I worked with a manager who had the company buy him one but I don't think he used it for very long. I don't know why not.

The NeXT boxes were very expensive commercial unix workstations which led to the birth of the web due to their development environment - no idea how the author can write “failed to release a single successful computer to market” in relation to NeXT.

- 12–16 May 1997 - Jobs at WWDC pitches the “network computer” idea (at the San Jose Convention Center)

- June 1997 - Steve Jobs anonymously sells 1.5 million of his Apple shares for $22.5m.

    This causes the stock to tank to a 12-year low.
    This triggers the board to formally re-evaluate Gil Amelio’s position as CEO.

"When you get up in the morning and you see the press is selling apple short, go ahead and buy some shares, y'know. That's what I would do. That's what I have done!"

https://youtu.be/_LsvdlaF5_k?t=553

But now we know, only a month later he dumped it, and presumably a man as cunning as Steve did it with the purpose of rattling the board a little bit, just to get them amenable to the idea of a change of leadership? Or maybe cashing out while he could in the scenario that apple couldn't be saved? in any case, he literally just told everyone to buy!