Steve JobsSteve Jobs
Score Modern
What it's about
Steve Jobs asked Walter Isaacson to write his biography and gave him more than forty interviews in the last years of his life, as did his family, friends, rivals and colleagues. The book covers his adoption, his start in a garage with Steve Wozniak, being forced out of Apple, NeXT and Pixar, his return, and the run of products, from the iMac to the iPhone, that remade the world, until his death in 2011.
Why it's worth reading
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Jobs gave Isaacson no control over the book, and it's a full portrait, brilliant and cruel by turns.
You'll love it if you liked
Elon Musk
Leonardo da Vinci
The Code BreakerGood to know
It's long and fairly straightforward in style. It doesn't hide Jobs's harshness to the people around him.
By the numbers
- Readers73 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller84 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #19 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #77 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #194 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #384 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Walter Isaacson
Elon MuskLeonardo da VinciThe Code Breaker
Einstein: His Life and UniverseIf you like this, read next
The House of Morgan
Between the World and Me
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Educated: A Memoir
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Secondhand Time: The Last of the SovietsExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2010sTop 25 · 736 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick answers
Is Steve Jobs worth reading?
Yes. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller. It ranks #384 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Steve Jobs about?
Steve Jobs asked Walter Isaacson to write his biography and gave him more than forty interviews in the last years of his life, as did his family, friends, rivals and colleagues. The book covers his adoption, his start in a garage with Steve Wozniak, being forced out of Apple, NeXT and Pixar, his return, and the run of products, from the iMac to the iPhone, that remade the world, until his death in 2011.
How long does it take to read Steve Jobs?
About 16 hours (656 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Steve Jobs?
If you liked it, try Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson, Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson or The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson.