Steve Jobs Biography
Posted in Articles on Nov 02 2011Writing about and criticizing someone that has passed away is cheap and tactless, all for the more so when it's someone you didn't meet or know in real life.
So here goes.
Having finished the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson, it seems to me that the underlying theme revolves around how incredibly talented a designer, visionary, and thinker Steve Jobs was. However, at the same time, it also seems to me that Steve Jobs wasn't a very nice person. Perhaps one might go so far as to say that it seems he wasn't a very good, well, human. He seemed very emotional, but often only when he felt things were not going his way. However, at the same time, it seems to me that he was was completely lacking all traces of empathy.
His family and friends might disagree, but the biography contains a number of stories that portray Steve Jobs as lacking empathy, being self-centered, and just not caring about the effect his actions had on those around him, including his family and close friends. Sometimes he seemed to actively find ways to hurt people.
Was it for a "greater good"? Maybe. It seems Steve Jobs often felt that it was.
As to whether or not his passing will lead to Apple slowly fading out, well, only time will tell. In the meantime, they seem to be in good hands, with great business and design leadership.
Now, with respect to the biography itself, it was disappointing. It felt rushed, and there were numerous technical errors within the book. In addition, some parts of the book appear to be simple summaries of earlier books on Apple and Steve Jobs, such as Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer, Revolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made, and stories from Folklore.org.
Published Nov 02 2011 - Permalink
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