[Recorded May 26, 2026]
In 1985, Steve Jobs left Apple—the company he had cofounded—after a dramatic power struggle. Soon after, he launched a new venture called NeXT. Though often described as his “wilderness years," the NeXT era proved transformative, reshaping Jobs as a leader and creating technologies that would later form the foundation of modern Apple platforms.
Join the Computer History Museum for a special CHM Live book talk with Geoffrey Cain, author of Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary, and key figures from NeXT’s history, including Dan’l Lewin, Rich Page (by video), Avie Tevanian, and Bud Tribble.
The event will explore how Jobs built NeXT, was transformed by its near failure and rethought his approach to leadership, product design, and innovation, setting the stage for one of the most remarkable comebacks in business history and even playing a role in the early development of the World Wide Web.
Join us for an inside look at the NeXT era’s bold ideas, technical breakthroughs, and intense culture that transformed Steve Jobs and the future of computing.
What You’ll Experience
-The untold story of Steve Jobs’s “lost decade” and the founding of NeXT—and its vital impact on Apple’s success today.
-Firsthand reflections from key players at NeXT, including Dan’l Lewin, Rich Page (by video), Avie Tevanian, Bud Tribble, and others.
-New insights into how failure, reinvention, and technology shaped one of Silicon Valley’s greatest comebacks.
FEATURED PARTICIPANTS
Moderator
Geoffrey Cain
Author, Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary
An award-winning author and correspondent, Geoffrey Cain’s latest book is Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary. His book Samsung Rising was longlisted for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year, and The Perfect Police State was named NPR’s “Book of the Day.” Cain appears in The Wall Street Journal, Time, The Economist, and Wired and has been featured on CNN and Bloomberg TV. He also advises executives and government officials on innovation.
Speaker
Dan’l Lewin
Cofounder and VP of Sales and Marketing, NeXT
Dan’l Lewin is a technology executive with more than 30 years of experience across Silicon Valley companies and civic institutions. He most recently served as president and CEO of the Computer History Museum, following a 17-year career at Microsoft, where he was corporate vice president leading global work in civic engagement, environmental sustainability, and startup partnerships. Earlier roles include leadership at Apple, cofounder of NeXT, and leadership roles at Go Corporation, and SONY. He currently serves on startup boards and the Norman Rockwell Museum and previously chaired the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Speaker
Rich Page
Cofounder and VP of Hardware Engineering / Manufacturing, NeXT
Rich Page cofounded NeXT, where he served as vice president of hardware engineering, leading development of the NeXT cube hardware, and as vice president of manufacturing. Before NeXT, he worked at Apple on the Lisa project alongside Steve Jobs and became one of the first four Apple Fellows. After NeXT, he founded several startups and served as executive chairman of Chowbiotics (acquired by DoorDash) and chairman of Secure Thingz (acquired by IAR Systems).
Speaker
Avadis "Avie" Tevanian, Jr.
VP of Engineering, NeXT
Avie Tevanian started at NeXT as chief operating system officer working on the NeXTSTEP operating system for the NeXT cube. He later managed the core operating system group and then all engineering after NeXT left the hardware business and was responsible for NeXTSTEP, OpenStep and WebObjects. He later became senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, helping lead the transition to Mac OS X after Apple acquired NeXT. Currently, he is cofounder and managing director of NextEquity Partners. At Carnegie Mellon before joining NeXT, he was a principal designer and engineer of the Mach operating system upon which NeXTSTEP, and now macOS and iOS, are based.
Speaker
Bud Tribble
Cofounder and VP of Software Engineering, NeXT
Bud Tribble was a cofounder of NeXT and served as vice president of software engineering, helping guide software architecture and product strategy in the company’s early years. Before NeXT, he was a software lead of the original Macintosh team at Apple and coined the term “reality distortion field” about Steve Jobs. After NeXT, he returned to Apple in senior engineering and product roles and retired as vice president of software technology. He also worked at Eazel Inc. as vice president of engineering and at Sun Microsystems as chief technology officer for the Sun-Netscape Alliance.
Catalog Number: 300000305
Acquisition Number: 2026.0128
About The Author
