The second coming of Steve Jobs
by Alan Deutschman · first published 2000
70% recommend30% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Unauthorized, candid look at Steve Jobs's life and career, valued as an eye-opening alternative to Isaacson's biography; suits readers who want the backstory and personal history behind Apple and Pixar.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
From the acclaimed Vanity Fair and GQ journalist--an unprecedented, in-depth portrait of the man whose return to Apple precipitated one of the biggest turnarounds in business history. From the emergence of Apple Computer in the late 1970s and early 1980s to its current resurgence, charismatic leader Steve Jobs has captivated the public. Both revered and reviled for his dictatorial manner and stunning successes, Jobs has transcended his legend in Silicon Valley to take on some of the heaviest hitters in Hollywood. Now, in The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, Alan Deutschman presents the most reveal
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…Adam Fisher [innovative format, tons of interesting tidbits after you get used to the style. Read only after the other two above] - "The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story", Michael Lewis - "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs", Alan Deutschman - "Revolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made", Andy Hertzfeld - "Masters of Doom", David Kushner - "Idea Man", Paul Allen - "Where Wizards Stay Up…
on “Ask HN: What are more books like “Masters of Doom” or “Showstoppers”?” ↗…usually have a very polarized view of Jobs after reading this. Take the good stuff and leave out the bad/crazy. Jobs was a very polarizing person and so is his biography...This is a very long book. "The second Coming of Steve Jobs" by Alan Deutschman is another really good book and a much shorter read and not super-polarizing (leaves out some of the crazy stuff from early life). Other notable Steve Jobs books I have read & highly…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗…Regular Guy which is well known to be about him and just an awesome book even if it weren't). Yet the best business narrative we have other than magazine cover stories is probably Folklore.org and The Second Coming of Steve Jobs (Deutschman) which Steve himself called "A Hatchet Job." It's certainly an entertaining read (and it still makes an impression) but it doesn't cover the important 2000s period, and it's a bit too thin…
on “The Bite in the Apple by Chrisann Brennan” ↗…like iTunes does for genres of music: Essentials: Books: Steve Jobs (Isaacson), General Apple Narratives Movies: Pirates of Silicon Valley, JOBS (Kutcher movie - haven't seen) Next Steps: Books: The Second Coming of Steve Jobs (Deutschman), From Pepsi to Apple (Sculley), iWoz (Wozniak) Movies: Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview; Famous Keynote Moments Deep Cuts: Books: My 500 Days at Apple (Amelio), A Regular Guy (Simpson), The…
on “The Bite in the Apple by Chrisann Brennan” ↗Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so: >> Computer History & biographies: The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman Machines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff The Innovators, by Walter Isaacson Ghost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen…
on “Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?” ↗…Up: A Comic's Life Kevin Mitnick - Ghost In The Wires Kenneth Roman - The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising Walter Isaacson - Steve Jobs Alan Deutschman - The Second Coming of Steve Jobs James Wallace - Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire Alice Schroeder - The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life Richard Branson - Losing My Virginity
on “Ask HN: Biographies recommendations – both Westerner and Non-westerner” ↗If you're interested in computer history, "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" [1] is an excellent book about this time. It covers the early days of Pixar, how it got funded by George Lucas, how Jobs got involved, and what happened in the intervening years until he was back at…
on “Steve Wozniak's Apple II doodles fetch $630,272 at auction” ↗…Internet. It came with a CD-ROM full of videos of how devices would be used in schools and workplaces (I thonk law enforcement too if I remember correctly). The videos are much better than the book. "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" was eye opening for me regarding the life of Jobs, his family life, and his business involvements. "Masters of Doom" by David Kushner chronicles the history of id Software and its creators. It's an…
on “Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?” ↗…New New Thing" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs - "Machines of Loving Grace" - about the research and the rise of AI - "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution" - "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography - "The Innovators" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today - "Ghost in the Wires" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗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…
on “Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf? ” ↗I pre-ordered the book so it hasn't arrived yet. I'm definitely looking forward to reading it. :-) I did, however, read The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, which was an excellent unauthorized biography I read a few years ago. http://goo.gl/NxK3D
on “Jobs the Jerk” ↗…purchased what became Pixar from George Lucas. Saying that he founded it is a bit of a stretch -- he pretty much just bankrolled it until it finally found its niche with "Toy Story". Alan Deutschman's "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" draws a sharp contrast between Jobs' roles at the two companies: http://www.amazon.com/The-Second-Coming-Steve-Jobs/dp/076790...
on “Would Steve Jobs have applied to Y Combinator?” ↗…battleship. Why does it have all these keys? Do you use this F1 key? No.' And with his car keys he pried it right off. He did this for each of the keys. Alan Deutschman reported the moment in his book, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, culminating in Jobs' comment: 'I’m changing the world, one keyboard at a time.' He signed the keyboard. I found the function keys the next day on the fireplace mantle (he had left them quietly behind),…
on “Auction of Apple-1 Computer with Original Box Signed by Steve Wozniak” ↗Reminded of this from "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs": "Just fuck 'em" became one of Steve's favorite lines. When he had taken over, he had inherited a program called SOS Apple, which let people sign a contract for unlimited customer…
on “FastMail lifetime member plans to be discontinued” ↗…he'd run out of money. But he'd learned a great deal. He then bought control of Pixar, and turned that from failure into a massive powerhouse. Then he went back to Apple. There's a book about it, "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs". Jobs made three fortunes: Apple II, Pixar, and then Apple again. Just one of those would be a spectacular achievement, but he did it 3 times.