Steve Jobs

What the book is about

Basically, the whole life of Steve Jobs, as it’s a biographical book. From his birth, as a rejected and abandoned child to his death because of his cancer, you will know everything about his career, his personal life, and his mind.

My thoughts

It’s the first biographical book I read. I found it incredibly interesting, and it makes me want to read more books of this kind.

The book was very informative, without putting Jobs on a pedestal and praising him endlessly. You will discover how Jobs was a genius, while at the same time being someone difficult to work with because of his honesty and his sense of perfection and detail.

But the book was also a bit long. There was a lot of useless repetition and sometimes useless stuff not related to Jobs.

The book mainly focuses on Apple, making the reader think that all that mattered to Jobs was Apple. Perhaps it was the case, but it makes us think we know more about Apple than Jobs after reading the book.

This being said, we still learn a lot of things about Jobs, and the book gives us a detailed view of Jobs’ way of thinking, as well as his management style and what was going on in his mind.

The book is very well-researched, made full of quotes, and tell the story of Jobs, whether it be his positive or negative aspects. It was very inspiring to read it.

Favorite quotes

I have taken a few quotes from this book that I found quite interesting and representative of Jobs’ vision:

“You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich. Your goal should be making something you believe in and making a company that will last.”

“We may have the best product, the highest quality, the most useful software etc. ; if we present them in a slipshod manner, they will be perceived as slipshod; if we present them in a creative, professional manner, we will impute the desired qualities.”

“Good execution is as important as good ideas.”

“I love the process of unpacking something. You design a ritual of unpacking to make the product feel special. Packaging can be theater, it can create a story.”

“You told us, ‘The journey is the reward. ’ That turned out to be true. ” “Yes,” Jobs answered.“I did learn some things along the way. ” Then, a few minutes later, he repeated it, as if to reassure Bowers and himself.“I did learn some things. I really did.”

“Henry Ford once said, “If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A faster horse!’” People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page”

“I hate it when people call themselves “entrepreneurs” when what they’re really trying to do is launch a startup and then sell or go public, so they can cash in and move on. They’re unwilling to do the work it takes to build a real company, which is the hardest work in business. That’s how you really make a contribution and add to the legacy of those who went before. You build a company that will still stand for something a generation or two from now”

Who should read it

If you like Jobs and want to discover who he was, obviously this book is for you. You will also explore a way of thinking and innovating focused on customers and products more than profit.

If you’re just curious and want to know how works a genius like him, what happens in his mind, this book is for you too. You will learn some lessons and probably retain some meaningful quotes for you as I’ve done.

Steve Jobs

What the book is about

My thoughts

Favorite quotes

Who should read it

Related Notes

META