Inside Steve's Brain


by Leander Kahney  (Author)


Steve Jobs has turned his personality traits into a business philosophy. HereΓÇÖs how he does it. 

ItΓÇÖs hard to believe that one man revolutionized computers in the 1970s and ΓÇÖ80s (with the Apple II and the Mac), animated movies in the 1990s (with Pixar), and digital music in the 2000s (with the iPod and iTunes). No wonder some people worship him like a god. On the other hand, stories of his epic tantrums and general bad behavior are legendary. 

Inside SteveΓÇÖs Brain cuts through the cult of personality that surrounds Jobs to unearth the secrets to his unbelievable results. It reveals the real Steve JobsΓÇönot his heart or his famous temper, but his mind. So whatΓÇÖs really inside SteveΓÇÖs brain? According to Leander Kahney, who has covered Jobs since the early 1990s, itΓÇÖs a fascinating bundle of contradictions. 

Jobs is an elitist who thinks most people are bozosΓÇöbut he makes gadgets so easy to use, a bozo can master them. 

HeΓÇÖs a mercurial obsessive with a filthy temperΓÇöbut he forges deep partnerships with creative geniuses like Steve Wozniak, Jonathan Ive, and John Lasseter. 

HeΓÇÖs a Buddhist and anti-materialistΓÇöbut he produces mass-market products in Asian factories, and he promotes them with absolute mastery of the crassest medium, advertising. 

In short, Jobs has embraced the traits that some consider flawsΓÇönarcissism, perfectionism, the desire for total controlΓÇöto lead Apple and Pixar to triumph against steep odds. And in the process, he has become a self-made billionaire. 

In Inside SteveΓÇÖs Brain, Kahney distills the principles that guide Jobs as he launches killer products, attracts fanatically loyal customers, and manages some of the worldΓÇÖs most powerful brands. 

The result is this unique book about Steve Jobs that is part biography and part leadership guide, and impossible to put down. It gives you a peek inside SteveΓÇÖs brain, and might even teach you something about how to build your own culture of innovation.