Isaacson: Biography should show both individual influence and teamwork

Walter Isaacson said biographers sometimes give too much credit to one great person, as if an idea emerged in isolation and changed history on its own. Creativity is often collaborative, he said; that is why he wrote The Innovators, to show the role of teams and groups.

Isaacson also believes an individual can provide a narrative thread that helps readers. In his book about Jennifer Doudna, roughly 40% is about people other than Doudna: her teams, rivals and others involved in the story. He described this as a way to combine an individual narrative with a broader context. He also acknowledged a commercial trade-off: his publisher says group biographies such as The Innovators sell less well than a book about Steve Jobs.

Isaacson said he interviewed Peter Thiel at length for a new podcast series, The Builders, and they discussed the longstanding debate over individuals and historical forces. He added that after his book on Steve Jobs, some readers told him he had given Jobs too much credit.