From the author of the bestselling biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein, this is the exclusive, New York Times bestselling biography of Apple co-founder 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 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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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 0/5
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Language - 3/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 4/5
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Summary
Overall I listened to the full audio version of this book (25 hours) and was very much engrossed in the story. The historical account of the technology business was
fascinating. The events that led to Steve's adoption, move to California and how he became interested in engineering all had to happen in order for us to own an iPad today. The influences he had in his life that directed him to do and be what he was is interesting. Steve Jobs had an unusual personality and working relationship with others (putting it politely) but he made people believe they could do anything. He had a major impact on how we buy and use personal computers, portable devices and animated movies. There is no telling what he could have accomplished if he had lived longer. You may not like Steve Jobs when you are finished reading his story but you will be amazed and respect all that he did. I loved this story and didn't want it to end. The author did a fantastic job of getting many points of view so the book did not read as though it was from Steve's version of the truth. Once you read the book you will understand why the author had to conduct hundreds of interviews to write a true account of his life. A must read!
Violence
Language The Fword was used in a handful of bursts in the book as the author quoted a person or conversation.
Sexual
Drug & Alcohol In the early part of the story the author describes drug use in detail as Steve is in his early 20s. The use of LSD is romanticized in the book quite a bit. Steve attributes his awareness and intuition partly due to his use of the drug LSD along with his lifelong Zen lifestyle.