Steve Jobs
by Walter Isaacson
Related videos
83:26
Author speaks and shows slides at Computer History Museum
161K
1K
Dec, 2011
Spoiler:
In this live presentation, Isaacson compares Jobs to the subject of one of his other biographies (Einstein) and regales the audience with stories. One of the most interesting concerns the 1984 Super Bowl ad, filmed by Ridley Scott and riddled with Orwellian references, that had the Apple board hiding their heads in their hands when they saw it but turned out to be one of the most iconic in history. Isaacson reminds us that before Apple, computers had been seen as more dystopian, more Orwellian, not as a personal tool.
3:43
Author recalls the genius of Jobs in talking-head format
28K
506
Oct, 2014
Spoiler:
Isaacson recalls asking Jobs what product he was proudest of, expecting him to name one of Apple’s iconic offerings. However, he said the product of which he was most proud was Apple itself and the team he had built there. This inspired the author to think more deeply about innovation and the innovators who make it happen. Isaacson also comments that Jobs believed in physical space as necessary for collaboration, as opposed to working remotely, and this is reflected in the Apple headquarters that he designed.
2:47
Author explains origins of book + vintage photos of Jobs
25K
115
Oct, 2011
Spoiler:
Walter Isaacson recalls how Jobs proposed to him that he write his biography at a point when Isaacson had just finished the biography of Benjamin Franklin and was working on Albert Einstein. Isaacson initially responded that they should wait 20 or 30 years, but changed his mind when he realized two things: that Jobs was sick and might not make it that long; and that Jobs represented “the intersection of creativity and technology,” which is what Isaacson had been writing about with Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein.
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Walter Isaacson is a bestselling American author, journalist, and history professor at Tulane University. He has been the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C., the chair and CEO of CNN, and the editor of Time. Isaacson is a graduate of Harvard University and Oxford University. He received the National Humanities Medal in 2023.
Other books by Walter Isaacson
Publications
The Guardian: Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography by Walter Isaacson – review
The New York Times: Making the iBio for Apple’s Genius
The Washington Post: Walter Isaacson’s ‘Steve Jobs’ biography shows Apple co-founder's genius, flaws
The Independent: Steve Jobs, By Walter Isaacson
Los Angeles Times: ‘Steve Jobs’ review: Walter Isaacson’s biography mesmerizes
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