Why It Ranks #76
The only insider account of Apple's product development process written by an engineer who actually built the products. Kocienda demystifies how Apple actually works and reveals that great products come from disciplined iteration, not divine inspiration.
The Review
Ken Kocienda was a principal engineer at Apple who worked directly on the iPhone keyboard, Safari, and other products during the Steve Jobs era. Creative Selection reveals Apple's actual product development process — not the mythologized version — from the perspective of someone who wrote the code. The book centers on the concept of 'creative selection': showing demos to decision-makers, getting rapid feedback, iterating, and repeating until the product is great.
Key Takeaways
- 1The demo is the fundamental unit of progress at Apple — build something and show it
- 2Creative selection: converge on the best solution through rapid iteration and direct feedback
- 3Taste is a real and essential engineering skill — knowing what feels right matters as much as what works
- 4Small teams with clear ownership produce better products than large teams with diffused responsibility
Fun Facts
- •Kocienda built the original iPhone keyboard — one of the most-used pieces of software in history
- •He was employee number 90 at a company that grew to 100,000+ during his tenure
- •Kim Scott (Radical Candor) endorsed the book as 'a story about the intersection of technology and humanity'
Book Details
Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda
Pages
304
Goodreads Rating
4.02/5
Copies Sold
200K+
First Published
2018
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