On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple: Gil Amelio, William L. Simon
Editorial Reviews
It’s hard to think of a company that has captured the public imagination as much as Apple Computer. The rise and fall of the business that single-handedly created the PC market and then let it slip away has been the fodder for several books, most notably Insanely Great by Steven Levy and more recently Jim Carlton’s Apple: The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders. Now in On The Firing Line, former Apple CEO Gil Amelio tells his own story about his 500 days at Apple.
The book provides some insight into the significant events that occurred under Amelio’s watch, such as Apple’s failed in-house development of Copland, the search to license an operating system for the Macintosh, as well as details about those who would buy Apple including Sun Microsystems and Oracle. But the real focus of the book is Amelio’s own frustrations in working with Apple’s chaotic and undisciplined culture as well as Steve Jobs, the man who would eventually fire him. Although Amelio’s account is at times overly self-serving, On the Firing Line is an interesting read that should interest most Macaholics.
Review
But if On the Firing Line won’t win Amelio friends or restore his reputation, it will keep readers tantalized…. a fast-paced, heartfelt look at life as a Silicon Valley chieftain. And, oh, those war stories, which show powerful high-tech figures at their most vulnerable. — Business Week, Peter Burrows
For the most part, though, On the Firing Line is not about payback. Indeed, it mostly reads like the work of a hit-and-run victim with enough presence of mind to jot down the license-plate number. On almost every page, Amelio conveys a sense of disbelief that he’d gotten himself into such a mess. — The Boston Globe, Hiawatha Bray
Mr. Amelio’s experiences–recorded with the help of William L. Simon–should be cautionary for anyone planning to take a job at a company with a high-tech, free-spirit ethos. — The Wall Street Journal, Stanley W. Angrist
Order On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple: Gil Amelio, William L. Simon form Amazon.