Becoming Steve Jobs

The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader

Brent Schlender, Rick Tetzeli, Marc Andreessen | 4.35 | 13,944 ratings and reviews

Recommended by Bill Gates, Jim Collins, Jack Dorsey, and 7 others. See all reviews

#1 New York Times Bestseller There have been many books—on a large and small scale—about Steve Jobs, one of the most famous CEOs in history. But this book is different from all the others.

Becoming Steve Jobs takes on and breaks down the existing myth and stereotypes about Steve Jobs. The conventional, one-dimensional view of Jobs is that he was half-genius, half-jerk from youth, an irascible and selfish leader who slighted friends and family alike. Becoming Steve Jobs answers the central question about the life and career of the Apple cofounder and CEO: How did a young man so reckless and arrogant that he was exiled from the company he founded become the most effective visionary business leader of our time, ultimately transforming the daily life of billions of people?

Drawing on incredible and sometimes exclusive access, Schlender and Tetzeli tell a different story of a real human being who wrestled with his failings and learned to maximize his strengths over time. Their rich, compelling narrative is filled with stories never told before from the people who knew Jobs best, and who decided to open up to the authors, including his family, former inner circle executives, and top people at Apple, Pixar and Disney, most notably Tim Cook, Jony Ive, Eddy Cue, Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, Robert Iger and many others. In addition, Brent knew Jobs personally for 25 years and draws upon his many interviews with him, on and off the record, in writing the book. He and Rick humanize the man and explain, rather than simply describe, his behavior. Along the way, the book provides rich context about the technology revolution we all have lived through, and the ways in which Jobs changed our world.

Schlender and Tetzeli make clear that Jobs's astounding success at Apple was far more complicated than simply picking the right products: he became more patient, he learned to trust his inner circle, and discovered the importance of growing the company incrementally rather than only shooting for dazzling game-changing products.

A rich and revealing account that will change the way we view Jobs, Becoming Steve Jobs shows us how one of the most colorful and compelling figures of our times was able to combine his unchanging, relentless passion with a more mature management style to create one of the most valuable and beloved companies on the planet. less

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Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of Becoming Steve Jobs from the world's leading experts.

Bill Gates CEO/MicrosoftHas me thinking of my old friend. A true visionary. (Source)

Jack Dorsey Co-Founder/TwitterSquare would not exist without the work and persistence of Steve Jobs. I am forever grateful. Amazing read. (Source)

Peter Attia Founder/Attia MedicalOne of the books that considers to be an important read for people interested in his career path. (Source)

Jim Collins Author[Gives a] fresh perspective on Steve Jobs’ journey from inspiring but immature entrepreneur into an inspired and mature company-builder. (Source)

Brian Armstrong Co-founder & CEO/CoinbaseRecommends this book

Ed Catmull Co-Founder/Pixar, CEO Pixar and Walt Disney Animation StudiosAfter working with Steve for over 25 years, I feel this book captures with great insight the growth and complexity of a truly extraordinary person. (Source)

Gabriel Coarna When it comes to books, one of the great injustices of our time is that --or, rather, how-- Walter Isaacson wrote Steve Jobs's official biography. I was almost angry when I finished the book. It was well-researched, yes; but Isaacson only used that research to (Source)

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