Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs

by Fake Steve Jobs, Daniel Lyons

Welcome to the mind—to the world—of Fake Steve Jobs. Fake Steve the counterintuitive management guru: “Obviously we can’t literally put our employees’ lives at risk. But we have to make them feel that way.” Fake Steve the celebrity hobnobber: “I like Bono. He’s the only person I know who’s more self-absorbed than I am.”Options is the book that had the critics howling—with laughter:

“A voice for our own digital age....Mac-slappingly funny.”—Newsweek.com
“Hilarious.”—New York Times
“There’s a laugh-out-loud moment on nearly each one of the book’s pages.”—Wall Street Journal
“Wickedly funny.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Technology, Apple, Comedy, Unfinished

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2007

Reviews

[Malihe Mahdavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب جالبی بود . در این کتاب فضای اقتصادی آمریکا و دره ی سیلیکون به استهزا گرفته شده است .استیو جابز مجازی آقای لیونز شخصیت عجیبی دارد . شخصیتی که وقتی در مورد خوبی ها و انفاق های لری (دوست عزیزش و یازدهمین ثروتمند جهان) صحبت می کند اذعان می کند که خوبی های او به خودش بر میگردد و او روز به روز پولدارتر می شود اما خودش به آن اعتقاد ندارد چون خودش اینگونه نیست و مانند لری عمل نمی کند. در آخر هم همه بدی هایی که به دیگران کرده به خودش برمی گردد و جوانی پر انرژی و پاک جای او را می گیرد. شخصیت استیو جابز در این کتاب از خود راضی ست انگار اوست که آی پد را ساخته، همواره تلاش مهندسین را نفی می کند و با ژست تمرکزش خود را مهم جلوه می دهد در صورتی که ال جابسوی بزرگ نمی داند که زیر دماغش چه می گذرد و سهام شرکت چگونه توزیع ،خرید یا فروخته می شود . او با اینکه می داند که کارگران کوچک چینی برای او کار می کنند رنج متحمل می شوند و حقوق اندکی دریافت می کند کاری برای آنها انجام نمی دهد چون به فکر پول است چون به فکر افزایش ثروت است و وجدان خودش را با نخوردن گوشت ، یوگا و مهمانی های پوچ و توخالی التیام می دهد. این واقعا کاری ست که بیشتر پولدارها انجام می دهند که بگویند ما چه انسان های سالم و خوشحالی هستیم در صورتی که حتی به خانواده ی خود اعتماد ندارند
در این کتاب شما از بازی های پشت پرده دولت برای چاپیدن پولدارها (البته باید بگم که این کتاب از زبان پولدارها نوشته شده است )مطلع می شوید استخدام وکلای کلاهبردار برای گردش پول در فضای آغشته به فساد .عجیبه این که این فضا و شرایط برای ما ایرانی ها اصلا جای تعجب و غافلگیری ندارد چون در این سال ها انواع مختلف کلاهبرداری ها رو تجربه کرده ایم .
تام هم در نوع خود ادم عجیبی ست آدمی که استیو خیال می کند حامی اوست در حالی که مشخص می شود او سهام اپل رو کم ارزش می کند و سهام کازینوی خودش را می فروشد تا با آن سهام اپل بخرد...

من در این تابستون با عمق وجودم حس کردم که دنیای پول چه دنیای بی رحمی ست دنیایی که در آن آدم های فرهنگی که بسیار ادعای فرهنگ و علمشون میشه حقوق کارمند خود را کم محاسبه می کند چون می دونه که او داره مغازه اش رو ترک می کنه (من این تابستون به مدت بیست روز در یک کتابفروشی حوالی میدان آزادی به مدت بیست روز کار کردم) یا روی قیمت ها میکشه به این بهونه که مغازه های دیگه دارن گرونتر می فروشن و من ضرر می کنم. من با این حرف لیونز موافقم که میگه خوبی ها و بدی های تو به خودت برمی گردد ما مردم ایران در این اوضاع به خودمان رحم نمی کنیم . چه با سواد چه بی سواد چه دارا چه ندار چه با ایمان چه بی ایمان .امیدوارم یک زمانی بفهیمیم پول درآوردن به هرقیمتی باعث هزینه هایی میشه که شما دوست ندارید ولی مجبورید که پرداخت کنید مثل اقای استیو جابز

[Hien Le · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly amusing but the tone becomes formulaic rather quickly.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

无聊

[Romain · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most hilarious books I've ever read about Silicon Valley and Steve Jobs/Apple.

[Tim Rondeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much what you would expect from a parody about Steve Jobs. This was a story with no real depth or powerful theme, but fun to read nonetheless. Daniel Lyons, the real author (his name is not Fake Steve Jobs), began a blog about Fake Steve Jobs a few years ago, and the idea morphed into this. Lyons' greatest feat is making the events from the story seem very real. Despite the fact that the situations he was describing were almost completely ridiculous, it doesn't take much to believe that they could actually occur. Maybe Steve Jobs really does fire people for having a delivery van the wrong shade of white. Perhaps he really does hand out iPod shuffles to homeless people asking for money. Who's to say he doesn't, I mean he "invented the friggin' iPod." Options is full of laughs and the story line creates enough suspense to make you wonder what will happen next. Definitely worth your time to check out.

[Dante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fake Steve Jobs has revealed his true identity since the publication of this book: he's Newsweek columnist Dan Lyons. This book is built upon the blog Lyons wrote as Fake Steve Jobs [http://fakesteve.blogspot.com], and it's HILARIOUS! This book is Laugh-Out-Loud funny, with scenes wherein he cuts Hillary Clinton down to size, rides shotgun with Bono as the singer succumbs to road rage, and spoons with Sting, all interspersed among a somewhat predictable whodunit plot -- Fake Steve Jobs tries to figure out who's set him up as the fall guy in Apple's options scandal. Though Fake Steve Jobs is a sociopathic narcissist, he's also incredibly savvy about the tech business -- there's real knowledge and insights on display here. A great read!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the parody, I enjoyed the humor, but I just found that this book didn't do much to really suck me in. Where if I have a book I love, I can sit for hours on end reading it, when reading this book, I would start to think of other things to do every twenty to thirty minutes of reading. It's not a knock on the author or anything, I think it's really just the nature of the beast when it comes to this book. FSJ does a fantastic job of painting a world through the eyes of the rimless spectacled zen master himself, and I found myself laughing out loud at times, but there just wasn't quite enough going on to sustain the story throughout the entirety of the book. Still, it was fun, and if you're a Mac fanboy, you'll love all the inside jokes.

[Todd N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most things that seem to be perfectly targeted at me, I worry that I will want to like it more than I actually do. In this case I wasn't disappointed. The book took about four hours to read, but I really enjoyed it. I even laughed out loud a few times, which I can't remember doing for any book recently.

I've worked with so many people who have said that they want to write a book about the Valley or some particular company. Well now they don't have to because it's already been written. And really an unreliable narrator is the only one who could actually tell the tale.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was funny and interesting. However, it was also annoying and well, annoying. It was well written and kept my interest, but I also found myself wanting to know what was real and what was fake, and this clouded what I liked about it.

Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple. He designed the iPod--ever heard of it? The book is synical and sarcastic and Jobs is basically an a**hole. It chronicles the time when he and Apple and many other Silicon Valley tech companies were being investigated for options fraud.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anybody who loves Macintosh computers or hates Steve Jobs or is a fan of sarcastic, in-your-face social satire will enjoy this puff-pastry of a book, based on a blog. Could this be the future of publishing? It's a 248-page rant bound between covers and lightly disguised as a novel. http://www.fakesteve.blogspot.com/

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might not be as funny if you're not familiar with the rich tapestry of legends built up around Steve Jobs and Apple. But even if you don't get all the inside jokes, be prepared to laugh yourself silly as we watch Steve drive his ego around the Valley like a drunken rock star in a fire engine red Ferrari. It's been a long time since I've laughed out loud reading a book on the bus. Namaste.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but uneven. There were parts of the book that were absolutely hilarious, but they were more than balanced out by the parts that weren't. In a head to head competition, I'd have to give the edge to Anonymous Lawyer...

[Hanje Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very snarky pardoy of Steve Jobs life. There were some funny moments, but I have to say it tended to be a one (or a few) note joke and didn't really have enough to cover a whole book. Nice try though!

[Neville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read parody about the life of Steve Jobs while he was being investigated for the back-dated options, with some familiar characters, like Larry Ellison, Bono from U2 and Al Gore - all mixed up in the company called Apple.

[Chase McMunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of the fake Steve Jobs blog you will really enjoy this book. The satire is subtle at times, but usually comes at you pretty strong. Overall a very funny read with an underlying message to question product fetishism and hero worship.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure this book would be funny at all outside of the Valley. In the Valley, it's mildly amusing. The plot is boring, but some great jokes interspersed in there for people who follow Valley stuff. Good length since the plot got old fast.

[Paul Guinnessy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great premise and I used to enjoy the blog entries, but it doesn't seem that the satire could continue effectivly in a book form. Plus it seems rather tasteless when you consider that we knew Steve Jobs was ill since 2005.

[Raymond · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel bad giving this one star as it wasn't a poorly written book, but I absolutely hated the main character so much I just despised the entire read. Sure, it was funny, but a funny story about an asshole is still a story about an asshole.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opitons is the same joke over and over again, but its a funny one. This is sort of a Fear and Loathing meets Microserfs.

[Meave · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is delightful! I giggled from the first page to the last.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious parady of what Steve Jobs was like during the options scandel a year ago. I was laughing the whole way through!

[Ranald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, funny satire especially for anyone who follows the Silicon Valley scene closely.

[Andrea Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amusing but not as laugh-at-loud funny as I expected it to be. I think the novelty that this blog launched may be getting a little stale.

[Roy · Rating 1 out of 5]

mightly light reading, some very funny characterizations of silicon valley personalities. falls down about 1/2 way through since it didn't really have anywhere to go.

[Will W · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Real Steve Jobs described the Fake Steve Jobs persona, it's "pretty funny."

[Tracy Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely hilarious! If you've ever worshipped at the temple of Apple, you have to read this. I was laughing out loud -- and I've only been in the Mac world about 2 years!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light and quick read. Spares nothing on the disgustingly rich and famous. Maybe I need to be a mac person to really get it and love it, but it was a fun read.

[Praveen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very crass and over the top satire. I am not too clued in on the electronics or business world, but it was still hilarious in parts though on the whole it was only okay.

[Brian Ayres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without a doubt, one of the funniest books I have ever read. This satire of Silicon Valley and Hollywood life was written with precision. There was not a wasted moment or irrelevant section.