Former CEO of Apple Computer Gil Amelio, who was replaced by Steve Jobs in the summer of 1997, now chronicles his 17 months as head of Apple and reveals the inner workings of a company shrouded in myth and mystery.

"On the Firing Line" is Gil Amelio's Up Close and Personal story that dares to unmask the personalities behind Apple Computer and lay bare the facts Apple fans don't know. It untangles the issues involved in Apple's desperate search for a CEO, describes how Steve Jobs claimed that Amelio was the only one who could save the company, and then shows how Jobs played a critical role in manipulating the board of directors to fire Amelio.

In an engaging style, Amelio explores many of the problems he confronted as CEO and reveals how he constantly suffered a culture clash with the company and its people -- a clash he describes in terms of Brioni suits and oxfords meeting Levi's "TM" and Birkenstocks. A must-have for every Apple fan and computer world aficionado, this candid, often startling book takes readers inside the boardrooms and computer labs to reveal the way things really are at the company that has become an American icon.