Author of 'Becoming Steve Jobs' talks about his time with the Apple co-founder

Posted March 22, 2015 · March 22, 2015

Brent Schlender, co-author of the upcoming Becoming Steve Jobs, opens up about his relationship with Jobs in the new book.

Jobs and Schlender first met in 1986 as Jobs was trying to get publicity for NeXT. Schlender, who at the time was working for The Wall Street Journal, refused to do a story on Jobs and the company. But that didn't sour Jobs' opinion on him, and it marked the beginning of what would be a 25-year relationship between subject and reporter, according to Fortune:

"Not writing a feature was the first salvo in the twenty-five-year-long negotiation that marked our relationship," writes Schlender in the prologue that kickstarts the book. "There was never a minute where the basic terms of our relationship weren't clear: I was the reporter, he was the source and subject."

Schlender and Jobs eventually began speaking regularly, with long interviews, phone calls, and hospital visits:

Jobs cultivated Schlender, gave him long interviews, called him to gossip and complain. Schlender visited Jobs at home; Jobs visited Schlender in the hospital, where they ended up together more often than either would have wished.

Becoming Steve Jobs will be available beginning Tuesday, March 24. In addition to reporting from Schlender and co-auther Rick Tetzeli, the book contains interviews with many of the people who new Jobs best, including Apple executives Jony Ive and Tim Cook, and Job's wife, Laurene Powell Jobs. You can pre-order the book on both iTunes and Amazon.

Source: Fortune