Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
Alex Gibney’s probing documentary dismantles Steve Jobs’s saintly technology-founder image by weighing visionary innovation against cruelty, control, and cultural mythmaking.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- sardonic
- serious
- evocative
- technology film night
- documentary evening
What critics said
Critics broadly found the documentary absorbing and emotionally powerful, while noting that its critical portrait does not fully explore the complexity of its subject.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Interviews and commentary contrast Jobs's status as an iconoclastic genius with descriptions of him as a barbed-tongued tyrant.
The documentary connects Jobs's legacy and values to the culture of Silicon Valley and the technology industry.
Interviews with Bob Belleville, Chrisann Brennan, Nolan Bushnell, Jason Chen, Nick Denton, and Jesus Diaz provide perspectives from different stages and contexts.
The recurring black turtleneck, blue jeans, milky apple, and shadowed presentation frame Jobs as both a branded image and an enigma.
Films like Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, and why
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
critical documentary portrait of a celebrated technology founder, balancing innovation with troubling personal conduct
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
absorbing investigative biography examining a powerful business figure, public mythology, and ethical contradictions
General Magic
technology-centered documentary portrait combining archival material, interviews, and scrutiny of an influential innovator's legacy
The Kingmaker
nuanced documentary treatment of a charismatic cultural icon whose achievements coexist with personal and institutional controversy
Movie Details
- Director
- Alex Gibney
- Release Date
- 2015-08-07
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (260)
Cast
- Bob Belleville
- Chrisann Brennan
- Nolan Bushnell
- Jason Chen
- Nick Denton
- Jesus Diaz
- Peter Elkind
- Alex Gibney
- Andy Grignon
- Yukari Iwatani Kane
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine about?
- Alex Gibney’s probing documentary dismantles Steve Jobs’s saintly technology-founder image by weighing visionary innovation against cruelty, control, and cultural mythmaking.
- What is Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine.
- What did critics think of Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine?
- Critics broadly found the documentary absorbing and emotionally powerful, while noting that its critical portrait does not fully explore the complexity of its subject.
- Which films are like Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine?
- Films with a similar feel include The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, General Magic, and The Kingmaker.
- How long is Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine?
- Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine runs 129 minutes.
- Where can I watch Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine?
- In United States, Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
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