The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story

Amazon.com

Michael Lewis was supposed to be writing about how Jim Clark, the founder of Silicon Graphics and Netscape, was going to turn health care on its ear by launching Healtheon, which would bring the vast majority of the industry's transactions online. So why was he spending so much time on a computerized yacht, each feature installed because, as one technician put it, "someone saw it on Star Trek and wanted one just like it?"

Much of The New New Thing, to be fair, is devoted to the Healtheon story. It's just that Jim Clark doesn't do startups the way most people do. "He had ceased to be a businessman," as Lewis puts it, "and become a conceptual artist." After coming up with the basic idea for Healtheon, securing the initial seed money, and hiring the people to make it happen, Clark concentrated on the building of Hyperion, a sailboat with a 197-foot mast, whose functions are controlled by 25 SGI workstations (a boat that, if he wanted to, Clark could log onto and steer--from anywhere in the world). Keeping up with Clark proves a monumental challenge--"you didn't interact with him," Lewis notes, "so much as hitch a ride on the back of his life"--but one that the author rises to meet with the same frenetic energy and humor of his previous books, Liar's Poker and Trail Fever.

Like those two books, The New New Thing shows how the pursuit of power at its highest levels can lead to the very edges of the surreal, as when Clark tries to fill out an investment profile for a Swiss bank, where he intends to deposit less than .05 percent of his financial assets. When asked to assess his attitude toward financial risk, Clark searches in vain for the category of "people who sought to turn ten million dollars into one billion in a few months" and finally tells the banker, "I think this is for a different ... person." There have been a lot of profiles of Silicon Valley companies and the way they've revamped the economy in the 1990s--The New New Thing is one of the first books fully to depict the sort of man that has made such companies possible. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

As American capitalism undergoes a seismic shift, Michael Lewis, author of the bestselling Liar's Poker, sets out on a Silicon Valley safari to find the true representative of the coming economic age. All roads lead to Jim Clark, the man who rewrote the rules of American capitalism as the founder of (so far) three multi-billion dollar companies-Silicon Graphics, Netscape, and Healtheon. Lewis's shrewd, often brilliantly funny, narrative provides ahead-of-the-curve observations about the Internet explosion and how the success of Silicon Valley companies is forcing a reassessment of traditional Wall-Street business models.

Weaving Clark's story together with that of this new business phenomenon, Lewis has drawn us a map of markets and free enterprise in the twenty-first century and blown the lid off the changing economy.

Customer Reviews:

What would you do if you researched a book and didn't find anything?.......2007-10-18

I'm a big fan of Michael Lewis. He usually brings characters and situations to life and provides a perspective on a situation that introduces me to a new way of looking at things. That's not the case here.

I get the feeling when Michael Lewis got permission to follow Jim Clark around for several months to write about him he thought he'd hit the mother load of great book material. Here was a guy who had traipsed through the daunting world of technology with a seeming Midas touch. Heck, the man had started Silicon Graphics and Netscape.

As I read the book, however, something strange happened, I started wondering, "When did Michael Lewis realize he was following the most improbably boring man in the world?" Jim Clark should be fascinating; he starts huge companies and turns venture capitalists on their ears, he flies helicopters, rides motorcycles and builds ludicrously complex, large and expensive sailboats. Jim Clark is a man who is never satisfied and always striving for the "New, New Thing." Yet somehow, Jim Clark is also apparently stone cold dull.

In the course of the whole book, not one Jim Clark quote is interesting, entertaining, or insightful. It doesn't seem like Clark won't open up to Lewis, it's more like he's a one-dimensional guy. Lewis writes the book in a way that indicates that he's an author that knows he's got nothing but has invested far too much time in research to try to turn back. The book becomes focused on the attempt to get Clark's newest technology-laden boat ready for an Atlantic crossing; hardly what I'm guessing Lewis set out to write.

The crossing itself turns out to be a non-event and unfortunately the book does to. Don't despair though, read Moneyball or Liar's Poker or Blindside and you'll find that Michael Lewis can, and usually does, deliver the goods in spades.

A distorted view of Silicon Valley technology startups.......2007-10-01

"The New New Thing" tells two stories. The first is the story of Jim Clark, a technical entrepreneur who founded three companies -- Silicon Graphics, Netscape, and Healtheon -- that achieved phenomenal heights during the Internet boom of the 1990's. Clark is, to say the least, an interesting character; at least two of Clark's business associates are quoted in the book calling him a "maniac". Clark is driven almost entirely by an unending greed, so for me at least, he quickly became an unsympathetic character around which to hang an entire book. Another criticism I have is that far too many pages of the book are spent on Clark's quest to build and debug Hyperion, the world's largest computer-controlled sailboat. These sections were a distraction from the rest of the narrative. (By the way, it's pretty clear that although they may have been smart, the people writing the software for Hyperion -- including Clark himself -- were all pretty lousy software engineers.)

The second story is that of Silicon Valley, and it doesn't come off looking much better than Clark. Lewis seems to have been granted incredible access to Clark's life, which included the ability to interview and attend meetings with the Valley's top movers and shakers -- the engineers, senior managers, and venture capitalists who fund them. As a computer scientist who has lived and worked in the Valley since 1991, I found this material to be enlightening, and certainly the strongest part of the book. Perhaps most fascinating is the way the decisions of the venture capital (VC) firms and investment banks are based so much on perception rather than sound reasoning. For example, one minute the VCs are writing off their Healtheon investments as a total loss, but the next minute -- when Clark offers to invest $40M of his own money in the failing venture -- they all clamor to invest more in it. Sadly, during the "irrational exuberance" of the late 1990's, this was actually a winning strategy.

One danger in writing a book about the new new thing -- at the height of the Internet bubble no less -- is that it can quickly become old. And this book has not aged well. Yes, Jim Clark was the first person in Silicon Valley to have founded three companies with a market capitalization exceeding $1 billion, and yes, he made himself and many others around him obscenely rich. But most of the companies he started have not been lasting successes: as of this writing in 2007, Silicon Graphics is dying, having lost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in each of the last four fiscal years; Netscape was acquired by AOL, whose subsequent acquisition by Time Warner nearly killed the latter company; Healtheon merged with WebMD, whose business model is substantially less ambitious than Clark's original concept for the company; and myCFO, the newest new enterprise mentioned at the end of the book, morphed into a company that offered illegal tax shelters to wealthy clients, came under investigation by the IRS, and was eventually sold for only one third of the original money poured into it. Toward the end of the book, Lewis also wryly mocks John Doerr's VC firm Kleiner Perkins for paying $25M for a 33% stake in Google, which he writes "consisted of a pair of Stanford graduate students who had a piece of software that might or might not make it easier to search the Internet." Poor Kleiner Perkins. Their Google investment was obviously a terrible mistake.

Michael Lewis is a great writer, but I enjoyed two of his other books far more: Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street and Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.

All in all, "The New New Thing" does a good job of exposing the underbelly of Silicon Valley capitalism. But its focus on Clark and companies born out of the Internet bubble gives a distorted picture of the challenges in founding and running a technical startup. For a more accurate depiction, I recommend Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure.

Classic Michael Lewis on Silicon Valley .......2006-10-18

If you have read any of Michael Lewis's other books and found them enjoyable (either writing style or topic), you will find this a good read, worthy of your time. You will learn a little about the atmosphere of Silicon Valley during the height of the bubble / late 90s as well as about a very unique figure who helped (over exagerated, per Economist) start it all.

How Silicon Valley Was Built and the Next Gen Entrepreneur!.......2006-07-30

A must read for any entrepreneur or intrapreneur(someone within a company who must innovate). Lewis opens with stories about Jim Clark -- reknown Silicon Valley entrepreneur and innovator and his boat that 'built Netscape"...the book talks about Netscape which Lewis says launched the Information age (it may or may not have but it certainly ushered in the IPO era and online businesses. Interesting what has since happened to Silicon Graphics and Healtheon that was supposed to turn the health care industry 'on it's head'. The inside cover talks about --- what else-- Paradigm shift in American culture-- from conventional business models (the old economy) to the new economy. Yet in retrospect we know that a mix of the best of both is really probably the way to go. The titles of the chapter are more clever than the chapters themselves. I personally would have liked to see more about different innovators not just Clarke but then I didn't write the book. The chapter titles include "Pasts in a Box" Disorganization Man, Home of the Future God Mode -- How Chickents Become Pork, Cheese Sandwiches for Breakfast, Chasing Ghosts, The Turning Point and The New New Thing....

A Fascinating Insight into Silicon Valley.......2006-01-27

The July 1999 issue of Forbes magazine makes the astonishing observation that there are now 465 people who have a billion or more dollars. Incredibly, as this book notes, there are an estimated 180,000 Americans who are deca-millionaires (over ten million dollars in assets). An inventor or entrepreneur, upon reading these statistics, may note that not only has a great amount of wealth been created, but that it is not in the hands of just a handful of people.

This book tells how one man, Jim Clark, starting out as a thirty-eight year old unsuccessful college professor and whose second wife just left him, went on to create, in succession, three billion-dollar corporations. These creations were Silicon Graphics, Netscape, and Healtheon. In the process of achieving this hat trick, he also reinvented the social order. The "Organization Man" and conformity have been replaced by brilliant engineers and nonconformity. Bitter at how little the actual creators of Silicon Graphics received and how much the venture capitalists profited, Jim Clark made sure in his next two ventures that, by such means as stock options, his creative people prospered very well indeed.

One of Clark's great strengths has been to rapidly change directions. As the book notes, "A stunning ignorance of mass tastes was a common problem in high technology." For example, Honeywell, in the 1960's, created The Kitchen Computer and assumed housewives would welcome the monster size computer in their kitchens and would know how to program it. "Neiman Marcus failed to sell a single unit." When Marc Andreesen mentioned 25 million people were then using the Internet, Jim Clark saw the potential of Marc's Mosaic code and formed Mosaic Communications (which became Netscape). This time around, Clark cut a deal with venture capitalists that was unprecedented. When the initial public stock offering was made, "It was one of the most successful share offerings in the history of U.S. stock markets and possibly the most famous." In the past, shares were not sold to the investing public until four consecutive quarters were profitable. Now it was the future potential, the rapid growth, that lured investors. Also, the young engineers profited. Inventor Marc Andreesen, at twenty-four, was now worth eighty million dollars! Stock options were now the name of the game for engineers.

The author compares the changes in the Silicon Valley value system to the changes that have taken place in Hollywood's value system. He notes "The stars seized power and once they'd seized power they raised their price and demanded the right to direct their own picture." He compares Jim Clark to Marlon Brando.

A fascinating insight into Silicon Valley is that almost half of the companies there have been founded by Indian entrepreneurs. The book tells how Nehru set up an educational system that found the very best young minds among 900 million people and brought them to the Indian Institute of Technology. They all spoke English and America offered the highest pay and the most opportunity.

Another informative bit in the book is the origin of the word "debug." It turns out that back in the 1960's a computer problem was found to be literally due to a large moth trapped inside. The word become the standard term for removing errors from programs.

This book is so up to date you may feel you are reading your daily newspaper. How Microsoft attempted to achieve complete domination over the world's 500 million computers is explained. Netscape informed the U.S. Department of Justice of Microsoft's threats. Together with information furnished by other firms, this led to the Justice Department's antitrust action.

The author observes that, generally speaking, stock market investors now fall into two categories: Those who follow the Graham and Dodd's system of careful analysis and those who are "kamikaze investors." It will be interesting to see which of these two opposing financial philosophies has the last laugh.

Considerable book space is devoted to Jim Clark's obsession with building his completely computer controlled world's largest sailboat. A sad observation made by sailors is that when approaching an island a land bird, such as a hawk, may appear, but it may be too far out and it will perish in the sea. The author notes how this is "The first bird, like a man ahead of his time, a tragic figure." It is a reminder that all inventors and entrepreneurs are not Jim Clarks.

A highly readable book and, if you delight it) the thought that bankers and venture capitalists should not rule the business world; you will enjoy Jim Clark's triumphs.

Average customer rating:

Read this book, Pronto-Toronto!
Already a cult classic!
One of the best books you will ever read!
TOONIES -- What's in YOUR computer?
A Masterful Piece of Literature

The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley
Betty Dravis
Manufacturer: Just My Best
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1932586296

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Beware, citizens of Silicon Valley--the bad Toonies are on their way. Led by the evil ape-bird, Dab, the Mischief-Makers have escaped from Computer Cartoon Land. They are skulking in the shadows, ready to pounce. Dab will do anything to stay in the real world, so makes plans to take over Orange Computer, then Grape Computer, Banana ... and then the world.

Customer Reviews:

Read this book, Pronto-Toronto!.......2007-08-03

THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY is probably one of the most charming, surprising, vivid and vibrant books I have ever read. And that statement includes everything I read as a child, and everything I've read so far as a "grown-up" (which is more of a physical classification than a mental one for me, at this point in my life... *smile*).

Betty Dravis' novel introduces readers to thirteen-year-old Jeremy Kern, who lives with his parents in Silicon Valley. As his parents' arguments get louder and more frequent, Jeremy retreats into his bedroom, working at his computer on cartoons about a boy named Doog. Creating a world and a life for Doog allows Jeremy to escape from his own troubles...but the last thing he expects is for Doog's world to merge with his own! But a chance touch in the corner of a cartoon eye, and poof! suddenly Doog is out of the computer, on Jeremy's desk, his red hair shining impossibly brightly and his eyes twinkling whimsically. Jeremy and his friends are utterly taken with Doog and, later, with Uncle Wom, the leader of Cartoon Land, who follows Doog out of the computer to retrieve him. Uncle Wom is clear to express the dangers of traveling between the worlds, warning Jeremy to be wary of prying eyes on the computer screen. Uncle Wom and Doog tell Jeremy and his friends about the Mischief-Makers and their leader, Dab, the evil ape-bird feared by everyone in Cartoon Land. Under no circumstances, Uncle Wom asserts, must Dab be released from the world behind the computer screen.

Unfortunately, Jeremy's father isn't around to heed this warning. Arthur inadvertently releases Dab and his followers from the computer and immediately, Dab seeks to put his evil plan into action: to take over Orange Computer, and then take over all the computers all over the world, giving him ultimate power and control over the human race. It will take a whole team of humans and good Toonies, including the help of a "Wise Old Zen," to defeat Dab and his followers and restore order both to Silicon Valley, and to Cartoon Land.

THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY is, at its core, a story of good vs. bad. But you've never read a more creative take on that popular theme, I guarantee it! In Betty Dravis' world, "good vs. bad" becomes Doog vs. Dab, and the warriors are cartoons. From the first page to the last, TOONIES is pure entertainment, a joy to read. The text is accompanied by beautiful illustrations, serving to bring Dravis' characters and world even more to life. The prose is lively, and the descriptions are brilliant -- bright and dazzling and evocative of something magical. Dravis brings a world of color to a page of black and white, and her warmth and genuineness shine through in her writing. Deeply interwoven in the story is a larger theme of the importance of family. In a world where moral values are often overlooked, Dravis has written a novel that supports the good things in life: family, love, courage, fellowship. TOONIES is a book for both kids and adults to read and reread with fondness. The characters, human and toonie alike, are ones you'll want to keep coming back to again and again.

THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY is a rewarding, fun, dazzling and wholesome book. I recommend it completely, for kids from 1 to 99!

Already a cult classic!.......2007-08-01

Three cheers for Betty Dravis!

Combining the elements and themes of a classic fantasy with freshly imagined characters in a thoroughly modern setting, the author has created an engaging children's story that will hopefully become a series. I have to believe that most children in this computer-driven age would really get into this "animated" book. Parents will appreciate the message and underlying values.

(I'd love to take my grandchildren to see the Toonies movie!)

Star-Crossed

One of the best books you will ever read!.......2007-06-18

I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book. At the age of twenty six I still remember my favorite childhood tales while I read regular adult stuff but when I picked up Toonies I was in for a fantastic surprise, a book for children that an adult can love too! Of course whether I really feel like an adult is another story...

Toonies is an amazing adventure, vividly woven by a masterful story teller, Betty Dravis. Her language, imagination, in your face color and action shimmer brightly on every page. The rich and far out characters that possessed an aura of authenticity, I could almost imagine myself living through this story because it was very real but also incredibly magical. The story line was also extremely exciting, I had an incredibly tough time putting the book down and once I got time to read, forget it, nothing else existed until I finally reached the last page. I might also have to add that the cover art and the inner art work were perfect for the book! What I imagined while reading was only supported by the vivid artwork, which I liked so much that I kept looking at the cover every once in a while to envelop myself in the story even more. If all children's books were this good I would probably have to quite my job so I had more time to read!

In a nutshell the story is about a young boy named Jeremy Kern who lives in the Silicon Valley with his parents Arthur and Jessica. Even thought I am a girl I could relate easily to his childhood, with the parents fighting often Jeremy escaped into his own world, the cartoon strip he drew for the local paper on his Orange Computer. In the fantasy Cartoon Land the main character was Doog, a whimsical boy with red hair and fantastic personality. One day during a bad fighter at dinner, Jeremy excused himself only to run to his room and lose himself in his art. Little did he know that this beloved character was not only real but ready to help him out. Betty Dravis has outdone herself in the imagination department, I have never read such on original idea in any kind of a book, where the characters jump out of the computer, flat paper figures with feather, clothing, glowing edges, wearing funky clothing ready to do good and bad, depending on their character. Once the good guys get out of the screen to help Jeremy out the bad ones, called the Backgrounders are close behind, where there's good, evil surely lurks! The real adventure begins when Jeremy's dad releases something out of the computer that should never have the freedom to exist in the real world, something sinister, evil and truly dark. Together the family must stop the bird like creatures that followed orders delivered by a truly wicked character of Dab, I have no doubt that any reader will be truly taken by him. I found it truly incredible how Betty would portray the good and the bad with her imagination, giving each a real breath of life that simply jumped out of each page! Dab has a devilish plan to take over the world, spilling evil characters out of computer screens unless Jeremy and his family with the help of his darling friends and other Cartooon Land characters can stop him!

As the good and bad characters escape the computer and make Jeremy and his parents busy with a mission that requires team work and a secure and strong family to solve the problem, their fights and misunderstandings cease to exist to make room for solutions and peace. This story has some fantastic family values interwoven, I can see kids reading this and really feeling the true meaning to the story, feeling warmth and support, love and helping them see the world in a new light. Betty is a warm and fabulous person and her love spills through her writing, not only giving kids and adults entertainment but bringing back the morals and good, pure values into the tale, reaching the reader that life has a golden road that once found can be followed to a happy way of being.

Once I find a book I really love I can't wait to read it again and this is one of them. I wish there were many volumes to this tale. For those who think that Harry Potter is the only tale that kids and adults can read, this is the real awakening. Toonies is simply super, I cannot express how much I love it and how it touched me, the colors, the magic, the writing, the characters and the dialog were simply out of this world and I am really looking forward to reading it again as soon as I have some time.

I know that when I have children I will make sure they grow up reading this story, it will make them think and see things in a new light and I just know that they will love it. Stories such as this one make me realize how precious the gift of reading is, to dip into the pool of the authors imagination and take the swim in their magical world is an experience humans should be proud to behold because once the pages of this book are open nothing else matters!

- Kasia S.

TOONIES -- What's in YOUR computer?.......2007-06-09

My friend across the country from me took this and another book to Guam, and when she got back she sent them to me to take on my trip to Australia. It was our little joke, a "Sisterhood of the Traveling Books." I thought it looked like good airplane reading so I started it in Maine and finished it over the Pacific. What a fun book!

Betty Dravis tells a great little story about a teenaged cartoonist named Jeremy Kern whose characters step out of his computer. Your attention will be grabbed by the delightful inhabitants of Cartoon Land, but the top-notch human characters more than hold their own. Jeremy and his friends Buddy and Ashley practically jump off the pages themselves, their issues, interests and dialogue are so vivid. They're smart, inquisitive kids with nurturing natures and a sense of responsibility -- and what an adventure they have! Wouldn't you like all the kids you know to be just like them?

The Toonies are enormous fun. Their characteristics and background are described in enough detail to engage and entertain the reader, but by no means overwhelm the rocking story line. The good and the bad Toonies have their own culture, history and idiom -- golly-by-golly, they do! I wonder if anyone else will be reminded of THE BORROWERS, the Carnegie Medal-winning classic by Mary Norton? TOONIES has the same delightful feel while being thoroughly modern. (Hint, hint: there were a number of sequels to THE BORROWERS -- we sure would like to see more of the Toonies! Where are they going to turn up next?)

TOONIES deals with some tough issues and models some excellent approaches to them. Jeremy's parents Arthur and Jessica are having problems, but they drop their squabbling to get involved in the Toonies crisis, supporting their son all the way. Along with Steve "The Woz" Wozniak, Jeremy and his family and friends use all their creativity and courage to fight off the evil challenge of the Mischief Makers.

TOONIES is aimed at kids aged 8 to 13. When I was that age I loved stories with a strong sense of place, and I still enjoy that in a book. Somebody's sure to see a fun movie in it, but don't wait for that because the book is so rewarding. Kristy Soza Ardizzone's illustrations are the perfect finishing touch and will inspire your own imagination.

Here's a win-win idea -- read TOONIES to a child this month, or take turns reading it to each other! You'll have some giggles and some excitement, and maybe a chance to talk about a few things kids should know about the world.

A Masterful Piece of Literature.......2007-05-15

I would give you more stars if I could, Betty! The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley is worth 5 stars and many more.

I was introduced to Betty Dravis on a fellow author's blog [...]. As it were, the timing was perfect-I was getting ready to go on a trip to Guam and was looking for a book to help pass the time on a long flight.

When I received The Toonies, I realized that it would not make it past the flight to Houston due to the length, so I also purchased Betty's two other books (1106 Grand and Millenium Babe) for my trip.

As hard as I tried, I could not resist reading the first few pages of The Toonies as I prepared for my trip. After those first few pages, I was hooked and no choice but to sit down and take the time to read the entire book in one sitting.

Even though this book is rated as a young adult/children's book, it will also appeal to an adult as well. The characters are well developed and hold your interest from the beginning to the end. The illustrations are well done as well, kudos to Betty's granddaughter for a job well done. No matter how hard you try to put this book down, or try to limit the number of pages that you read, the book keeps pulling you back until you have come, unfortunately, to the end. The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley does what few books have been able to do recently-leave me wanting more.

I urge you to purchase The Toonies and either share it with a special child in your life (in my case, it's my granddaughter) or splurge and buy it for yourself. I promise you that you will not be disappointed. Do it today-Pronto Toronto!

First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest:, The: A Silicon Valley Novel

Average customer rating:

Liar's Poker of Silicon Valley
This book pulled me into the entrepreneur business!
GREAT SILICON VALLEY NOVEL -- FICTION FUN
Fun, Fun, Fun . . . then Fizzle
Insultingly stupid and extremely cheesy

First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest:, The: A Silicon Valley Novel
Po Bronson
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0679456996
Release Date: 1997-02-25

Amazon.com

Bronson's last novel, Bombardiers, was wonderful, so it comes as no surprise that his latest novel is just marvelous. What does it take for entrepreneurs to risk everything, develop a product, start a company, and take it public? When social idealism, corporate politics, petty jealousies, money fever--all part of the business landscape in Silicon Valley--meet, the results make for a fun, fast-paced read. And if you're familiar with the culture of Silicon Valley, you'll find yourself asking if this is a novel or a chronicle of the times. Just make sure you clear your calendar before picking up this book--you won't be doing anything else until you finish.

Book Description

When he dazzled the literary establishment in March, 1995 with Bombardiers, a stunning debut novel that skewered greedy Wall Street bond traders and satirized the inner workings of high finance, readers were scrambling to buy futures on Po Bronson's career.

Now, Bronson unleashes his talent (and fury) on Silicon Valley and rips the top off the computer industry, tracking the routes of power, exposing the crisscrossed wiring, and poking fun at its obsolete components.

Lloyd Acheson's firm, Omega Logic, needs a next-generation chip to keep its stock price propped up. Hank Menzinger squandered his research lab's cash reserves in a failed IPO and needs Omega Logic's support to save his institution. But master chip designer Francis Benoit's last chip for Omega was dumbed-down by software, and he's vowed to never let it happen again.

New at the research lab is Andy Caspar, a young engineer who dreams of becoming a legendary "ironman" -- one of the handful of engineers (like those behind Netscape, Apple, and Intel) whose technological breakthroughs have secured them a place in history.

Andy begins work on a new project, not realizing the extent to which he's caught up in the power struggle of the older men. The story reveals the brutal, absurd side of the industry, as Andy pushes forth with his dream but is betrayed at every turn.

Customer Reviews:

Liar's Poker of Silicon Valley.......2007-04-18

Po Bronson is Silicon Valley's Michael Lewis. Po Bronson does with this novel what Scott Adams did with comic strips. The characters in the book reminded me of the movie Office Space. Although, the book has a much superior plot. This book caricatures the personality of the Silicon Valley and is written to be made into a movie. It made me burst into laughters and some steep turns in the story made me gape in wonder.

It was a nice and fun read; with a peppy and ruthless sense of humor. It is a casual read for the most part. When the plot thickens, you've got to pay attention to some details to convince yourself that you did not get tricked. Fellow geeks and nerds would enjoy it the most, if not all engineers!

This book pulled me into the entrepreneur business!.......2006-12-15

I read this book when I was straight out of the university. And man what an influence it had over me! Over the past two years, I am going through almost the same as I am struggling to start on my own. The deeper I get into the business world, the more I can relate to it. This book is, by all means, a must read for young engineers.

GREAT SILICON VALLEY NOVEL -- FICTION FUN .......2006-08-04

Po Bronson is a major non-fiction writer of our tgime-- he was a feature writer for WIRED and has written for NY Times Magazine, Forbes ASAP and more-- He knows the culture. You may be familiar with his more recent books -- especially on career change. This is a fun book written back in 2000 that holds up well. Especially because it's about a breakthgough technology lab caught up in a power struggle and a filed IPO etc. A little bit Manic, very funny and high tech insider views. Opens with the exit interview transcript for Andy Caspar, sales and marketing and his voluntary departure...NO it's not about BILL GATES in his author's notes Po explains that there is some relevance to the NOT GATES phrase because when electrical power comes into a NOT gate, the charge is canceled. As a writer for WIRED -- he kept hearing stories that represented in effect NOT gates-- entrepreneurs who were impeded, cheated or canceled by the gatekeepers of power-- in other words how they tried to fight red tape and get the big guys on their side and it was a no go. He mentions that his subtext is to bypass Bill Gates operating systems -- to create a new paradigm of technology that ignores operating systems...and it reminds us that as he says the human creative spirit is irrepressible, maybe you can spindle, fold and stamp it out for awhile but it the flame comes back-- sometimes as a simmer, sometimes as a boiling point and sometimes as self-immolation but it's hard to STAMP IT OUT -- the gate opens and closes -- and sometimes you have to wirecut a hole in it or jump over it or create a new design and get rid of the barbed wire old-fashioned look. Much of the time you're working with a team and that's this story 4 oddballs (but aren't we all in some way) who strive to beat the system at any cost-- but it does cost them a LOT.

Fun, Fun, Fun . . . then Fizzle.......2004-06-28

Author and Silicon Valley insider, Po Bronson, writes a very funny novel about four quirky guys with the right stuff who want to create something that matters in the realm of computers. From cutting edge software and hardware development companies to Palo Alto think tanks, the plot follows the creation of a less than $300 computer from a list of low priority projects at the think tank level to the actual modeling of a prototype that gets one rival top dog engineer's undies in a knot. The trials and tribulations that face the group compare to the highs and lows of an EKG with enough back-stabbing, personality manipulation and corporate espionage to keep the reading at a wonderous pace up until the last 20 or so pages. The crafting of the dramatic persona, especially the four progtammer/hardware specialists hinges closely to the usual stereotypical portrayals of techno geeks seen in movies and television shows. However this does not detract from the fun level of the story; indeed one gets the sense that these portrayal closely model reality. What does detract is the rather abrupt ending which winds down what could have been an all out page-turning business adventure with a stop-on-a-dime conclusion that certainly did not satisfy me.

Perhaps having seen the rather burlesque film version of this novel, I naively was expecting more bells and whistles and a more thorough troncing of rival engineer and threat Benoit. It never came, but perhaps that is due to the fact that I know nothing about the world of Silicon Valley where Bronson's could-be spoofs on the computer industry's behind the scenes star would lose their bite. Happily, the novel does not force a romance between Caspar and his housemate as in the movie version; here the attraction is noted and the reader can use his imagination to determine the outcome. Thank you, Po.

All in all, I enjoyed the novel; I just wish it had a longer ending.

Insultingly stupid and extremely cheesy.......2003-12-02

Bad characters, inane and obvious plot and zero writing style make this one of the worst books I've ever had the misfortune to read. If you have any interest in the world of business or silicon valley and the computer industry you should find this book laughable. And to make matters worse Po Bronson takes the kindergarten level theme and story so seriously it makes you doubt his credentials.
I actually thought this might be a fun read as I was going through a similar situation as the lead character but just found this to be insulting me on every single page. I hope Amazon don't take it as a spoiler if I tell you the ending is unbelieveably stupid. In a word: Avoid.

The Big Score: The Billion Dollar Story of Silicon Valley

Average customer rating:

The Big Score: The Billion Dollar Story of Silicon Valley
Michael S. Malone
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Production & Operations | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Top 10 Traits of Silicon Valley Dynamos: Inspiring Stories and Great Ideas for Achieving Success in Your Life

Average customer rating:

Refresh Yourself with This Book
An energetic and inspiring business book
Top 10 Traits of Silicon Valley Dynamos

Top 10 Traits of Silicon Valley Dynamos: Inspiring Stories and Great Ideas for Achieving Success in Your Life
Joan Clout-Kruse
Manufacturer: Dunhill Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Motivation & Self-Improvement | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Success | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1931501149

Book Description

Top 10 Traits of Silicon Valley Dynamos tells compelling stories of entrepreneurs and professionals, mentors and survivors who realized and fulfilled their dreams. These inspiring stories will motivate the reader to break through barriers to success. Designed for the busy person, the chapters are short and include activities which can be adapted to individual needs.

The stories will help the reader to:

•Thrive on change
•Break down personal barriers to success
•Confront the unknown and master their fears
•Expand their comfort zone
•Maximize enthusiasm!

The book is divided into three sections: "Reinforcing Your Belief System," "Boosting Your Self-Motivation," and "Building Your New Life Plan." The success stories will help the reader persevere and stay with his or her dreams. Learning is a lifelong experience. We learn by doing, so if you want to reinforce some area of your behavioral life, practice makes perfect. You can start anywhere!

Customer Reviews:

Refresh Yourself with This Book.......2002-05-09

I found this book very refreshing. It is simple enough that it can sink in deeply and easily. The 10 traits are a great help to encourage and motivate. This book reminds of some of our other best simple classics.

An energetic and inspiring business book.......2002-02-06

Written by an expert on corporate management and self-actualization, Top 10 Traits Of Silicon Valley Dynamos by Joan Clout-Kruse is a collection of turbo-charged stories about the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and professionals who survived the cutthroat corporate world and achieved a dream to be rightfully proud of. Filled with activities to improve oneself and build confidence, Top 10 Traits Of Silicon Valley Dynamos is an insightful, useful, business "self-help" book, as well as an engaging journal of entrepreneurial success. An energetic and inspiring business book for the Fast World of the twenty-first century!

Top 10 Traits of Silicon Valley Dynamos.......2001-08-10

Author Joan Clout-Kruse captures the hearts of her readers with this compilation of extraordinary stories. You don't have to live in the Silicon Valley to understand the struggles and hardships these contributors endured to fulfill their dreams and goals. These people are not Silicon Valley millionaires, they are people just like you and I. The only difference is they decided what they wanted in life and they went after it! The book is designed to help the reader achieve goals and overcome common barriers. There are excercises and plans to follow, the chapters are short and easy to read. I think everyone should become a "Silicon Valley Dynamo" and the way to get started is to read this book!

4 MICHAEL LEWIS Books - 1) - Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game / 2) - The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game / 3) - Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street / 4) - The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story (Unboxed Set of Books)

Average customer rating:

4 MICHAEL LEWIS Books - 1) - Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game / 2) - The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game / 3) - Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street / 4) - The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story (Unboxed Set of Books)
Michael Lewis
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VXQ6WC

Product Description

4 MICHAEL LEWIS Books - 1) - Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game / 2) - The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game / 3) - Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street / 4) - The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story - (Unboxed Set of Books), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

Dating in Silicon Valley: Stories, Thoughts, and Opinions on Dating In America's Busiest High Tech City

Average customer rating:

Good Fun Reading!
Insights into the single scene, interesting & amusing

Dating in Silicon Valley: Stories, Thoughts, and Opinions on Dating In America's Busiest High Tech City
Roni Greer-Raulwing
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1588986284
Release Date: 2002-01-11

Book Description

Open the door to insight and almost voyeurism-like look into the dating life of the Silicon Valley inhabitants. You will be treated to opinions, stories, and candid interviews about dating experiences in the Valley.

Customer Reviews:

Good Fun Reading!.......2004-05-16

This book is absolutely hillarious! It brought back memories of my dating days. This is a fun and entertaining book to read when you're in the mood to hear about other people's dating disasters that are not your own!

Insights into the single scene, interesting & amusing.......2002-10-12

This book is a collection of real life stories from singles dating in Silicon Valley. Much like "reality TV", this book provides insights that clearly reflect that relationships can be complex no matter where you live. The stories reveal expectations, disappointments, and the humorous situations encountered when dating. This is a must read for singles, find comfort in that most people have unexpectedly kissed a few toads in the search for Mr. or Miss Right. Additionally the author gives some handy dating tips that can assist singles on their next dating adventure

The Dynamics of Silicon Valley: The Story Behind America's On-going Revolution

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The Dynamics of Silicon Valley: The Story Behind America's On-going Revolution

Manufacturer: Western Business Forum, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0963170902

Average customer rating:

The Ghost of Silicon Valley
William Blankenship
Manufacturer: Writer's Showcase Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Horror Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0595132839

Book Description

Can one of Silicon Valley’s premier software companies be haunted? “Impossible,” says Bobby Race, CEO of the company and a powerful force in the information industry. “Don’t be so sure,” counters Kevin Pierce, a talented but down-at-the-heels portrait artist who knows too well that supernatural life does exist.

Kevin has been saddled for ten years with his own personal ghost—Sport Sullivan, a cynical, street-wise gambler murdered in 1920. Desperate to save his company from the embarrassment of a haunting, Bobby Race hires Kevin to rid the company of its ghost under the guise of painting Bobby’s portrait. The ghost appears to be Cynthia Gooding, a company employee who died in a suspicious “accident” at company headquarters.

Along the way Kevin becomes involved with two very sharp, quite different career women. Dorothy Lake is an emotionally buttoned down genius programmer who wants Kevin more than she will admit. Jenny Hartsong, executive secretary to the CEO, is a health and exercise fanatic who wants to break Kevin of his dependency on Carta Blanca beer. Throw in Izzy Valentine, a gangster trying to buy (or threaten) his way onto Bobby’s board of directors; Big Sam Cody, the best car thief in San Francisco; and Pure John Braggia, a thug with excellent manners.

With the help of Sport Sullivan (an ethereal cousin to Dr. Watson), Kevin must walk through a mine field of these dangerous characters to uncover the reason Cynthia Gooding’s ghost is haunting the executive suites of Silicon Valley.

The Inside Story of China's High-Tech Industry: Making Silicon Valley in Beijing

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The Inside Story of China's High-Tech Industry: Making Silicon Valley in Beijing
Zhou Yu
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0742555798

Book Description

In the 1980s China faced the monumental task of creating, from scratch, internationally competitive companies. This challenge was especially daunting in the information and communications technology sector. The Inside Story of China's High-Tech Industry describes the emergence and growth of this industry through an analysis of China's leading science park, Beijing's Zhongguancun. Zhou argues that, in the case of China, it is the conjunction of export and domestic markets that has provided the main impetus to technological learning and the development of industry competitiveness. This is the best treatment to date of China's most important innovation region.

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