Inside Steve's Brain
by Leander Kahney · first published 2008
78% recommend22% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Focuses on Steve Jobs's leadership philosophy, business strategy, and Apple's late-1990s turnaround, with plenty of quotes and observations; readers call it a good overview of the company's inner workings.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
One of USA Today's Best Business Books of 2008—now updated with a new chapter It's hard to believe that one man revolutionized computers in the 1970s and '80s (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 Steve Jobs like a god. On the other hand, stories of his epic tantrums and general bad behavior are legendary. Inside Steve's Brain cuts through the cult of personality that surrounds Jobs to unearth the secrets to his unbelievable results. So what's really inside Steve's bra
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Kahney wrote a book in 2008 called "Inside Steve's Brain". It was very complimentary toward Steve, presenting his leadership techniques positively. Good book, and not at all negative as this article might suggest.
on “Jobs vs. Gates: Who's the Star? (2006)” ↗Great books i read in 2009 -The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort - hilarious -Inside Steve's Brain -Paypal Wars - old book but still very informative and relevant -Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗I got a Kindle as a gift too and I love it as well. I highly recommend you play with it or at least borrow someone's (if they'll let you) if you doubt you'll like it. "Inside Steve's Brain" - Great book on the history of Apple, and the inner workings of the company and the philosophy. "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi on the importance of networking and building relationships. "Trade-Off,…
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗This is great news, I'm really looking forward to it. I loved "Inside Steve's Brain", by Leander Kahney, though it's the only biography I've read on him so far. It's got a lot of great observations and quotes, like this one on page 34: "In the 1998 interview with Fortune, Jobs said…
on “ISteve: The Steve Jobs authorized biography” ↗…the line you can do it then. However, experience does matter- and you can pack a ton of experience into a short amount of time if you're ok with taking risks, which it sounds like you are. Check out Inside Steve's Brain if you get the chance, this quote stuck out at me a lot: "For Jobs, innovation is about creativity, putting things together in unique ways. "Creativity is just connecting things," Jobs told Wired magazine.…
on “Nontechnical 17 year old startup founder with chutzpah is asking for advice” ↗…does would make you successful in virtually anything you do in life? By the way, he has a very specific set of traits about him that allow him to see such consistent success. I recommend picking up "Inside Steve's Brain." You don't know what's right. Zuckerberg launched failed businesses before Facebook. I know a lot of millionaire entrepreneurs who failed at 6 or 7 startups before they got it right. How does the…
on “Timing: Why this crisis is our biggest break” ↗I read other book on Steve Jobs - "Inside Steve's brain". Good write up on his business Strategies and Apple revamping from late 90s
on “Make Something Wonderful – Steve Jobs in his own words” ↗…H-P logo in a brushed metal. The brushed metal ended up being adopted in across much of Apple’s software and some high-end hardware including the Safari Web browser and iCal calendar." Leader Kahney, Inside Steve's Brain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU&feature=playe...
on “Timelapse: Designing a new website” ↗The World is Flat The Post American World Losing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie The Second Coming of Steve Jobs Inside Steve's Brain The Seven Day Weekend- Book by Ricardo Semler of Semco on company organization and management, Semco essentially operates as a socialist enterprise with election of bosses, profit sharing, open information,…
on “Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf? ” ↗…entire iPod development process ... only took 18 months > Pro-Apple spin machine at work. WikiPedia reports 12 months of development for the iPod. IIRC I read the 18 month figure in Leander Kahney's Inside Steve's Brain but can't seem to find it now. http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Steves-Brain-Leander-Kahney/dp/...
on “Microsoft and Ballmer not getting the iPad” ↗For the Apple figure, I'm pretty sure it was Inside Steve's Brain. This was some years back and I'm away from my books, though. I'm sure it was 100 iterations on some Apple device, but I won't swear it was the iPod. The 3-5 number I got from a consumer electronics designer…
on “Census Bureau's American FactFinder software cost taxpayers $33.3 million” ↗