14 DAY TRIAL // An interview with Walter Isaacson has revealed that it took about three years to gather information for his biography on Steve Jobs, and that everyone agreed Jobs was a perfectionist - a trait that sometimes took its toll on the people close to him.
Asked what his sources were and how he chose the people to speak about Jobs, Isaacson simply replied: “I just talked to everyone who knew him, who worked with him, more than 100 people. It took me three years to collect material.”
He also weighed in on how people perceived him, both friends and foes. He said “Bill Gates is a great example.”
“Like anybody with Steve Jobs, Bill Gates liked him but also found him difficult.”
“And Bill Gates respected Steve, was amused by Steve, found him rough to deal with at times. Like in a lot of businesses here people can be friends but also rivals. And that was the case of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.”
Isaacson continued, saying “He was a very rough person at times because he was such a perfectionist. Sometimes he could be rough on people close to him but he developed a very strong family who all loved him.”
Isaacson dodged a question about whether he thought Jobs would be satisfied by his biography, saying only “He would respect the fact that it was honest. He put nothing off limits including his personal life and his professional life. He told me that I could talk to anybody about anything.”
Isaacson doesn’t have any new biographies lines up, but is open for suggestions, he jokingly told interviewers. He also revealed he is an avid user of Apple products, owning both an iPhone and an iPad.
Check out the related links below for more coverage from the same interview with the renowned biographer.