Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson (2011)

Walter Isaacson is the CEO of the Aspen Institute.  He has also served as the chairman of CNN and the managing editor of Time Magazine.  Isaacson has written biographies of Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Henry Kissinger.  Jobs repeatedly asked Isaacson to write his biography.  Jobs agreed to allow absolute access and would not read or comment on the biography until after it was published.  He did, however, reserve the right to review and comment on the cover prior to publication.

In this biography, Isaacson interviewed family, friends, critics, competitors and partners of Steve Jobs.  He also reviewed news and magazine articles, books, emails and other artifacts that chronicled the evolution of Jobs throughout his life and career.  The biography provides a deeply personal as well as historical perspective on Steve Jobs and, to a lesser degree, Apple.

Throughout this rather lengthy portrait, Jobs emerges as a complex and driven individual with an uncanny sense for design and marketing.  Although not particularly talented in the realm of engineering or computer science, he possessed a spectacular ability to identify and appreciate talent and potential.

Jobs' passion for elegant design served as the catalyst for the success of Apple and Pixar.  Small flaws that appeared irrelevant to others could drive Jobs to emotional tirades that often left those around him frustrated and angry.  Design, to Jobs, was a spiritual expression rooted deeply in the eastern philosophies that he embraced early in life.  He sought simplicity in every aspect of his products. This simplicity would speak to the end user's intuition rather than intellect.

Isaacson describes how Jobs' personal life, especially the realization that he was adopted, influenced his personal and professional life.  Although, raised by loving parents, parents whom Jobs certainly loved deeply, he still felt a sense of abandonment.  Ironically, he later abandoned his first daughter, born out of wedlock.  Despite numerous attempts, he was never able to reconcile with his daughter.  Jobs often displayed a selfish and self-absorbed personality, which made long-term relationships difficult.  None-the-less, he did have devoted family and friends.

One of Jobs' most pronounced characteristics was what others have termed his "reality distortion field."  This enabled Jobs to dismiss limitations, which led to great accomplishments.  At the same time, it led him to ignore or reject realities such as the paternity of his first daughter and later, the seriousness of his illness.

Interestingly, Isaacson notes that the experience that most influenced Jobs' ultimate success was the failure of his second company NeXT.  This led him to recognize that best products were not necessarily market successes.  Jobs learned that his obsession with design could, in fact, lead to products that were more than the market could bear.

The biography of Steve Jobs described his ultimately unsuccessful bout with cancer.  In this case his strong personality and mystical beliefs may have led to his demise.  Having been diagnosed with a rare and treatable form of pancreatic cancer, Jobs chose not to have surgery, but attempted to treat the disease through diet and holistic means.  Later, when he found that this was not working, he chose to have the surgery, but the cancer eventually spread leading to a liver transplant.  While this extended his life, he eventually succumbed to the disease.

Some interesting facts:

1.  In 1977 Apple was valued at $5,309.  By 1980, it was valued at $1.79 Million.
2.  In May 2000, Apple's market value was one-twentieth of Microsoft's.  By May 2010, Apple had surpassed Microsoft as the most valuable technology company.  In September 2011, Apple was worth 70% more than Microsoft.  And in February 2012, Apple stock was more valuable than Microsoft and Google combined, according to Complex.com.
3.  Apple made 300 millionaires.
4.  At age 25, Jobs was worth $256 million.

Some interesting quotes:

1.  "Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers.
2.  "You can't win on innovation unless you have a way to communicate to customers..."
3.  "If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will."
4.  "I never rely on market research.  Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page."