Watching Triumph of the Nerds with my Dad in the mid-ninties is one of my fondest memories, and played no small part inspiring me to study computer science and subsequently get involved with starting companies.
Accidental Empires (the book), remains full of detailed insights into the emergence of Silicon Valley and startup culture. The fact the show was set in the mid ninties may make it seem a tad dated by today's standard, but it was fascinating to watch Cringely talk with Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, John Sculley, folks from IBM, Xerox, and more.
As a 15 year old watching on a sofa from 6,000 miles away, I was incredibly inspired by the tales of dedication to product creation and hyper growth. It's a part of what inspired me to move to the Bay Area years later.
I look forward to re-reading the annotated version of Accidental Empires and hope Bob continues to write (and interview!) for many years to come.
This may sound pendatic, but Accidental Empires is a must read, even after all these years. Particularly if you did not live through the initial rise of the personal computing industry or were too young for it to have any conscious impact on you.
I take it as a humbling record of just how grueling this industry is. But also just how much it spins on happenstance, timing and of course interpersonal politics.
If any lessons come out of that book, it may still be true that putting your effort being creating (or undermining) a standard is one of the core engines of this space.
Accidental Empires (the book), remains full of detailed insights into the emergence of Silicon Valley and startup culture. The fact the show was set in the mid ninties may make it seem a tad dated by today's standard, but it was fascinating to watch Cringely talk with Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, John Sculley, folks from IBM, Xerox, and more.
As a 15 year old watching on a sofa from 6,000 miles away, I was incredibly inspired by the tales of dedication to product creation and hyper growth. It's a part of what inspired me to move to the Bay Area years later.
I look forward to re-reading the annotated version of Accidental Empires and hope Bob continues to write (and interview!) for many years to come.