Iwar - by Tim Higgins (Hardcover)

About the Book

An account of Apple's rise to near-total market dominance through its iPhone and app ecosystem and the growing alliance of tech moguls determined to challenge it. Wall Street Journal columnist Tim Higgins chronicles the battle between Apple and rivals like Daniel Ek (Spotify), Tim Sweeney (Epic Games), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), and Elon Musk (X), revealing a high-stakes struggle over control of commerce, culture, and the flow of digital ideas.

Book Synopsis

The wildly enthralling and entertaining story of Apple's monopolistic impulses and the global business and political forces arrayed against its $3 trillion empire.

iWar is a saga of corporate intrigue, control, and competition, featuring some of the world's most brilliant and powerful minds. It is the story of Apple, the tech corporation which has built near unassailable market power through its iPhone and app ecosystem and controls not only commerce, but also culture, and--increasingly--the flow of ideas. And it is the story of a powerful cadre of tech moguls determined to take it down.

Over time, a loose and disparate group of billionaires, each driven by their own reasons, has formed to challenge Apple's supremacy, including Daniel Ek (Spotify), Tim Sweeney (Epic Games/Fortnite), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook/Meta) and Elon Musk (Twitter/X). With in-depth reporting, Wall Street Journal business columnist Tim Higgins chronicles these tech moguls and their quest to weaken a powerful rival, aiming at destroying the Walled Garden around Apple's iPhone Empire, while telling a larger story of the global digital and information economy.

Review Quotes

"A deeply reported and business-savvy chronicle of Tesla's wild ride." - Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review, on Power Play
"A sweeping history of the electric-car juggernaut. . . . I've covered Tesla as a reporter since 2016. When Higgins writes about facts and situations I'm familiar with, I can attest he's right on the button, every time." - Los Angeles Times on Power Play
"An exceptional work of business journalism." - Washington Post on Power Play
"Tense, detailed and well-crafted. . . . Power Play is a business thriller for real. . . . A clear, deeply reported and engaging account of how Musk launched a truly transformational car." - Associated Press on Power Play
"Higgins, who covers technology and autos for the Wall Street Journal, has done an outstanding job. He's performed a deep dive into the nuts and volts of Tesla. His book is extensively researched, including interviews with (unfortunately but understandably) anonymous current and former execs."
- Minneapolis Star Tribune on Power Play
"Power Play eschews sensationalism for a high-resolution portrait of how exactly an unusual man and an unusual company managed a meteoric rise. . . . The tale of Tesla's ascent is inherently dramatic and compellingly told." - NPR on Power Play
"Eminently readable. . . . A must-read for any fan or critic." - Business Insider on Power Play
"A masterclass in narrative journalism, telling the extraordinary story of Tesla's rise to become one of the most fascinating companies of the 21st century, with inside-the-room detail and color that give it a cinematic feel." - Bradley Hope, New York Times bestselling co-author of Billion Dollar Whale, on Power Play
"Tim Higgins's electric narrative takes us through Tesla's every hairpin turn. . . . This case study on the thin line between madness and genius is set against a monumental backdrop: the rivalry between Silicon Valley and Detroit to develop and popularize the electric car. Having covered the industry from both locales, Higgins is uniquely equipped to lucidly and colorfully explain why the former triumphed--and how it is that an impossible person can ultimately will an improbable success." - John Helyar, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Barbarians at the Gate, on Power Play
"No matter how you slice it, the story of Elon Musk and Tesla is a riveting one. In Power Play, Tim Higgins also makes the tale of Musk and Tesla compulsively readable, to say nothing of lively, fun and insightful!" - William D. Cohan, New York Times bestselling author of House of Cards, on Power Play