Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary
, subject: Steve Jobs / NeXT / Apple, 2026
Steve Jobs in Exile treats Jobs’s twelve years in the wilderness as the period that changed him and prepared his return to Apple.
About the book
Published by Portfolio in May 2026, with a foreword by Dan'l Lewin and an afterword by Ed Catmull, the book covers the twelve years between Jobs's departure from Apple in 1985 and his return in 1997. Cain's subject is how failure and setback at NeXT shaped Jobs as a leader.
Why read it
Best if you want to understand how Jobs changed as a person and as a leader during his years away from Apple, and how that period prepared his return.
Key themes
- Exile as preparation
- A change in how Jobs led
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #420, #421
While discussing Ed Catmull and Jobs's leadership transformation, the host says he loves that section and calls it one of the book's most important parts.
- Steve Jobs In Exile — While discussing Ed Catmull and Jobs's leadership transformation, the host says he loves that section and calls it one of the book's most important parts.
- Jony Ive — David identifies the prior week's book and episode as his coverage of Steve Jobs's NeXT years, ending with Jobs's return to Apple.