Yesterday I mentioned I watched the movie Jobs on the plane ride back from vacation. I believe it is based on the Isaacson book Steve Jobs. As I mentioned the movie was mediocre. The book was mediocre, too. A couple of other Apple non-fiction books I’ve read over the last couple of years:
- Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Great Products by Leander Kahney
- Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, The Computer That Changes Everything by Steven Levy
- Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success by Ken Segall
- Inside Apple: How America’s Most Admired–and Secretive–Company Really Works by Adam Lashinsky
- Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution – 25th Anniversary Edition by Steven Levy
The Steven Levy books were the best, the Isaacson book was one of the most mediocre. I enjoyed the Lashinsky book as well. Hackers is about far more than Apple. It’s an incredibly fascinating book about the early computer pioneers.
Other business and technology books I’ve read recently:
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
- Blue Ocean Strategy: How To Create Uncontested Market Space And Make The Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
- Make Art Make Money: Lessons from Jim Henson on Fueling Your Creative Career by Elizabeth Hyde Stevens
- Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld, Jason Mendelson, and Dick Costolo
These books were all good. I especially enjoyed Make Art Make Money. I’ve even given it as a gift to a few people. Still on my list are Startup CEO and Dogfight. I’ve debated whether I want to read Hatching Twitter or not. I really like Fred Wilson and I’m worried the book will change how I feel about him. I don’t think it’s fair to sum up a man based on a book written by someone who was not there and didn’t get Fred’s involvement. There are a few additional books I started and haven’t finished for various reasons. I won’t mention those.
It’s kind of funny. I work all day at a computer and then, for fun!, pick up books about what I do for a living. I must be doing what I love to make it a 24-7 affair.
Would love to know if you’ve read something I haven’t. I always love a good book about technology or business.
Elia Insider 
I loved Hatching Twitter, and Wilson makes only minor appearances. Bilton’s a great writer, and he interviewed hundreds of people. It seems to give real sense of the never-ending knife-fights taking place behind the scenes of a hot startup. What I saw on Twitter is that the people involved didn’t dispute much of significance in the book (though Jack Dorsey, villain of the book, didn’t say much, if anything). Based on what you like above, it’s worth the read IMO.
Thanks. I may reconsider. Fred said the book portrayed Dorsey incorrectly.
On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 8:52 AM, Elia Insider wrote:
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I hadn’t heard that Fred gets dragged through the mud in Hatching Twitter.
Although it makes sense that he would be featured in the book.
I would defer to my brief personal interaction with him — he’s been very gracious to me — over what’s said in the book.
On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 7:45 AM, Elia Insider
Same here. Incredibly gracious.
On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 9:23 AM, Elia Insider wrote:
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