Jobs and Isaacson did a great job. This is a must read biography.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent book about the genius and madness that was Steve Jobs. Isaacson has captured Jobs as only those who were close to him could have done. I don't typically enjoy biographies but found myself drawn in wanting to learn more about this individual who has influenced and changed our culture and how we live our daily lives. Although not a fan of Apple's proprietary systems, I have a greater respect for Steve, the company that he built, and his generation that has paved the way of future generations.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5To those in the middle of this book, accept my words of encouragement: You may want to bail, but hold your nose and keep going. I read the last sentence myself. I can testify that this book really does eventually end. Keep heart. It's all worth it. You'll be disillusioned with Jobs and liberated from Apple fan-boydom.
This is required reading for anyone attempting to work reflectively in a business context. Like with Gladwell's trilogy, it's full of landmarks useful for thinking with reflective business people. Like Gladwell, you may come close to clawing your face off with the slow pace, the repetition, and excessive gratuitous and compulsive story-winding. But like with Gladwell it actually can be tolerated if you work hard at it, which is more than can be said for most pop business books.
It's best to endure it on audiobook, and let the reader keep the momentum for you. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wow. Steve Jobs : smelly hippie. The amount of research that went into this book is astounding; really is a no holds barred look at the rise of an empire, and it was fascinating to read. I loved Woz, detested Jobs, but in the end it was... cartharic in a way to start this soon after he passed away. Brilliant book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I could not put this book down. I bought it the day it was released and was glued to it through the very last sentence. I'm a fan of Isaacson's prior work on Benjamin Franklin and enjoy his straightforward and easy to read style. As an avid Apple nut, I thought I already knew most of what the book would reveal about Jobs and his genius .... I couldn't be more wrong! I was shocked over and over again and bored my husband continuously with every new fact I learned. A year later I'm still incredibly impressed by Jobs' willingness to let Isaacson into his life and tell his story from the viewpoints of the many people who knew and loved (or oftentimes hated) him. A must read for anyone with even a cursory interest in one of the greatest minds this country and indeed this world has ever seen.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the first biography I have ever read so I do not know how it compares against other biographies, but I am absolutely impressed by the way this book is written. I am neither a Mac nor windows user and I wanted to read this biography to understand why Steven Jobs seemed to be a God. This book portrays Steven Jobs the way people perceived him, no holds barred, no diplomatic language, just raw Jobsian. The highest praise I can give for this book is this: If I ever get a biography done, I want Walter Isaacson to do it
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I know I am supposed to enjoy this book. So many people have recommended it to me. Have been trying to finish it for a month and I am still at page 165. I really have tried, but I give up. I found myself skimming and avoiding it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The irony of this book is that it was purchased by Mr. Jenners (Apple devotee and Steve Jobs fan) and yet he never finished it (pooping out somewhere about 100 pages in). I, on the other hand, didn’t really know all that much about Apple and Jobs (although I enjoy Apple products) yet I found myself fascinated by the Job’s story. I think much of the appeal is that so much of the technology that influences our lives today (iPods, iPads, digital music, computers) were developed, perfected and revolutionized by Apple at Job’s behest. Learning why Apple is the way it is and why it is so wildly successful was really interesting to me, and Jobs himself is a fascinating person (albeit not someone you’d want to live or work with). He certainly left the world a better place than he found it, and I think most of us owe him a “thank you” for his vision and insistence on quality products that work they way they should. It also makes you think about the importance of design in consumer products—not something I ever gave much thought to but now think about quite frequently.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Interesting life history of the creative genius behind APPLE. The only reason I gave it the mediocre rating was because of the length of the book, and the detail of the personalities and technologies. I would love a book that was focused on Jobs, the man, the genius. I could not get enough of that.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well, hell... what can I say? It was written by the wonderful weaver Walter Isaacson.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I am by no means much of a fan of Apple or Apple-products. However, this was a really interesting read. There are some parts, or rather a specific chunk, of this book I found to be really boring, but it was more than worth going through for the sake of the rest. No matter what one may think of him, Steve Jobs was an extremely influential person in the consumer electronics-market. As well as giving what seems like a very honest description of the kind of person Steve Jobs was, this book also gives a fascinating insight in how Apple operates, why it does what it does, and how this has made the company so successful.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5There's no denying the vision and genius of Steve Jobs. Unfortunately, it seems, there is also no denying that the drive behind his vision and genius meant sacrifices that, personally, I can't even fathom making. I'm not alone. Near the end of the book, Isaacson himself states that "the nasty edge to his personality was not necessary." Isaacson does a solid job conveying a complete picture. The Apple fanboy in me cheered with each of Jobs' triumphs in his career. The father and husband in me was deeply saddened by the personal choices he made.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Way too long and Walter Isaacson should be ashamed -- writing himself into the story, being used by Jobs so shamelessly. I loved Isaacson's biographies of Einstein and Ben Franklin, but this was absurd, where was his objectiveness? At first I was interested, Jobs wasn't as big of an asshole as I thought he was, but so repetitive and long and not really deserving -- Steve Jobs is neither Einstein or Franklin, Isaacson should of thought twice before undertaking this task and I should've thought twice before I finished the book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Although I use an Apple computer at work, I've never purchased any Apple products for myself. Maybe it was the cultish aura that seemed to surround them and Steve Jobs. Nevertheless, I was interested to read his biography, which turned out to be refreshingly candid and thorough. I came away with great respect for Steve Jobs' integrity and creativity, and his understanding of the importance of design to creating and marketing a product. But many times, listening to the way he treated other people made me wince; I'm certain I could never have worked for anyone as emotionally callous as he, no matter how brilliant he was. The book could have been subtitled: An Asshole and A Genius. And I came away wondering how Apple will survive in the long run, since he was so clearly in control of the vision and execution of that vision.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I loved this book. I learned more than I ever imagine I would when I started it. The man behind Apple/Next/Pixar was a fascinating individual who covered an extreme range of intellect, emotion and behavior. If you are a Macintosh, Apple, Pixar, iPod, iPhone or iPad fan I think you will find this biography as interesting as I did. The book not only highlights Jobs but many, if not most of the Silicon Valley tech guru's as these people floated in and out of his life.It also covers all aspects of his life from early childhood to his last days with cancer. How he did and did not interact with his own family to his forcibly direct and brutal honesty while touching on his sometimes vain and delicate emotions.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5this book is brilliant. Apple.Inc is truly an extension of Steve himself. People say Steve is only a guy that takes all credits from Apple, but what actually happen is Steve is apple, he is the soul and chrisma of apple.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Das Buch ist eher die Biographie der Firma Apple als die des Gründer Steve Jobs. Es ist ein interessantes Stück Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensgeschichte des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts. All jene Eltern, deren Kinder das Studium schmeißen, Drogen nehmen und pathologische Essgewohnheiten haben, können sich nach dieser Lektüre etwas beruhigen.Wie viel Steve Jobs zu einer Veränderung unseres Zeitalters beigetagen hat, ist erstaunlich. Ich wusste gar nicht, das er bei Pixar so viel zu sagen hatte. Die Geschichte des Silicon Valley und die visionäre Kraft von jungen Computerferaks in den 1970er Jahren hat mich begeistert. Über den Menschen Steve Jobs erfährt man nicht so viel, aber genug. Ein sympathischer Kerl ist er nicht gerade. Wahrscheinlich kann man den Menschen wirklich nicht von der Firma trennen, anders als bei Apple-Mitgbegründer Vosniak, der ja einen anderen, vielleicht entspannteren, Weg gegangen ist. Auf jeden Fall ein Leben, das ein interessantes Stück Zeitgeschichte darstellt.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Excellent, but didn't really focuses on key life events for a biography - brief mention of this mother dying, no mention of his father dying (assuming his dad is indeed dead).
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A great read. I grew up during this time - the stories brought back a lot of memories. He was a hard man to work, live and be with. He oversaw a lot of innovation. Would the innovation have been achieved without Steve Jobs? Probably not. He pushed simplicity to the max and dared to challenge people to see what they could do to achieve simplicity. He didn't do many things to make money but ended up achieving that. Will Apple survive without him? Let's wait and see.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow, Steve Jobs was a genius but he was also kind of a dick. Luckily for us Isaacson was freely able to tell the story of the real Steve Jobs. There were a few areas of Apple's history I'd like to have heard more about (for example: how/why AT&T was chosen for the iPhone first) but perhaps those things had less to do with Steve Jobs than it had to do with the company of Apple.
A number of reviewers rated this book based on their personal feelings of Jobs rather than the quality of Isaacson's book. Isaacson does an admirable job and nails the pacing as I never felt the book dragged. Rarely have I felt sad when nearing the end of a 600 page biography. This time I did, and I think that says a lot about Steve Jobs and even more about Walter Isaacson. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A well-written book documenting the life of Steve Jobs, one of the best known and influential figures of our times. How much slack do you give a genius? The author must judge this and gives us a balanced presentation with a sympathetic view of his subject while letting us know through his interviews with those who knew and worked with Steve that this was a deeply flawed man particularly in his personal relations. For those of us who hold our iphones close to our hearts, this is something we must judge, too, as we read of the inventor's difficult personality, his living in his own world above the laws which mere mortals must obey and his ruthless pursuit of perfection at the expense of those not measuring up. A very interesting study in nature vs nurture. The genes he inherited that gave him the ability and drive to reach the top of his profession would probably not have been enough for him to succeed without the loving nurture and acceptance of his uneducated but supportive adoptive parents.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well written and thoroughly researched book of one of the most intriguing and succesfull entrepreneurs of the last 30 years