STEVE JOBS IN EXILE

The improbable evolution of Steve Jobs and NeXT Computer.

Cain (Samsung Rising, 2020) draws on previously unexplored documents, oral histories, and new interviews to paint Jobs’ years “in exile” from Apple Computer—from 1985 to 1997—in a story tightly focused on the founding of his subsequent venture, NeXT. Jobs, flawed genius and a demanding, often abrasive perfectionist, has been described at length elsewhere, but Cain delves into intriguing details surrounding his work with NeXT. Building a powerful workstation—an eye-catching black cube for academic and scientific computing—he faced cost overruns and technical limitations. NeXT hardware and software were embraced by U.S. government agencies and computer scientists. In 1989, software engineer Tim Berners-Lee used a NeXT computer to create his prototype for the World Wide Web, praising it as “something that allows you to build things which without it would have been possible, but a lot of work.” But NeXT veered into bankruptcy, struggling for market share amid cutthroat competition. Jobs took creative refuge in the Lucasfilm Computer Division (renamed as Pixar Animation Studios), purchased from George Lucas and funded largely from Jobs’ own pocket. Pixar cofounder Ed Catmull praises Jobs’ contributions, sidestepping conflicts with other cofounders. When NeXT hardware was discontinued, a senior editor at NeXTWORLD magazine commissioned a photo of the computer aflame—but initial attempts to light it failed. “Steve had stymied them by choosing an exotic magnesium alloy for the Cube with a higher ignition point than the torches could reach.” Ultimately, NeXT forged a mature Jobs—triumphantly returning to lead Apple.

A lively account of Steve Jobs’ interregnum between his ouster from Apple and his reemergence as a creative force.