Lisa Jobs Recalls Asking Dad About Namesake Computer

In an excerpt of her upcoming memoir in Vanity Fair, the oldest daughter of Steve Jobs recounts their complicated relationship when she was growing up. The Apple co-founder adamantly denied paternity until court-ordered DNA tests forced him to start providing support, and Lisa Brennan-Jobs writes about that and their sometimes prickly father-daughter relationship. As is well-known by now, Jobs named an early computer "Lisa," and Brennan-Jones remembers being in high school and finally asking her father about a rumor she'd grown up with. “Hey, you know that computer, the Lisa? Was it named after me?” she asked. “Nope," he responded dismissively. "Sorry, kid.” And that was that—until a dinner with Bono years later.

When she was 27, Brennan-Jobs accompanied her dad and other family members on a Mediterranean cruise, and they made as surprise pit stop in the south of France at a villa owned by U2's frontman. At some point, Bono asked Jobs, "So, was the Lisa computer named after her?” After a brief hesitation during which Brennan-Jobs braced for the disappointing answer, Jobs replied, “Yeah, it was." Click to read the full excerpt from Small Fry, in which a young Brennan-Jobs recalls making the mistake of asking her dad for what she thought would be a leftover Porsche. (More Steve Jobs stories.)