I can’t remember the last time I was so eager to read an autobiography. When the Steve Jobs book came out I could not wait to start it and once I did I couldn’t put it down.
Its a very well written story about a fascinating person who led an extraordinary life. By now most everyone has learned the juicy bits from the book but what I found most surprising were the character traits that Jobs exhibited throughout his entire life.
His appreciation for design goes back at least to his early college days where he audited a calligraphy class. Design was such an important part of the entire product, not just the outward presentation. Jobs even insisted that the circuits be laid out in a way that was aesthetically pleasing. This level of detail is proof that Jobs commitment to design was more than what was visible on the surface.
But for all the great things he did, he was also quite an ass. He regularly derided people and their work. He screwed over many people that were nothing but loyal to him, including Wozniak. He practically denied the existence of his first daughter while at the same time building a product named after her. If you take away all his accomplishments (that he achieved with some help of course) you get a picture of a master manipulator who was loyal to nobody but himself.
The thing that worries me is that Jobs will go down in history as one of the greatest revolutionaries/visionaries of all time. And while I think he deserves credit for his visions and the quality of the products he produced, I’m not sure that the end justified the means. There is an entire generation that idolize Jobs for what he has done but I hope they realize some of the choices he made were probably no the best ones.
If only there were a historical revolutionary figure whose legacy had such a major impact on the world without the trail of devastation and broken relationships – that would be someone to idolize.
I just finished reading 
Just Finished reading 
