INSIDE STEVE'S BRAIN

An insider's guide to the unique leadership style of Steve Jobs, the driving force behind the success of Apple and Pixar

Steve Jobs is technology's most famous CEO, the man who revolutionized computers in the 1970s and 80s (with the Apple II and the Mac), animated movies in the 1990s (with Pixar), and digital music in the 2000s (with the iPod and iTunes). He's also one of the most controversial CEOs in history, allegedly throwing epic tantrums, firing staff in elevators, and taking credit for other people's achievements.

So what's the real story? According to Leander Kahney, who has covered Jobs since the early 1990s as a reporter, editor, and book author, he's a fascinating bundle of contradictions.

He's an elitist who thinks most people are bozos - but he makes gadgets so easy to use, a bozo can master them.

He's a mercurial obsessive with a filthy temper - but he forges deep partnerships with creative geniuses like Steve Wozniak, Jonathan Ive, and John Lasseter.

He'sa Buddhist and antimaterialist - but he produces mass-market products in Asian factories, and he promotes them with absolute mastery of the crassest medium, advertising.

In short, Jobs has embraced the personality traits that some consider flaws - narcissism, perfectionism, total faith in his intuition - to lead Apple and Pixar to triumph against steep odds. And in the process, he has become a self-made billionaire.

After interviewing more Apple insiders than any previous author, Kahney has distilled the principles that guide Jobs as he launches killer products, attracts fanatically loyal customers, and manages some of the world's most powerful brands.