25 Inspiring Biography Books to Make You a Successful Designer & Entrepreneur in 2022
From tech innovators like Steve Jobs to creators of the world's largest brands like Nike, these 25 biographies are going to give you a fascinating insight into the stories of people who've revolutionized our lives. Without the grit, perseverance, and creative efforts of such innovators, we wouldn't be living the way we are right now. The impact these high-performing individuals have had on all of our lives is incredible.
Over the past two years, I have given a lot of my time to reading non-fiction books, mostly biographies, to understand why and how the greatest ones live their daily lives.
These 25 books are my personal recommendations to whomsoever willing to learn from the giants and improve their careers and businesses.
After reading these books, you'll realize that the ones who achieve greatness in their lives are no different than you and me. They're born stupid. They commit all kinds of mistakes and even blunders from time to time. They take the worse decisions sometimes.
They, too are constantly caught up by the emotional turmoils caused by fear, anger, remorse, and guilt. They, too get their back stabbed at times by their closest ones.
They don't have god-like powers or magical abilities from birth. At times, they're even mediocre or below average than their peers.
But what makes them so great they end up putting a dent in the universe?
Their willingness to accept their mistakes, get up after getting shot down, dust off the criticism and continue doing what they're good at, and ultimately try to impact the lives of as many people as possible!
Why Should You Read Biography Books?
You might be wondering why should you invest your precious time in reading
about the lives of other people? When you could utilize this time on getting
your work done?
You're not wrong, but let me tell you 3 reasons why reading biographies is the
best investment you could ever make in this lifetime, before getting on with
the actual book recommendations.
First, biographies help you to learn from the mistakes and challenges of other
people. They will serve as a guide on your path to greatness. You'll be way
ahead of the person who never invests her time in reading biographies and
learning from the mistakes of others. Because she will have to wait for the
right moment when she will make the mistake, and then learn a tough lesson.
Second, biographies help you break the barriers of location and time. You
don't have to only look up to your parents, relatives, professors, or bosses
in your direct contact. You could look up to geniuses from all across the
world and all across history.
You could read about the life of Sundar Pichai, who's currently living in the
USA while sitting in your New Delhi Metro. You could learn from the life of
Leonardo Da Vinci, who's been dead for centuries. There are infinite
possibilities now!
Third, biographies help you uncover the human-angle of the greatest
personalities on Earth. We've often heard or read about the greatest
personalities in popular media and news as some sort of prodigies with
god-like characteristics.
This doesn't help us in any way, in fact, it makes us form a belief that we
need to be born with a silver spoon to achieve greatness in life. But that's
not true.
Biographies are decade-long efforts to create a manuscript that sheds light on
the mundane as well as extraordinary aspects of one's life. They help us
realize that the greatest personalities had their own challenges growing up in
a constricting environment.
They too had a normal life like ours. They too had to struggle with completing
school homework or finishing college. They too had to face constant ejections
and harsh criticisms for their feeble efforts. They too were careless and
negligent from time to time.
Ultimately, reading a good biography, like one of the 25 below, will motivate
you to accept yourself as you are and will inspire you to get on with your
journey without giving a damn about in-born natural talents or the privileges
you weren't born with because no one was. They had to fight for their lives
every day, one day at a time.
Now, let's get on with the 25 biographies I'm going to show you that will
surely transform your life for the best!
*I have added the necessary Amazon links to the books, for your own
convenience, so that you won't have to search it on google and buy the same.
You can simply click on the heading or the image link or the button that says
'Shop Now' that will take you to the Amazon portal for the book purchase. Why
not buy all 25 of them and keep them in your personal library at home or in
your office?
To save your time, jump onto a section from here:
1. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography - by Walter Isaacson
This book chronicles the rollercoaster life and searingly intense personality
of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive
revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music,
phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
It is based on more than forty interviews with Jobs that were conducted over a
two-year period, as well as interviews with more than a hundred family
members, friends, rivals, competitors, and colleagues.
Jobs is the quintessential example of applied imagination and ingenuity at a
time when countries all over the world are attempting to create economies fit
for the digital age.
Having realized that fusing creativity and technology was the ideal approach
to produce value in the twenty-first century, he established a business where
engineering marvels coexisted with imaginative leaps of the imagination.
Unparalleled insight into the life and thought of the man who, by himself,
single-handedly changed how we live today is provided by this magnificent
book.
2. The Google Story - by David A. Vise
The most captivating invention since the invention of the internet is the
subject of The Google Story, an engaging and comprehensive account.
Google is the most well-known worldwide brand to emerge in decades and is
used by more than 65 million people every day in over 100 countries.
Its name has become so well-known that it is now a verb. This book gives you
an intimate look into the founding and expansion of a business that has
revolutionized the way we access information about everything and
everyone.
It is based on meticulous research and exceptional access to the Google
founders.
The incredible network of thousands of computers that stores more than four
billion web documents and that are preserved in carefully refrigerated,
hidden chambers will be revealed to readers.
They will learn about the innovative ways Google generates revenue while
offering a free service to millions of users, and they will get a taste of
life at the colorful "Googleplex" headquarters in Silicon Valley, where
employees are treated to free massages at the conclusion of the
workday.
Google faces tough obstacles in a market that is changing at a breakneck
pace even as it soars. Can it remain competitive while adhering to the motto
of its founders: DO NO EVIL?
The complete account of the biggest and most powerful corporation in the
world and the man whose tenacity and perseverance revolutionized
commerce.
Although the visionary inventor of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos, initially just
sold books by mail, he never settled for being a simple bookseller. He
intended Amazon to establish itself as "the everything store," providing
endless options, alluring convenience, and shockingly cheap pricing.
He created a corporate culture of unrelenting ambition and secrecy that
has never been broken in order to accomplish that goal. Before now...
Jeff Bezos stands out for his constant search for new markets, driving
Amazon into high-risk new endeavors like the Kindle and cloud computing,
and revolutionizing retail in a similar way to how Henry Ford
revolutionized manufacturing.
One of the first and biggest bets ever made on the Internet was made by
Amazon. Never again would anything be the same.
4. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE - by Phil Knight
After graduating from business school in 1962, Phil Knight borrowed $50
from his father and started a firm with the straightforward goal of
importing superior athletic shoes from Japan. Knight made $8,000 in his
first year by selling the shoes out of the boot of his Plymouth.
Nike now has yearly sales of almost $30 billion. Nike is the ne plus ultra
of start-ups in the age of startups, and the swoosh has evolved into a
revolutionary, global icon that is one of the most well-known and
recognizable emblems in use today.
However, the knight, the person responsible for the swoosh, has never been
made public.
He now shares his tale for the first time. He starts with the decision he
made to launch his own company at a crossroads in his life.
He is candid, humble, wry, and brave. Along with his early successes, he
describes the numerous risks and intimidating setbacks that stood in his
way of realizing his dream.
Above all, he remembers how his first group of business partners and
employees quickly became a close-knit group of brothers. Together, they
created a brand that transformed everything by utilizing the transcendent
power of a common objective and a strong faith in the spirit of
sport.
This book is a memoir full of insight, humor, and hard-won wisdom. It also
contains many lessons on starting from nothing, overcoming obstacles, and
ultimately leaving your mark on the world.
5. Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark - by Duncan Clark
Jack Ma, a man who came from humble beginnings and began his career as
an English teacher, developed and grew Alibaba into the second largest
Internet firm in the world in just ten and a half years.
The company was valued more than Facebook or Coca-Cola after its $25
billion IPO in 2014, which was the highest ever.
Hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers rely on Alibaba's e-commerce
services every day, and it also employs and pays tens of millions of
people.
A modern-day Rockefeller, Jack is sought after by CEOs and heads of
state from all over the world as the face of the new, consumerist China.
He has become a symbol for the nation's thriving private sector.
Clark situates Alibaba's story within the broader narrative of China's
economic boom—the growth of the private sector and the expansion of
Internet usage—which has propelled the nation to become the
second-largest economy in the world and home to the largest Internet
population, which is double the size of the US.
He also looks at the social and political backdrop to these significant
shifts. Clark is a seasoned insider with unmatched connections who has a
profound understanding of Chinese business philosophy.
As never before, he sheds light on an improbable corporate giant and
analyses the crucial role his company played in changing China while
also strengthening its position and influence globally.
6. That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix by the first CEO and co-founder Marc Randolph - by Marc Randolph
Brick-and-mortar video businesses once reigned supreme. Video streaming
was unheard of, late fines were common, and the mass adoption of DVDs
appeared to be about as far off as flying cars. When Marc Randolph had a
thought in 1997, these were the established rules of the land.
It was a straightforward idea—using the internet to rent movies—and was
just one of several that Randolph pitched to Reed Hastings, his business
partner, as they rode to work each morning. Other ideas included
customised baseball bats and a shampoo delivery service.
However, Hastings was interested, and the two went on to form a
corporation, with Hastings serving as the main investor and Randolph as
the CEO.
Netflix's success now that it has more than 150 million users seems
inevitable, but the most disruptive start-up of the twenty-first century
started with few believers and disaster at every turn.
Marc Randolph's transformational journey exemplifies how anyone with grit,
gut instincts, and determination can change the world - even with an idea
that many people think will never work.
It includes having to pitch his own mother on becoming an early investor,
the motel conference room that served as a first office, server crashes on
launch day, and the now-infamous meeting when they pitched Blockbuster to
acquire them.
But more than just the insider account of one of the most recognizable
corporations in the world comes to light.
It provides answers to our most fundamental inquiries about making that
leap of faith in company or in life and is chock-full of counterintuitive
thoughts and prose that makes you want to binge read it:
Where do you start? How do you handle failure and disappointment? What is
your approach to success? What is a success, exactly?
The four most powerful corporations on the earth are Amazon, Apple,
Facebook, and Google. Almost everyone believes they know how they get
there. Almost everyone is mistaken.
No one has conveyed the Four's strength and astounding success more
effectively than Scott Galloway, despite the amount of writing about
them over the past 20 years.
Galloway poses the following essential queries rather than buying into
the fantasies that these businesses promote:
How did the Four penetrate our lives so thoroughly that it is
practically impossible to avoid (or boycott) them? Why does the stock
market overlook the transgressions that would bring down other
companies? Can anyone stop them as they compete to become the first
trillion-dollar firm in history?
Galloway dissects the Four's tactics that lie beneath their gleaming
exteriors in the same irreverent manner that has made him one of the
most renowned business teachers in the world.
He demonstrates how they control our basic emotional needs—which have
motivated us ever since our ancestors lived in caves—at a rate and in a
way that no one else can.
And he explains how you may use the knowledge gained from their success
to advance your own business or career.
8. Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is Shaping our Future - by Ashlee Vance
Elon Musk, a well-known businessman and inventor from South Africa,
founded PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity.
Musk wants to make money while he saves the earth, sends people into
space, establishes a colony on Mars, and he wants everyone to know about
it.
He served as the model for the fictional character played by Robert Downey
Jr. in the Iron Man movie series.
The personal account of Musk's life includes all the elements of a
compelling, drama-filled novel. He was a freakishly bright young man who
suffered from horrific school bullying and paternal abuse.
Despite these challenging circumstances and the horrors of apartheid South
Africa, Musk managed to succeed academically and gain admission to the
University of Pennsylvania, where he financed for his education by
converting his home into a club and hosting extravagant parties.
He founded two significant dot-com successes, including PayPal, which
eBay bought in 2002 for $1.5 billion. Musk's lost years, during which he
made the decision to go it alone and confounded friends by investing his
riches in rockets and electric automobiles, started when he was thrown
out as CEO.
While this was happening, Musk's marriage broke apart as his
technological obsessions took over his life.
Elon Musk is the Steve Jobs of the present and the future, and Ashlee
Vance, a tech reporter, has been following him for the past year. An
important, thrilling, and perceptive description of the real-life Iron
Man is found in Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla
is Shaping our Future.
The definitive book on Facebook, The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of
the Company That is Connecting the World, written by David Kirkpatrick,
was released by Simon & Schuster.
He joined Fortune in 1983, where he spent several years as senior editor
for internet and technology. He discussed the business and societal
effects of the Internet as well as the computer and technology
sector.
He is currently the founder and CEO of Techonomy Media, a publishing and
conference organization that emphasizes the crucial role that technology
plays in both business and society. He has written for Vanity Fair about
Jack Dorsey and Sean Parker, and he frequently posts on Techonomy.com and
LinkedIn.
In January 2008, he told Zuckerberg he intended to publish a book on the
business. The young CEO's response was swift. "Go for it!" he said.
Kirkpatrick followed suit. After numerous interviews with all of
Facebook's executives and with the company's full cooperation, he wrote a
book that is the sole authentic history of the business.
While examining Facebook's effects on society and social life, it also
tells Facebook's story. Kirkpatrick contends that comprehending Facebook's
past is necessary to comprehend both Zuckerberg and the motivations behind
the company's actions. You should be able to use the company's service
more wisely and successfully if you have a better understanding of it.
Geoffrey Cain provides the first in-depth look behind the scenes of the
biggest firm nobody knows based on his years of reporting on Samsung for
the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and Time from his base in South
Korea and his innumerable sources inside and outside the company.
How did this occur? Samsung was a flimsy Korean agricultural corporation
that made sugar, paper, and fertilizer forty years ago. But as the PC
revolution grew, Chairman Lee Byung-Chul devised a highly risky,
multimillion-dollar strategy to turn Samsung into a significant supplier
of computer processors.
A teenage Steve Jobs impressed Lee when he sat down with the chairman to
give him guidance, and Lee soon developed an obsession with building a
tech empire.
Over 350,000 people work for Samsung today, which is more than four times
as many as work for Apple, and their revenues have increased 40 times
since 1987.
Samsung sells more cellphones than any other firm in the world and
currently accounts for more than 20% of South Korea's exports.
Furthermore, they are one of Apple's top suppliers for technology
essential to the iPhone in addition to producing their own phones.
However, their unfortunate recall of the Galaxy Note 7, which included
several complaints of phones catching fire on their own, exposes the risks
of the company's aggressive effort to surpass Apple at all costs.
Samsung Rising, a comprehensive insider account of the Korean company's
continuous battle with computer titans like Google and Apple, demonstrates
how a tenacious and courageous Asian rival is ready to take on the
industry's biggest players.
Ed Catmull had a desire when he was a young man: to create the first
computer-animated film ever. He couldn't have imagined what would
transpire when early cooperation with George Lucas indirectly led to
his creation of Pixar with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter in 1986.
Despite all odds, Toy Story was finally released nine years later. It
marked the beginning of a new era in animation.
Pixar changed the way animated movies were made by emphasizing the joy
of storytelling, creative storylines, and emotional realism.
A manual for everyone who strives for uniqueness, Creativity, Inc. is
a book for managers who wish to inspire their staff to greater
heights. It includes examples from Pixar itself.
It contains instructions on how to create and maintain a creative
culture with a distinct identity. We also discover what creativity
actually is through this tale.
12. My Life and Work - by Henry Ford
"Honest failure is not shameful, but fear of failure is shameful." My life
and work, which Samuel Crowther and I co-wrote, is a biography of Henry
Ford, one of the most famous businessmen and manufacturers in history, who
founded the Ford Motor Company and was a forerunner in the development of
mass manufacturing.
The American industrialism of the early 20th century will always be
associated with Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford and his
corporation have had an enormous positive impact on American business and
the economy. This revered American biography wonderfully tells his story.
"Everyone he encounters is either charmed by him or dislikes him. But even
his adversaries acknowledge that Ray Kroc excels at three things: selling
hamburgers, making money, and telling stories." —quote from Grinding it
Out Ray Kroc is one of the select few businesspeople who can say that they
fundamentally altered the way we live.
His innovations in the fields of advertising, franchising, shared national
training, and food-service automation have placed him in the company of
people who have built not just successful enterprises but entire empires.
However, Ray Kroc, the person is more intriguing than Ray Kroc the
businessman. Not your ordinary self-made millionaire, Kroc started his
first franchise at the age of 52.
You'll get to know the guy behind McDonald's, one of the biggest fast-food
chains in the world with more than 32,000 locations worldwide, in the book
Grinding it Out.
The irrepressible enthusiasm, empathetic nature, and natural ability to
tell a tale of Kroc will amaze and motivate you on every page.
The amazing factual account of how human flight first began, was written
by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough. Two unnamed brothers
from Ohio altered the course of history on a wintry day on the Outer Banks
of North Carolina in 1903.
But it would take some time for the rest of the world to accept what had
actually occurred: the age of flight had begun with the first powered,
heavier-than-air craft carrying a pilot.
Who were these folks and how did they succeed in their endeavors? The
Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough explores the unexpected and
wonderfully personal tale of Wilbur and Orville Wright.
They were much more than just two uneducated Dayton bicycle mechanics who
just so happened to find success; they were guys of extraordinary
fortitude and tenacity, as well as wide-ranging intellectual interests and
never-ending curiosity, traits they largely attributed to their
background.
To tell the human side of the Wright Brothers' story, including the
little-known contributions of their sister Katharine, without whom things
very well could have turned out differently for them, McCullough draws on
the vast riches of the Wright Papers, which include private diaries,
notebooks, scrapbooks, and more than a thousand letters from private
family correspondence.
Will Smith's journey from a timid youngster in a tense West Philadelphia
home to one of the biggest rap stars of his era and then to one of the
biggest movie stars in Hollywood history with a string of box office
successes that will probably never be broken is an epic tale of inner
transformation and outer triumph, and Will tells it astonishingly well.
But that just tells half the tale.
Will Smith believed he had won the lottery in life, and for good
reason—not only was his personal success unmatched, but his entire family
was at the top of the entertainment industry.
But they didn't see it that way; instead, they felt more like the stars of
his circus, working seven days a week in a position they hadn't asked for.
Will Smith's education was still far from complete, it turned out.
This narrative is the result of an intense voyage of self-discovery, a
coming to terms with all that your will can do and all that it can also
destroy.
Will is the account of how one remarkable man learned to control his
emotions, and it was written in a way that can assist everyone else is
doing the same.
Will was co-authored by Mark Manson, the author of the best-selling book
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, which has sold millions of
copies.
Few of us will have experienced the pressure of competing for the highest
stakes on the biggest stages in the world, but we can all appreciate that
the fuel that gets us through one stage of our journey may need to be
altered if we want to get home in one piece.
Azim Hasham Premji has been one of India Inc.'s trailblazers for more than
five decades. He developed one of India's most successful software firms
together with a multibillion-dollar conglomerate after taking over his
family's vegetable oil business at the age of twenty-one after his
father's unexpected death.
With an estimated net worth of $7.2 billion in 2019, he was India's
tenth-richest individual. The one aspect of the guy, though, that has
eclipsed even his professional successes is his charity.
He is one of the biggest philanthropists in the world thanks to his nearly
$21 billion contribution to the Azim Premji Foundation, a nonprofit
organization that focuses on education.
The first authorized biography of the idol, Azim Premji: The Guy Beyond
the Billions, reveals how Premji is a philanthropist at heart and a
businessman by choice—a man who wanted to donate his billions but
understood early on that he would first have to earn them.
It reveals Premji's life's layers while recounting his career and
charitable endeavors against the backdrop of his numerous virtues and
vices.
This is a journalist's biography of Premji the man, the businessman, and
the philanthropist based on interviews with hundreds of current and
former Wipro employees who have over the years worked closely with him,
as well as with rivals, and analysts, family friends, and industry
partners.
A visionary of his day, Jamsetji Tata ignited the spark that would
eventually grow into Tata and its family of companies in 1868.
This company expanded and became exceptional. The "best firm in the
world," as some people may even claim, is one of them.
The company grew and prospered over the years under the guidance of the
many keepers of the flame, including Sir Dorabji Tata, J.R.D. Tata, and
Ratan Tata, to name a few.
However, one day, Cyrus Mistry, the chairman of the board of Tata Sons,
was brazenly announced to have been sacked in the headlines.
What went awry?
Insiders from the Tata businesses first share their stories with Peter
Casey in this unique and approved book.
This is a book that every business-minded person should read, from its
humble beginnings as a mercantile corporation to its expansion as a
successful yet charitable organization to its recent brush with Mistry.
Starbucks' president and chairman, Howard Schultz, decided to resume his
role as CEO in 2008, eight years after he had stood away from daily
management of the business and taken on the role of chairman.
Schultz was committed to assisting Starbucks in getting back on track,
reestablishing its essential principles, and regaining both its spiritual
and financial health since he believed the company had lost its way.
In Onward, he tells the amazing tale of his comeback and the company's
continued change under his leadership, demonstrating how Starbucks once
more managed to achieve profitability and sustainability without losing
humanity amid one of the most turbulent economic periods in history.
The book zooms in to reveal, in engrossing detail, how one company
battled and remade itself in the midst of it all, providing readers with
a glimpse of a period in history that left no organization
unaffected.
The fast-moving story is propelled by the tension that occurs on a daily
basis when disagreements erupt and give readers a glimpse into Schultz's
mind as he learns to accept his limitations and his changing leadership
style.
Schultz's core leadership tenet, Onward, is that success is not only
about winning, but also about winning the right way.
In the end, he gives readers what he works so hard to convey every day:
a sense of hope that, no matter how difficult things get, the future can
still be just as successful as the past, or perhaps more successful,
depending on how success is defined.
On August 10, 2015, a quiet product specialist who had his start at IIT
Kharagpur was named Google's next CEO. The hiring of Sundar Pichai was not
entirely unexpected.
Pichai is a man renowned for both his exceptional people skills and
open-minded commitment to innovation.
He has a veritable Midas touch with every product he has developed or led
for Google, including Chrome, Chrome OS, and Android, to mention a few.
These questions are addressed in Pichai: The Future of Google, which
also sheds light on Sundar Pichai's upbringing and education, his entry
into the tech industry and quick ascent through the ranks at Google, and
his significant contributions as a leader and tech guru to Google's most
popular properties.
This book, which is both timely and perceptive, provides a unique look
into the fascinating ecosystem of a ground-breaking organization and
demonstrates what it takes to be a dynamic leader in the twenty-first
century.
After Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, Satya Nadella was raised in India,
attended college in the US, and eventually rose to the position of
Microsoft's third CEO.
In Hit Refresh, he provides a distinctive perspective on the change taking
place within one of the most well-known tech companies in the world as
well as the introduction of the most exciting and disruptive wave of
technology in human history, including artificial intelligence, mixed
reality, and quantum computing.
In his analysis of how people, organizations, and communities may and must
change, or "hit refresh," in their ongoing search for fresh inspiration,
innovative concepts, ongoing relevance, and regeneration.
But at its foundation, this book is about people and how empathy, one of
our key human traits, will become increasingly useful in a future where
technology growth will fundamentally disrupt the way things are done.
Following in the footsteps of one of history's greatest business
innovators, Steve Jobs, was an impossible assignment for Tim Cook to
undertake in 2011.
Cook, who was frequently characterized as quiet, unassuming, and
unimaginative, beat all odds while under intense international
scrutiny.
Apple has surged under Cook's direction: its stock has nearly tripled to
become the first trillion-dollar business in history.
Cook is guiding Apple into a new era of success, with fresh triumphs like
the Apple Watch joining the iPhone's meteoric rise in popularity.
He has, nevertheless, also led the company's cultural revolution. Since
taking over as CEO, Cook has ushered in a new management approach that
prioritizes kindness, cooperation, and honesty.
He has also subtly urged Apple to support sexual and racial equality
rights and make significant investments in sustainable energy.
The world's top Apple writer, Kahney, tells the uplifting tale of how
one man attempted to replace the irreplaceable and achieved better than
anybody could have imagined by drawing on permitted access with many
Apple insiders.
Since Steve Jobs's passing in 2011, JONY IVE has taken over as the
company's most significant figure. Some could claim he has always
been.
In 1997, Steve Jobs came into the grungy British designer working in a
workshop full of hundreds of sketches and prototypes.
Jobs realized right away that he had discovered a genius that could stop
Apple's downfall and turn into his "spiritual companion."
The iMac, iPod, iPad, and iPhone are just a few of the iconic devices
they created together. designs that completely changed entire sectors
and gave rise to the most powerful brand in the world.
Almost nothing is known about this reserved, soft-spoken designer.
Before now. This captivating book chronicles the life of a creative
genius, from his early fascination with industrial design to his rapid
rise, as well as the ideas and methods that helped IVE establish himself
as the leading designer of his generation.
Lawrence Levy never met Steve Jobs until one day in November 1994, when
Jobs unexpectedly offered him the position of CEO of Pixar, a little
business that had already cost Jobs $50 million.
Levy took the role cautiously because Pixar's future appeared to be grim.
After a few weeks, he realized that things were far worse than he had
anticipated.
Pixar's advertising sector barely made a profit, its graphics software
had few users, its short films were a financial failure, and Jobs was
pushing for the company to go public.
Toy Story, the studio's first full-length motion picture, was
everything; even then, it had to rank among the greatest animated films
ever made.
With sage advice on fusing business and creativity and a heartwarming
account of Levy's long friendship with Jobs, A fascinating insider's
account of one of Hollywood's biggest success stories, To Pixar and
Beyond, is now.
The Innovators is Walter Isaacson's illuminating account of the people
who invented the computer and the Internet, coming after his wildly
successful biography of Steve Jobs.
It is destined to become the accepted account of the digital revolution
and an essential manual for understanding how innovation actually
occurs.
What skills enabled some entrepreneurs and inventors to transform their
visionary concepts into game-changing realities? What inspired their
innovative leaps? Why do some people succeed while others don't?
Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron's daughter, who invented computer programming in
the 1840s, is where Isaacson starts his masterful narrative. He examines
intriguing figures like Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, John von Neumann,
J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak,
Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee, and Larry Page who were instrumental in the
development of our contemporary digital revolution.
The tale of their mental processes and what made them so creative is
presented here. It also tells the story of how their capacity for
cooperation and their mastery of teamwork helped them become even more
imaginative.
'The Innovators' demonstrates how innovation, creativity, and teamwork
occur in an age that aims to promote them.
Walter Isaacson crafts a story that ties Leonardo's art and science
together using hundreds of pages from his astounding notebooks and fresh
information about his life and work.
He demonstrates how Leonardo's genius was founded on traits we can all
work on developing, such as a burning curiosity, keen observation, and an
imaginative flair that bordered on fantasy.
The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, two of history's most well-known
paintings, were created by him. But he was just as much a guy of science
and technology in his own view.
He investigated novel studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart,
flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry with a fervor that
occasionally bordered on obsession.
His picture of the Vitruvian Man, which became famous for its capacity to
stand at the nexus of the humanities and the sciences, cemented his status
as history's most creative genius.
Like other great innovators, his brilliance evolved from a diverse range
of interests. He removed the skin from dead people's faces, sketched the
muscles that move the lips, and then painted the most famous smile in
human history.
He studied optics math, demonstrated how light strikes the cornea, and
created perspective-shifting illusions in The Last Supper.
Leonardo's lifelong passion for creating theatrical events is also
discussed by Isaacson as having influenced his paintings and inventions.
The best prescription for creation still involves blending different
passions, as Leonardo did with joy. His comfort in being a bit of a
misfit—illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, frequently distracted,
and occasionally heretical—goes hand in hand with that.
His life should serve as a reminder to us of the value of fostering in
ourselves and our children a willingness to question received information,
as well as the ability to be creative and, like gifted misfits and rebels
in any era, think differently.
On a Concluding Note...
Well, that was indeed a huge list of biographies.
I'm speaking from personal experience, reading biographies is the single
most useful investment I had done ever. It helped me become wise enough to
not commit stupid mistakes anymore. It has motivated me from time to time.
It has inspired me to accept my weaknesses and circumstances. It has
helped me to look up to great personalities beyond my neighborhood, and it
has helped me discover and define the purpose of my life.
I wish that reading the above 25 biographies has a similar impact on your
life as well. Good luck!
Got any other book recommendations? Got any favorite books? Comment down
below!
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