New ‘Steve Jobs in Exile’ book reads like a lost season of your favorite series

Source: 9to5Mac

‘Steve Jobs in Exile’ adds interesting layers to what you think you knew about Steve Jobs

There is a scene in Kevin Smith’s Dogma where Rufus, the forgotten 13th apostle played by Chris Rock, notes:

In the Bible, Jesus goes from twelve to thirty. That’s some pretty bad storytelling.

And while Steve Jobs was no Jesus Christ by any stretch, I kept coming back to this notion of lost memory as I devoured Geoffrey Cain’s new book, Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary.

Research and Interviews

As Cain notes in the book’s acknowledgments, Steve Jobs in Exile is the fruit of years of research, greatly expanded by interviews with “111 individuals who gave their time,” and shared their lived experiences before, during, and after Steve Jobs’ wilderness years. Interviewees include:

• NeXT co‑founders: Dan’l Lewin, Susan Barnes, Rich Page, George Crow, Bud Tribble
• Pixar co‑founder: Ed Catmull
• NeXT alumni turned (former) Apple executives: Jon Rubinstein, Bertrand Serlet
• Photographer: Doug Menuez
• Former Apple executive: Jean‑Louis Gassée

Structure of the Book

The book is split into three parts containing 28 chapters and an epilogue, plus a foreword by Lewin and an afterword by Catmull. It tackles the challenging task of telling a story whose ending most people already know, presenting new information taken directly from personal archives and the memories of key participants.

Technical Depth

Steve Jobs in Exile walks a fine line, offering enough technical detail to satisfy curious readers without overwhelming those less technically inclined. Topics range from the relevance of WebObjects to bookkeeping minutiae and stock compensation. Cain even crafts an analogy for object‑oriented programming that I’ll be using from now on.

Contemporary Relevance

Another interesting aspect is how today’s main tech themes echo past dramas:

• The appeal of an all‑American computer
• No‑code development
• Skepticism toward transformative technologies
• Uncomfortable deals with the military
• Government issues with cryptography
• Jobs’s desire for NeXT users “to have access to a complete creative studio,” contrasted with Apple’s recent subscription‑only Creative Studio suite

These parallels make the “lost” years feel surprisingly contemporary.

Reassessment of Steve Jobs

Jobs is often portrayed as vindictive, mercurial, generous, and indecisive. Steve Jobs in Exile adds a new layer, showing him as a reluctant leader coping with the lives he gave up to pursue his vision. The book also demystifies and debunks misconceptions perpetuated by Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs film.

Conclusion & Where to Buy

Steve Jobs in Exile begins and ends in familiar territory but introduces fresh details, great quotes, and compelling anecdotes that make you wonder how these stories remained untold for so long.

You can buy Steve Jobs in Exile on Amazon.

Be sure to check out the most recent episode of 9to5Mac’s Apple @ Work Podcast, where host Bradley Chambers interviews author Geoffrey Cain about the book.