Bill Gates may be wealthier, Michael Dell may be cleverer and Scot McNealy may be fiercer, but few can deny that ??Steve Jobs?? is probably the most enigmatic and fascinating CEO in Silicon Valley. Capable of casting his enthralling "Reality-Distortion-Field" upon the most hostile of his critics, Steve Jobs' presence and notoriety in the computer industry commands attention even from the mainstream media. In some stories he's a digital guru, envisioning stylish technologies with the esoteric sensibilities of an ex-hippie. In others he's l'enfant terrible, a dreadful tyrant whose obsessions blind him to his ruthlessness. ??Alan Deutschman?? has written a detailed biography of Steve Jobs that delivers its narrative on an insightful middle-ground between both extremes. The Second Coming of Steve Jobs documents Jobs' early days after being booted from Apple, his attempted resurgence through NeXT Computer and finally a hero's return to the company he founded. Each period in the enigmatic businessman's life is replete with all manners of conflicts that affect Jobs' ventures, acquaintances and demeanour. And, due to the detailed treatment each clash receives, these accounts nearly didn't make it to printers. But, don't be misled into considering this book merely a scathing indictment of Steve Jobs' business mistakes and character flaws. Neither then should you expect Deutschman's work to devolve into just another sycophantic love-fest. Deutschman seems to subscribe to the Bob Woodward school of journalism: conduct copius amounts of groundwork, first-hand interview every person you can, and then let your research guide and entertain the reader. It's a great technique that works as effectively covering the frantic pace of Silicon Valley as it does at exposing the covert intrigue in Washington DC. h3. What's So Interesting About a Computer Geek? Steve Jobs becomes more interesting than his contemporaries when you are slowly revealed a man whose deepest failings--aggression, egomania and perfectionism--may be the foundation behind his successes. Yet, at times when his career appears to be on the verge of imploding, you get the sense that Jobs' talents make him the classical victim of a deal with the netherworld. The impact on Job's career due to these tradeoffs in his personal makeup, whether positive or negative, remain an open and prominent question throughout the book. Behind the scenes accounts, such as Jobs' refusal to recast NeXT as a software company, are staggering if you consider that the NeXTStep OS could have played a role in preventing the PC market from orienting itself so decidedly towards Bill Gates' Windows software. This potentially landmark decision doesn't boil down to a sterile technical debate. Rather, it was Jobs' love affair with hardware and factory development that led to his inability to embrace and enjoy the concept of building and licensing software. Steve Jobs' strange pattern of willfulness pokes all kinds of holes through his mystique as an intuitive visionary, but it does make him that much more of an intriguing character to read about. In addition to his quirky strategems, examples of Jobs' vicious mangerial style mean his exploits don't always live up to the techno-hippie many admirers may want him to be. But, he certainly is entertaining: present your slightly-flawed project to him and he could comment "you've baked a really lovely cake, but then you used dogshit for frosting." h3. His Other Company Of particular interest is the genesis of Jobs' other claim to fame, Pixar. From being funded as the pet project of a wealthy east-coast eccentric to becoming merely the undervalued computer graphics guys under George Lucas' Star Wars films, Pixar was always an oddball. The company that would go on to release the CG milestones of Toy Story and Finding Nemo found itself an even odder initiate to Steve Job's post-Apple empire. According to Pixar's leadership, Steve Job's invaluable contributions came from his abilities as negotiator, banker and hype-maker, but not necessarily as a visionary. At many times, Jobs' need to exert influence nearly strangled the company. The animation house simply did not respond to his need for pervasive management. Thus, Pixar is the perfect foil for all of Jobs' well-known computer exploits. Whereas NeXT and Apple where driven by Job's cult of personality, Pixar itself was the overlooked stepchild amongst Jobs' ventures. Ultimately, this is probably why Pixar succeeded, Jobs' was not able to manage Pixar directly and the creative synthesis of the artists amd academics at the animation house was never upset by his contribution. Pixar's leaders felt that "Steve's charisma and his reality distortion field didn't work at Pixar. We were to mature to get worked in." Hence, were it not for John Lassiter and Ed Cattmult's strong presence in Pixar, you are left to wonder if Jobs would have blown the company's potential on a strange personal idiosyncrasy--such was the case with NeXT after all. In fact, Pixar just manages to build upon Jobs' enigma: while it becomes clear Jobs learned to be relatively restrained in Hollywood, his succesful return to Apple can be owed in no small part to his ability to cast his Reality Distortion Field at full-force. Hence, the sense that Steve Jobs' talents can serve him fantastically in some fields and fail him miserably in others resounds strongly throughout his Pixar adventure. Ultimately, the book's most definitive statement may be that Steve Jobs' reliance upon his charisma is both his greatest boon and his wickedest curse. Consider Jobs' foiled--and most amusing--attempt to put his stamp on Pixar: he insisted on overseeing the design of the new Pixar campus and resolved that it would possess only one bathroom. Instead of a lunch room or lobby as a central area, Jobs envisioned the bathroom as the central location where Pixar employees would gather together. Oi! Yet, I doubt most people would have the ego to strikeout so ridiculously and then barely notice the derision while moving onto their next big idea. Nonetheless, combine such anecdotes about Steve Jobs with Alan Deutshman's ability to describe them and you will understand why The Second Coming of Steve Jobs is such an interesting read.