Becoming Steve Jobs

If you're looking for the definitive Steve Jobs biography, this is the one to read. While Walter Isaacson’s biography has become the widely recognized account—thanks to Jobs personally tapping him to write it—it ultimately misses the essence of Jobs’ evolution as a leader and visionary. This alternative biography, written by a journalist with a deep understanding of Jobs' professional journey, offers a sharper, more insightful look into the pivotal experiences that shaped his career, particularly during his time at NeXT.

One of the key reasons this book excels is the author's unparalleled access and credibility. For instance, he arranged a private interview between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at Jobs’ Woodside, CA, home—long before their public collaboration onstage. That level of trust and influence speaks volumes about the author's qualifications to tell Jobs' story in a way no other journalist could.

The book focuses on the critical period of Jobs' "exile" at NeXT, a chapter Isaacson largely glosses over. Those 12 years were transformative, not just because of NeXT's failures, but because they laid the foundation for Jobs’ triumphant return to Apple. During this time, Jobs learned invaluable lessons in leadership, especially from his interactions with Ed Catmull, the CEO of Pixar. Catmull mentored Jobs on managing highly creative teams—skills Jobs sorely lacked during his early years at Apple, particularly with the Macintosh team. This mentorship fundamentally changed Jobs' approach to leadership, and this book provides a nuanced exploration of that transformation.

The operating system developed at NeXT became the backbone of the modern Mac OS and the iProducts that followed—an essential part of Apple's resurgence. Yet this crucial detail is insufficiently covered in Isaacson’s biography, which misses the profound impact of NeXT on Apple’s second act.

Another strength of this book is its brevity and focus. It delivers fresh insights and untold stories, making it a rewarding read for those who want to go beyond the surface for Steve Jobs.

In other words, this become doesn’t touch on the usual subject of Jobs’ procedures to make Apple, well, Apple. This is definitely a must read for one of the most influential men to ever live because it goes deeper than what you see on the surface.