The One Device by Brian Merchant Summary

The One Device explores the secret history of the iPhone, revealing how Apple combined centuries of technological innovation with intense corporate secrecy to create a world-changing product. Merchant dismantles the myth of Steve Jobs as a lone inventor, instead highlighting the engineers, miners, and factory workers whose contributions—and sacrifices—made the iPhone possible. The book spans from 19th-century laboratories to Chinese assembly lines, exposing the human and environmental costs behind the device.

Tech enthusiasts, Apple fans, and readers interested in innovation ethics will find this book compelling. It appeals to those curious about corporate secrecy, supply chain dynamics, and how groundbreaking products like the iPhone reshape societies. Critics of exploitative labor practices or environmental impacts in tech manufacturing will also gain insights.

Yes—Merchant’s investigative rigor and global storytelling make it a standout. While some critiques note uneven pacing, the book’s revelations about Apple’s internal culture, Steve Jobs’ leadership style, and the iPhone’s hidden human toll offer fresh perspectives. It’s essential for understanding modern tech’s socio-economic footprint.

• Collaboration over genius: The iPhone resulted from decades of incremental innovations, not just Jobs’ vision.
• Global interdependence: From Chilean lithium mines to FoxConn factories, the iPhone relies on a vast, often exploitative network.
• Ethical trade-offs: Merchant questions the cost of convenience, detailing health crises among miners and factory workers.

Jobs is framed as a relentless curator who synthesized existing technologies into a marketable product, rather than an inventor. The book details his demanding leadership style, including how he pushed engineers to extremes while shielding projects from internal rivals.

Merchant highlights:

• Labor abuses: Grueling conditions at FoxConn factories, including worker suicides.
• Environmental harm: Toxic e-waste in Kenya and water depletion in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
• Corporate secrecy: Apple’s aggressive suppression of leaks during the iPhone’s development.

Merchant conducted 200+ interviews with Apple engineers, visited lithium mines and Chinese factories, and accessed confidential documents. He even infiltrated FoxConn’s campus by pretending to need a restroom, uncovering firsthand accounts of assembly-line realities.

Unlike biographies like Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance), Merchant focuses on systemic forces rather than individual genius. It complements Bad Blood (John Carreyrou) in exposing corporate secrecy but stands out for its global supply chain analysis.

• Innovation is rarely solitary—it builds on prior work and collective effort.
• Modern technology’s convenience often masks human suffering and ecological damage.
• Corporate narratives (like Apple’s “Think Different” ethos) frequently obscure complex realities.

As AI and smart devices dominate, Merchant’s insights into ethical production, labor rights, and environmental sustainability remain urgent. The book challenges readers to demand transparency from tech companies about their global impact.

• “The iPhone is the pinnacle product of all of capitalism”—underscoring its economic and cultural significance.
• “Jobs towers over it…but he did not invent it”—summarizing the book’s central thesis.

As Vice’s former tech editor, Merchant blends journalistic rigor with narrative flair. His focus on underreported stories—like e-waste in Kenya—reflects a commitment to exposing systemic issues often ignored by mainstream tech coverage.