Available to preorder Now
Steve Jobs in Exile
The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary
In 1985, Steve Jobs was pushed out of Apple, the company he’d founded. What followed were twelve years of spectacular failures, near-bankruptcy, and brutal humiliation at his new venture, NeXT—a “lost decade” that would ultimately forge the visionary who created the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Drawing on unbroadcast footage, private company documents, and new interviews with Jobs’s closest colleagues, Geoffrey Cain reveals the untold story of how failure transformed a brash wunderkind into a true business genius, and how the greatest comeback in tech history was born from defeat.
Coming May 19, 2026
Praise for
Steve Jobs in Exile
“Finally! A full biography of the most consequential years of Steve Jobs’s life. Too often seen as a detour, Cain portrays Steve’s twelve-year exile as formative, the time when he transformed from an impulsive, know-it-all brat to an introspective visionary who could trust and delegate. This will be a source of inspiration for latecomers and lost souls.”
—Patrick McGee
author of Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company
“Steve Jobs in Exile tells the story of America’s greatest visionary from humiliation to reinvention. Essential reading on the transformation of Apple, the evolution of the computer, and the fall and rise of Steve Jobs.”
—Chris Miller
author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology
“A remarkable fly-on-the-wall account of the wilderness years that taught a visionary monster empathy and humility. Geoffrey Cain’s inside story of how an outcast Steve Jobs engineered one of the great comebacks in business history is also a surprisingly human tale of self-reinvention.”
—Peter Robison
bestselling author of Flying Blind
“Steve Jobs in Exile is the definitive chronicle of NeXT, the transitional company that helped Steve Jobs cross the chasm from failed cofounder of Apple to its brilliant savior.”
—Steven Levy
author of Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer That Changed Everything and Facebook: The Inside Story
Geoffrey Cain is a bestselling author of books on technology and business.
He has interviewed presidents, tycoons, innovators, and financial titans. He is frequently sought for strategic counsel by leaders seeking to break through the noise with their ideas.
As seen in:
Geoffrey Cain is a bestselling author of books on technology and business.
He has interviewed presidents, tycoons, innovators, and financial titans. He is frequently sought for strategic counsel by leaders seeking to break through the noise with their ideas.
His books, Samsung Rising and The Perfect Police State, have been called “gripping” (Financial Times), a “thriller” (The Wall Street Journal), “riveting” (The Economist and Forbes), “a crisp narrative” (Publishers Weekly), and “a prescient, alarming work” (Kirkus starred review).
His citations include the longlist for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award, the NPR “Book of the Day,” and the “best nonfiction book in international affairs” from the Overseas Press Club.
He is a regular guest on CNN, NPR, Fox News, and Bloomberg Television. He has interviewed world leaders and covered historic global events. He has advised the White House and regularly testifies before Congress.
As seen in:
His books, Samsung Rising and The Perfect Police State, have been called:
“gripping”
Financial Times
“a crisp narrative”
Publishers Weekly
“riveting”
The Economist
“riveting”
Forbes
“a prescient, alarming work”
Kirkus starred review
a “thriller”
The Wall Street Journal
Samsung Rising
The Perfect Police State
Samsung Rising
The Perfect Police State
Samsung Rising
Samsung Rising
Samsung Rising
How China Perfected the Surveillance State
Geoffrey Cain
March 25, 2025
Geoffrey Cain on Investigative Journalism, Authoritarian Power, and The Perfect Police State | In a wide-ranging conversation with Jennifer Grossman, CEO of The Atlas Society, investigative journalist Geoffrey Cain reflects on years spent reporting inside some of the world’s most restrictive regimes — and on the research behind his book The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey into China’s Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future.
Reinvention. Failure. Comeback. Stories from business and tech.
For 15 years, I was a foreign correspondent all over the world. I’ve spent my career in authoritarian and far-off places, inside North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, China, and the Middle East.
I bring you stories and commentary from behind the scenes of tech, business, and warfare. Join my community of subscribers for my insights on what’s happening in the United States and the world.
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Book Tour
The Perfect Police State Book Tour
World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth
Thursday, July 8, 2021 6:00PM CDT
Free Virtual Event (Register Here)