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Steve Jobs in Exile
Issue: 24.4 (July/August 2026)
Author: Marc Zeedar
Article Description: No description available.
Article Length (in bytes): 3,259
Starting Page Number: 12
Article Number: 24402
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If you're a longtime Apple fan like me, you've probably followed its history (and maybe lived much of it) and read many books about the company and its co-founder, Steve Jobs.
I thought I knew just about everything, except there was one giant hole: his time at NeXT, the computer company he started after he was ousted from Apple. When I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it, as I'd always been curious about NeXT.
In many ways, I thought of NeXT as a failure. Though its technology formed the foundation of today's Apple and Steve's return, it was never a successful company. I attributed that to the high price of its products, which never allowed it to catch on.
This book, however, reveals that much of the problem was Steve himself. He simultaneously made brilliant decisions that created technology we still use today (Apple's operating systems are all based on NeXT tech) and sabotaged the company by refusing business partnerships and insisting on design details that caused cost overruns and shipping delays.
It's classic Steve. On the one hand, his drive for perfection created things that would have never been done without him; on the other, that same insistence on quality doomed much of what he touched.
This book is a chronological tale of his last days at Apple, the founding of NeXT, the ups and downs of that company, and ultimately, his return to Apple. It's a fascinating tale that helps us learn what changed Jobs from a stubborn jerk into someone who could balance both sides of his passion.
This really is the missing piece of his biography and helps us get to know the real man. There was much I didn't know about NeXT or had forgotten, and this was a great look into the past. Highly recommended if you're curious about business, leadership, and tech history.
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