Becoming Steve Jobs

The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader

By: Brent Schlender, Rick Tetzeli

Narrated by: George Newbern

There have been many books - on a large and small scale - about Steve Jobs, one of the most famous CEOs in history. But this book is different from all the others.

Becoming Steve Jobs takes on and breaks down the existing myth and stereotypes about Steve Jobs. The conventional, one-dimensional view of Jobs is that he was half genius, half jerk from youth, an irascible and selfish leader who slighted friends and family alike. Becoming Steve Jobs answers the central question about the life and career of the Apple cofounder and CEO: How did a young man so reckless and arrogant that he was exiled from the company he founded become the most effective visionary business leader of our time, ultimately transforming the daily lives of billions of people?

Drawing on incredible and sometimes exclusive access, Schlender and Tetzeli tell a different story of a real human being who wrestled with his failings and learned to maximize his strengths over time. Their rich, compelling narrative is filled with stories never told before from the people who knew Jobs best and who decided to open up to the authors, including his family, former inner circle executives, and top people at Apple, Pixar, and Disney. In addition Brent knew Jobs personally for 25 years and drew upon his many interviews with him, on and off the record, in writing the book. He and Rick humanize the man and explain, rather than simply describe, his behavior. Along the way the book provides rich context about the technology revolution we all have lived through and the ways in which Jobs changed our world.

Schlender and Tetzeli make clear that Jobs' astounding success at Apple was far more complicated than simply picking the right products: he became more patient, he learned to trust his inner circle, and he discovered the importance of growing the company incrementally rather than only shooting for dazzling, game-changing products.

©2015 Brent Schlender, Rick Tetzeli (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"George Newbern's narration is--simply put--superb. He is exceptionally well suited to the task at hand. The greatest praise is that he disappears, allowing the story to unfold in one's mind. His unhurried narration is a totally immersive experience. Be prepared for the temptation to listen without pausing for any significant amount of time." ( AudioFile)

Contextual, Insightful, Inspiring

Where does Becoming Steve Jobs rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The breadth and content of the book is a great achievement. The reading, while good, seems to lack inspiration.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Becoming Steve Jobs?

The final chapter brings a dimension of humanity to a number of oft caricatured human beings.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where Steve and his family drive to Stanford the morning of his now famous commencement speech reminds you they are human beings like all of us.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Generally, yes. Some of the middle chapters, while I believe necessary, may bog down readers who care less about the technology aspects of the book.

Any additional comments?

As someone who worked at Apple for nearly a decade during Steve's second act, I found Walter Isaacson's official autobiography shallow, uninformed (he should've employed a technical consultant) and simply unable to capture the essence of the DNA Steve embodied into his company. This book gets it right. It weaves contextual technical explanations with a breadth of insightful interviews, coupled with the author's own experiences with Steve, to deliver a pitch-perfect story of the evolution of an astoundingly insightful, inspiring and complicated individual.

I'm grateful this book was written. My understanding of my experience at Apple, and of Steve, achieved a new depth of insight and appreciation.

what could have been

What a shame the Walter Isaacson book gets the 'official' title and this far superior bio becomes just one of the crowd.

The idea of Steve 3.0, becoming an older man, continuing the journey he was on is such a great idea wonderfully put.

This is the bio about the man (rather than the tech) I was looking for when I got the Isaacson book. If you haven't read Isaacson then skip it and read this instead.

Best steve jobs book I’ve read

This is the Best steve jobs book I’ve read, very different perspective and I loved seeing the change that happened throughout Steve Jobs’s career, no book on steve jobs has explained it this way.

Highly recommended!

I loved this audio book

It was great to hear such an amazing story of the person that made it such a huge influence in computers and mobile devices

Emotional and Inspiring!

I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this book if you are at all interested in one of the world's greatest innovators and leaders. Steve's life and work will continue to inspire people for generations to come.

Surprisingly Candid Look into Jobs

This book focused on Steve Jobs' journey and presented a very human side of the man who tends to get pressed into a one-dimensional character so often.

Well-written

I heard the audio book while walking. It was very enlightening.i highly recommend it if you want to know more about Steve Jobs and the history behind Apple's ups and downs.

it OK book I don't read alot of these book but it

was done by the author in the way he knew how to write I more of a romance one but overall 4

I wish I knew then what I know now...

While talking on my phone, while creating on my iPad, and having the world at my fingertips on my MacBook Pro, I took it all for granted. While listening to this book, I was a part of a genius plan. Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. Awesome book!

A better biography on Jobs.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of how Steve Jobs became the leader of Apple. It's a compelling story and a great counter to many of the myths and rumours about him.

Newbern does a great job with the reading. Except with his pronunciation of 2 things that really bugged me. OSX (it's 10 not X) and Bondi (imagine it's an Apple product with the "i" on the end).

Apart from that, well worth the listen.