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Tag: Silicon valley

  • Steve Jobs

    Steve Jobs asked Walter Isaacson, already the biographer of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein, to write his life story, and then gave him extensive access while promising not to control the result. Isaacson conducted more than forty interviews with Jobs over two years and spoke with over a hundred friends, relatives, competitors and former colleagues. The book appeared weeks after Jobs died in October 2011.

    It follows Jobs from his adoption and childhood in the orchards of what became Silicon Valley, through the founding of Apple with Steve Wozniak, his ousting in 1985, the years at NeXT and Pixar, and his return to rescue Apple. Isaacson details the creation of the Macintosh, the iMac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone and iPad, and Jobs's long battle with pancreatic cancer.

    The portrait is admiring but unsparing. It shows the reality distortion field, the obsession with design and simplicity, the fusion of technology and the liberal arts, and also the cruelty to colleagues and the troubled relationship with his first daughter. The book became one of the best-selling biographies ever and the basis for a feature film.

    Book details

    AuthorWalter Isaacson
    First published2011
    Original languageEnglish
    GenreBiography
    TypeNon-fiction
    Pages (approx.)656
    SettingSilicon Valley, California

    Themes

    • Innovation
    • Design
    • Leadership style
    • Ambition
    • Technology

    Who should read it

    Anyone interested in Apple, product design or the complicated personality behind some of the most influential consumer technology.

    If you liked this, try

    • Elon Musk
    • Shoe Dog
    • Becoming Steve Jobs

  • Zero to One

    Zero to One grew out of a course on startups that PayPal co-founder and investor Peter Thiel taught at Stanford in 2012; student Blake Masters's class notes became the basis of the book, and he is credited as co-author. Its title captures Thiel's central distinction: copying what already works takes the world from one to n, while genuine innovation takes it from zero to one.

    Thiel argues that competition is overrated and that great companies are monopolies, built by dominating a small niche and expanding outward through proprietary technology, network effects, economies of scale and branding. He asks founders a provocative interview question about which important truth few people agree with them on, and criticises indefinite optimism that expects a better future without a concrete plan.

    Chapters also cover the power law in venture returns, the importance of founding teams and sales, the role of secrets, and how humans and computers might complement each other. The tone is aphoristic and opinionated, which has made the book both a Silicon Valley favourite and a frequent target of debate.

    Book details

    AuthorPeter Thiel
    First published2014
    Original languageEnglish
    GenreBusiness
    TypeNon-fiction
    Pages (approx.)224

    Themes

    • Innovation
    • Monopoly
    • Contrarian thinking
    • Startups
    • The future

    Who should read it

    Founders, investors and anyone interested in how Silicon Valley thinks about building companies that create new markets.

    If you liked this, try

    • The Lean Startup
    • The Hard Thing About Hard Things
    • Good to Great