steve jobs review of his biography - ban it - ny times 2005

8/3/2019 Steve Jobs Review of His Biography - Ban It - NY Times 2005

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Steve Jobs's Review of His Biography: Ban It

AN FRANCISCO, April 29 - No one can accuse Steve Jobs of indifference.

In an image-obsessed fit of pique, Apple Computer has banished books published b

John Wiley & Sons from the shelves of Apple's 105 retail stores - all because of Wileyplans to publish an unauthorized biography of Mr. Jobs, Apple's chief executive.

It is not clear whether Mr. Jobs or anyone else at Apple has read the book - "iCo

Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business," by Jeffrey S. Youn

and William L. Simon, which will go on sale next month.

The very ambiguity of the title - Icon, or I Con? - is the first clue that the work may n

be hagiography. But in the publisher's view, the specifics are probably beside tpoint.

"It was clear they didn't want us to publish the book," Susan Spilka, a spokeswoman

Wiley, said.

In recent months, Apple showed its penchant for secrecy by suing a Harvard stude

who operates a Web site for Apple enthusiasts, accusing him of trying to induce App

employees to divulge company trade secrets. It also filed lawsuits to stop leaks company information on several Web sites that traffic in Apple news.

The action against Wiley seems meant to shield Mr. Jobs's personal privacy, not th

company.

But as far as advance publicity goes, Mr. Jobs and Apple could not have done a bett

job in generating buzz for the book in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

Frank Sanchez, the head buyer for Kepler's, a popular bookstore in Menlo Park, Calisaid the store initially ordered five copies. After news of the fracas was reported on th

front page of The San Jose Mercury-News on Tuesday, he bumped the order up to 25

"You know the old saying, 'There's no bad publicity,' " Mr. Sanchez said.

Wiley, in response to increased interest in what it calls an "intimate look at

controversial leader," has decided to double the book's initial press run of near
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50,000 and race it to stores on May 13, a few weeks ahead of its original publicatio

date.

The reaction is no surprise to people who know Mr. Jobs well, and certainly not to h

many biographers over the years, who have seen his combativeness when it comes

guarding his private life.

"I think he's trying to show people he's serious about protecting his privacy," said DeColeman, a co-managing director of SmartForest Ventures in Portland, Ore., wh

worked closely with Mr. Jobs in the 1980's, when she was in charge of Apple

manufacturing. "And now he has the power to do something like pull books."

Parts of the new book are a rehash of Mr. Young's 1986 book, "Steve Jobs: The Journe

Is the Reward," (Scott Foresman & Company). Mr. Young and Mr. Simon updated th

older book with new material about Mr. Jobs's return to Apple, his success with Pix

Animation Studios, his bout with pancreatic cancer, and his marriage.

Written without access to Mr. Jobs or people close to him, the book has little ne

information and will disappoint readers hungry for fresh insights into Mr. Jobs.

Yet what the authors lack in firsthand sources they compensate for with attitude. On

chapter in the uncorrected proof is titled "iPod, iTune, Therefore I Con." To introdu

the section that discusses Mr. Jobs's cancer, they write, "Even on Mount Olympus, th

gods of Greek legend were not invulnerable."

And in describing Mr. Jobs's manner with his employees, the authors describe "th

aura of fear Steve carried with him like a dark cloud," adding, "You didn't want to b

called in front of him to do a product presentation because he might decide to lop o

the product, and you with it."

More than a dozen books about Mr. Jobs and Apple have been published over th

years.

The biographies, in particular, rankle Mr. Jobs, who likes to maintain tight control ov

all information emanating from his universe, especially anything about his person

life.

"It fits his pattern," said Alan Deutschman, author of "The Second Coming of Stev

Jobs" (Broadway Books, 2000). "Steve likes to be in control, and a book by
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independent journalist is nothing you can control." Mr. Deutschman said Mr. Jobs ha

not spoken with book authors for the last 20 years.

Mr. Deutschman faced similar opposition when his book went to press five years ag

Mr. Jobs called Peter Olson, chief executive of Random House, to try to persuade hi

to stop publication of the book. Mr. Jobs did not succeed.

Apple's action against Wiley is reminiscent of other fits of corporate pique toward thpublication of unflattering portraits.

This month, General Motors withdrew its advertising from The Los Angeles Tim

because it was irritated at the newspaper's coverage of G.M. Chrysler withdrew a

from Car and Driver because of a 1983 article that recounted damage to a Dodge aft

it hit a steer at 60 miles per hour.

But in this case, the retaliation is hitting other authors who have never run afoul of MJobs. In the last few days, some two dozen popular technical titles, including "Dr. Ma

The OS X Files" and "GarageBand for Dummies" (as well as "Macs for Dummies" b

David Pogue, a columnist for The New York Times), were removed from Apple sto

bookshelves and returned to Wiley's distribution center in New Jersey.

Ms. Spilka said that Wiley books sold in Apple stores represent a "tiny fraction" of th

annual sales of the company's professional and trade book division.

"It's a sad state of affairs," said Robert LeVitus, author of "GarageBand for Dummie

and other Apple-related titles. "I didn't do anything. I just happened to be standing

the wrong place at the wrong time and got nuked."

In the technology world, even the book's title is raising eyebrows. "With the capital '

it reads like, 'I con people; I'm a con man,' " said Jason Snell, editorial director

Macworld magazine in San Francisco.

But Mr. Young said the title was not intended to convey negative overtones, and th

it was a playful twist on Apple's iPod and iMac. "He's become an icon, bigger tha

life," Mr. Young said.

Katie Cotton, a vice president for corporate communications at Apple, declined

comment about the book or whether Mr. Jobs had seen it. And Mr. Jobs did no

respond to an e-mail message asking for comment.
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In a lengthy telephone interview, Mr. Young, 53, spent much of the time excoriatin

Mr. Jobs.

"This guy is out of control," Mr. Young said. "I'm just a little guy. I'm just one of man

guys Steve has destroyed over the years.

"I think he's lost it. He faced mortality, and he knows without some massive changBill Gates will be remembered as the important person in the computer business, and

think he's lost it over that.

"He has an amazing ability to con people," he said.

Whatever Mr. Young's opinion, industry insiders doubt that the book or Apple

retaliatory move will alter how Mr. Jobs is viewed in Silicon Valley.

"It is not possible, aside from things unimagined, to damage his reputation," saMitchell Kertzman, a partner at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners in San Francisc

"Steve is on such a roll in both of his companies, he's earned the right to do whatev

he wants."

Carolyn Marshall contributed reporting for this article.

steve jobs review of his biography - ban it - ny times 2005

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