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丕賱賲丐爻爻賵賳 賮賷 毓丕賱賲 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱
賷囟賲 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱賲丐爻爻賵賳 賮賷 毓丕賱賲 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱: 丕賱亘丿丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲亘賰乇丞 賱賰亘乇賷丕鬲 丕賱卮乇賰丕鬲 賲噩賲賵毓丞 賲賳 丕賱賱賯丕亍丕鬲 賲毓 賲丐爻爻賷 卮乇賰丕鬲 丕賱鬲賰賳賵賱賵噩賷丕 丕賱卮賴賷乇丞貙 賵鬲丿賵乇 丕賱丨賵丕乇丕鬲 丨賵賱 賲丕 丨丿孬 賮賷 丕賱兀賷丕賲 丕賱兀賵賱賶 賱鬲兀爻賷爻 卮乇賰丕鬲賴賲貙 賵賯丿 兀氐亘丨 賴丐賱丕亍 丕賱丌賳 卮禺氐賷丕鬲 匕丕卅毓丞 丕賱氐賷鬲. 賰賷賮 賰丕賳 丕賱丨丕賱 毓賳丿賲丕 賰丕賳 丕賱兀賲乇 賱丕 賷夭賷丿 毓賳 亘囟毓丞 兀氐丿賯丕亍 賱丿賷賴賲 賮賰乇丞責 賲丐爻爻賵賳 賲賳 兀賲孬丕賱 爻鬲賷賮 賵賵夭賳賷丕賰 Steve Wozniak (卮乇賰丞 兀亘賱 Apple)貙 賵賰丕鬲乇賷賳丕 賮賷賰 Caterina Fake (卮丕乇賰鬲 賮賷 鬲兀爻賷爻 賲賵賯毓 賮賱賷賰乇 Flickr)貙 賵賲賷鬲卮 賰賷亘賵乇 Mitch Kapor (賲丐爻爻 卮乇賰丞 賱賵鬲爻 Lotus)貙 賵賲丕賰爻 賱賷賮賰賷賳 Max Levchin (卮丕乇賰 賮賷 鬲兀爻賷爻 亘丕賷 亘丕賱 Paypal)貙 賵氐丕亘乇 亘丕鬲賷丕 Sabeer Bhatia (賲丐爻爻 賲賵賯毓 賴賵鬲賲賷賱 Hotmail)貙 賷丨賰賷 賱賰 賴丐賱丕亍 亘兀賳賮爻賴賲 賲丕 丕賰鬲卮賮賵賴 賲賳 兀賲賵乇 賲丿賴卮丞 賵胤乇賷賮丞 噩丿賸賾丕 賵賴賲 賷鬲毓賱賲賵賳 賰賷賮 賷賳卮卅賵賳 卮乇賰丞.
720 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews
March 22, 2017
Loved every second of this book. Each chapter is a different story of a startup founder. I read it slowly so it wouldn't end, and read many chapters twice. My biggest take was that most founders didn't necessarily know what they were doing - or even that they were on to something big. But they were all determined to start a company - that was the only thing they all had in common.
Here are some good quotes from the book:
"I'd say determination is the single most important quality in a startup founder. If the founders I spoke with were superhuman in any way, it was in their perseverance."
-- Jessica Livingston (the author)
"I see way too many people give up in the startup world. They just give up too easily. Recruiting is a classic example. I don't even hear the first "no" that somebody says. When they say, "No, I'm not interested", I think "Now it's a real challenge. Now's when the tough part begins." It's hard to identify talent, but great people don't look for jobs, great people are sold on jobs. And if they're sold they're going to say no at first. You have to win them over."
-- Joe Kraus (founder of Excite)
"Ultimately, you cannot accomplish something completely on your own. You really need to develop a network of people who win when you win."
-- Ray Ozzie (Founder of Groove Networks, Chief Architect of Microsoft)
"My philosophy on these types of companies - consumer-based Internet companies - is that you don't need to worry about the business model initially. If you get users, then everything else follows. Basically any technology can be copied, any concept can be copied. In my opinion, what makes one of these companies valuable is the users. That can't be copied"
-- Mark Fletcher (Founder of eGroups and Bloglines)
"I am not a hunter, never have fired a gun, but I'm told that if you want to shoot a duck, you have to shoot where the duck is going to be, not where the duck is. It's the same with introducing technology: if you're only focused on the market today, by the time you introduce your solution to that problem, there'll probably be several others already entrenched."
-- Charles Geschke (Founder of Adobe Systems)
"The biggest thrill is frankly not the financial success, it's the ability to have an impact. Because we're both engineers at heart and that's every engineer's dream - to build something that millions of people will use."
-- Charles Geschke (Founder of Adobe Systems)
"Most programmers don't think about the user experience. They get a spec book, and they say, "Well, I'm going to meet this spec to make the customer happy." That's not really enough; you have to make something good for the user if you want to call yourself an engineer."
-- Philip Greenspun (Founder of ArsDigita)
"People don't like to write. It's hard. The people who were really good software engineers were usually great writers; they had tremendous ability to organize their thoughts and communicate. The people who were sort of average-quality programmers and had trouble thinking about the larger picture were the ones who couldn't write."
-- Philip Greenspun (Founder of ArsDigita)
"Things never work out right the first time. You've always got to do it two or three times to get it right. And things always go wrong. So persistence is the key to success. I had seen that in my career. I had seen that in computer design projects. I had seen that through my whole life. And so that word is the best single advice I can give to entrepreneurs. The key to success, if you had to sum it up in one, is persistence."
-- Ron Gruner (Founder of Alliant Computer Systems and Shareholder.com)
"I'd just keep thinking, keep trying to find the language and find new employees, trying to meet the VC who would understand my vision and back me. I met with 43 VCs."
-- James Currier (Founder of Tickle.com)
Here are some good quotes from the book:
"I'd say determination is the single most important quality in a startup founder. If the founders I spoke with were superhuman in any way, it was in their perseverance."
-- Jessica Livingston (the author)
"I see way too many people give up in the startup world. They just give up too easily. Recruiting is a classic example. I don't even hear the first "no" that somebody says. When they say, "No, I'm not interested", I think "Now it's a real challenge. Now's when the tough part begins." It's hard to identify talent, but great people don't look for jobs, great people are sold on jobs. And if they're sold they're going to say no at first. You have to win them over."
-- Joe Kraus (founder of Excite)
"Ultimately, you cannot accomplish something completely on your own. You really need to develop a network of people who win when you win."
-- Ray Ozzie (Founder of Groove Networks, Chief Architect of Microsoft)
"My philosophy on these types of companies - consumer-based Internet companies - is that you don't need to worry about the business model initially. If you get users, then everything else follows. Basically any technology can be copied, any concept can be copied. In my opinion, what makes one of these companies valuable is the users. That can't be copied"
-- Mark Fletcher (Founder of eGroups and Bloglines)
"I am not a hunter, never have fired a gun, but I'm told that if you want to shoot a duck, you have to shoot where the duck is going to be, not where the duck is. It's the same with introducing technology: if you're only focused on the market today, by the time you introduce your solution to that problem, there'll probably be several others already entrenched."
-- Charles Geschke (Founder of Adobe Systems)
"The biggest thrill is frankly not the financial success, it's the ability to have an impact. Because we're both engineers at heart and that's every engineer's dream - to build something that millions of people will use."
-- Charles Geschke (Founder of Adobe Systems)
"Most programmers don't think about the user experience. They get a spec book, and they say, "Well, I'm going to meet this spec to make the customer happy." That's not really enough; you have to make something good for the user if you want to call yourself an engineer."
-- Philip Greenspun (Founder of ArsDigita)
"People don't like to write. It's hard. The people who were really good software engineers were usually great writers; they had tremendous ability to organize their thoughts and communicate. The people who were sort of average-quality programmers and had trouble thinking about the larger picture were the ones who couldn't write."
-- Philip Greenspun (Founder of ArsDigita)
"Things never work out right the first time. You've always got to do it two or three times to get it right. And things always go wrong. So persistence is the key to success. I had seen that in my career. I had seen that in computer design projects. I had seen that through my whole life. And so that word is the best single advice I can give to entrepreneurs. The key to success, if you had to sum it up in one, is persistence."
-- Ron Gruner (Founder of Alliant Computer Systems and Shareholder.com)
"I'd just keep thinking, keep trying to find the language and find new employees, trying to meet the VC who would understand my vision and back me. I met with 43 VCs."
-- James Currier (Founder of Tickle.com)
September 21, 2011
Another great book, so great I decide to write this post even if I have not finished reading it: Jessica Livingston in Founders at Work has interviewed 32 entrepreneurs about their story. The lessons are convincing, fascinating. Without asking for copyright, I copy here some quotes. The book is just a pleasure to read even if sometimes the Q&A are too specific about the start-up, but I assume it is part of the exercise. A Must-Read.
Paul Buchheit, creator of Gmail about Risk Taking
As I say, for people, it depends on their situation if they can take that risk of joining a startup or moving to a new city if they don鈥檛 live in the right place. For me, I was actually single at the time, I didn鈥檛 have a mortgage, so the idea of joining a little startup that may well be destroyed was just like, 鈥淭hat will be fun.鈥� Because I kind of thought, 鈥淓ven if Google doesn鈥檛 make it, it will be educational and I鈥檒l learn something.鈥� Honestly, I was pretty sure AltaVista was going to destroy Google.
Mike Ramsay, founder of Tivo about Silicon Valley
I was curious to see what鈥檚 the attitude of a typical startup in Scotland compared to here. I found that they are just culturally a whole lot more conservative and cautious. And somewhat lacking in self-confidence. You come over here and . . . I had a meeting recently with a couple of early 20-year-olds who have decided to drop out of Stanford because they got bored, and they are trying to raise money to fund their startup. They believe they can do it, and nothing鈥檚 going to hold them back. They have confidence, they have that spirit, which I think is great and is probably unique to this part of the world. Being part of that for so long, for me, has been very invigorating.
Joshua Schachter, founder of del.icio.us about implementing
But the guy who says, 鈥淚 have a great idea and I鈥檓 looking for other people to implement it,鈥� I鈥檓 wary of鈥攆requently because I think the process of idea-making relies on executing and failing or succeeding at the ideas, so that you can actually become better at coming up with ideas.
and about VCs
In general, I found VCs to be significantly politer than the folks I worked with. The worst they did was not call me back. I鈥檇 never hear from them again. Brad Feld does a nice blog talking about how the VC process works. He says they never call you back to say no鈥攖hey don鈥檛 want to close the door in case they want to open it again, but they don鈥檛 want to actually give you a response. Very few VCs actually said, 鈥淪orry, we鈥檙e not interested.鈥�
Craig Newmark, founder of craiglist on the definition of start-up
鈥渋n the conventional sense, we were never a startup. In the conventional sense, a startup is a company, maybe with great ideas, that becomes a serious corporation. It usually takes serious investment, has a strategy, and they want to make a lot of money.鈥�
Paul Buchheit, creator of Gmail about Risk Taking
As I say, for people, it depends on their situation if they can take that risk of joining a startup or moving to a new city if they don鈥檛 live in the right place. For me, I was actually single at the time, I didn鈥檛 have a mortgage, so the idea of joining a little startup that may well be destroyed was just like, 鈥淭hat will be fun.鈥� Because I kind of thought, 鈥淓ven if Google doesn鈥檛 make it, it will be educational and I鈥檒l learn something.鈥� Honestly, I was pretty sure AltaVista was going to destroy Google.
Mike Ramsay, founder of Tivo about Silicon Valley
I was curious to see what鈥檚 the attitude of a typical startup in Scotland compared to here. I found that they are just culturally a whole lot more conservative and cautious. And somewhat lacking in self-confidence. You come over here and . . . I had a meeting recently with a couple of early 20-year-olds who have decided to drop out of Stanford because they got bored, and they are trying to raise money to fund their startup. They believe they can do it, and nothing鈥檚 going to hold them back. They have confidence, they have that spirit, which I think is great and is probably unique to this part of the world. Being part of that for so long, for me, has been very invigorating.
Joshua Schachter, founder of del.icio.us about implementing
But the guy who says, 鈥淚 have a great idea and I鈥檓 looking for other people to implement it,鈥� I鈥檓 wary of鈥攆requently because I think the process of idea-making relies on executing and failing or succeeding at the ideas, so that you can actually become better at coming up with ideas.
and about VCs
In general, I found VCs to be significantly politer than the folks I worked with. The worst they did was not call me back. I鈥檇 never hear from them again. Brad Feld does a nice blog talking about how the VC process works. He says they never call you back to say no鈥攖hey don鈥檛 want to close the door in case they want to open it again, but they don鈥檛 want to actually give you a response. Very few VCs actually said, 鈥淪orry, we鈥檙e not interested.鈥�
Craig Newmark, founder of craiglist on the definition of start-up
鈥渋n the conventional sense, we were never a startup. In the conventional sense, a startup is a company, maybe with great ideas, that becomes a serious corporation. It usually takes serious investment, has a strategy, and they want to make a lot of money.鈥�
March 14, 2015
A wonderful inside look at how a number of different startups were created. The book reinforced a few interesting trends for me:
1. Very few founders knew what they were doing when they first started; many of the ideas emerged accidentally, after many failures or experiments.
2. You *can* get more done with crazy hours and virtually all successful startups require them.
3. VC funding seemed to be an ingredient in the success if most startups, but was often a double edged sword, causing problems later on.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"What surprised me most was how unsure the founders seemed to be that they were actually onto something big. Some of these companies got started almost by accident. The world thinks of startup founders as having some kind of superhuman confidence, but a lot of them were uncertain at first about starting a company. What they weren't uncertain about was making something good--or trying to fix something broken".
van Hoff: 鈥淥ver the years, I鈥檝e learned that the first idea you have is irrelevant. It鈥檚 just a catalyst for you to get started. Then you figure out what鈥檚 wrong with it and you go through phases of denial, panic, regret. And then you finally have a better idea and the second idea is always the important one.鈥�
Buchheit: 鈥淎 lot of people seem to be against uncertainty, actually. In all areas of life.
I鈥檓 suddenly reminded that, for a while, I asked people, if they were playing Russian roulette with a gun with a billion barrels (or some huge number, so in other words, some low probability that they would actually be killed), how much would they have to be paid to play one round? A lot of people were almost offended by the question and they鈥檇 say, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 do it at any price.鈥�
But, of course, we do that every day. They drive to work in cars to earn money and they are taking risks all the time, but they don鈥檛 like to acknowledge that they are taking risks. They want to pretend that everything is risk-free.鈥�
Paul Graham: 鈥淧ractically all the software in the world is either broken or very difficult to use. So users dread software.
They鈥檝e been trained that whenever they try to install something, or even fill out a form online, it鈥檚 鈥渘ot going to work. I dread installing stuff, and I have a PhD in computer science.
So if you鈥檙e writing applications for end users, you have to remember that you鈥檙e writing for an audience that has been traumatized by bad experiences.鈥�
Paul Graham: I found I could actually sell moderately well. I could convince people of stuff. I learned a trick for doing this: to tell the truth. A lot of people think that the way to convince people of things is to be eloquent鈥攖o have some bag of tricks for sliding conclusions into their brains. But there鈥檚 also a sort of hack that you can use if you are not a very good salesman, which is simply tell the truth. Our strategy for selling our software to people was: make the best software and then tell them, truthfully, 鈥渢his is the best software.鈥� And they could tell we were telling the truth.
Another advantage of telling the truth is that you don鈥檛 have to remember what you鈥檝e said. You don鈥檛 have to keep any state in your head. It鈥檚 a purely functional business strategy. (Hackers will get what I mean.)鈥�
Winblad: 鈥淵ou鈥檇 think that everybody would want to have our jobs. We鈥檝e all been handsomely rewarded. The stories are not like, 鈥淗ey, we had patrician backgrounds and silver spoons, and we bought our way into this.鈥� We just 鈥渢hought鈥� our way into these industries. The power of thought 鈥渁nd math and science and computing, you鈥檙e given that for free鈥攊t鈥檚 a choice you can make. You take that choice, and it gives you sort of a magic wand to be a captain of an industry that鈥檚 still fairly young, that鈥檚 driving the whole world economy鈥�
Spolsky: 鈥淭hese were all marginally good marketing ideas. Unfortunately we spent a lot of time chasing them. The one thing we learned over 5 years is that nothing works better than just improving your product. Every minute, every developer hour we spent on any one of these crazy things鈥攁lthough they had some marginal return on the work that we put into them鈥攚as nothing compared to just making a better version of the product and releasing it鈥�
1. Very few founders knew what they were doing when they first started; many of the ideas emerged accidentally, after many failures or experiments.
2. You *can* get more done with crazy hours and virtually all successful startups require them.
3. VC funding seemed to be an ingredient in the success if most startups, but was often a double edged sword, causing problems later on.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"What surprised me most was how unsure the founders seemed to be that they were actually onto something big. Some of these companies got started almost by accident. The world thinks of startup founders as having some kind of superhuman confidence, but a lot of them were uncertain at first about starting a company. What they weren't uncertain about was making something good--or trying to fix something broken".
van Hoff: 鈥淥ver the years, I鈥檝e learned that the first idea you have is irrelevant. It鈥檚 just a catalyst for you to get started. Then you figure out what鈥檚 wrong with it and you go through phases of denial, panic, regret. And then you finally have a better idea and the second idea is always the important one.鈥�
Buchheit: 鈥淎 lot of people seem to be against uncertainty, actually. In all areas of life.
I鈥檓 suddenly reminded that, for a while, I asked people, if they were playing Russian roulette with a gun with a billion barrels (or some huge number, so in other words, some low probability that they would actually be killed), how much would they have to be paid to play one round? A lot of people were almost offended by the question and they鈥檇 say, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 do it at any price.鈥�
But, of course, we do that every day. They drive to work in cars to earn money and they are taking risks all the time, but they don鈥檛 like to acknowledge that they are taking risks. They want to pretend that everything is risk-free.鈥�
Paul Graham: 鈥淧ractically all the software in the world is either broken or very difficult to use. So users dread software.
They鈥檝e been trained that whenever they try to install something, or even fill out a form online, it鈥檚 鈥渘ot going to work. I dread installing stuff, and I have a PhD in computer science.
So if you鈥檙e writing applications for end users, you have to remember that you鈥檙e writing for an audience that has been traumatized by bad experiences.鈥�
Paul Graham: I found I could actually sell moderately well. I could convince people of stuff. I learned a trick for doing this: to tell the truth. A lot of people think that the way to convince people of things is to be eloquent鈥攖o have some bag of tricks for sliding conclusions into their brains. But there鈥檚 also a sort of hack that you can use if you are not a very good salesman, which is simply tell the truth. Our strategy for selling our software to people was: make the best software and then tell them, truthfully, 鈥渢his is the best software.鈥� And they could tell we were telling the truth.
Another advantage of telling the truth is that you don鈥檛 have to remember what you鈥檝e said. You don鈥檛 have to keep any state in your head. It鈥檚 a purely functional business strategy. (Hackers will get what I mean.)鈥�
Winblad: 鈥淵ou鈥檇 think that everybody would want to have our jobs. We鈥檝e all been handsomely rewarded. The stories are not like, 鈥淗ey, we had patrician backgrounds and silver spoons, and we bought our way into this.鈥� We just 鈥渢hought鈥� our way into these industries. The power of thought 鈥渁nd math and science and computing, you鈥檙e given that for free鈥攊t鈥檚 a choice you can make. You take that choice, and it gives you sort of a magic wand to be a captain of an industry that鈥檚 still fairly young, that鈥檚 driving the whole world economy鈥�
Spolsky: 鈥淭hese were all marginally good marketing ideas. Unfortunately we spent a lot of time chasing them. The one thing we learned over 5 years is that nothing works better than just improving your product. Every minute, every developer hour we spent on any one of these crazy things鈥攁lthough they had some marginal return on the work that we put into them鈥攚as nothing compared to just making a better version of the product and releasing it鈥�
December 28, 2016
No structure, no themes, but 30 odd interviews with tech business founders, and yet it worked and made for a great read.
The business media usually distills fundamental concepts such as team building, creating a good product and perseverance to the point where you either get a generic phrase or a string of dull paragraphs where a single generic phrase would do; the effect is that reading about business becomes a boring activity, but Founders at Work was different.
It's not a how-to book but narratives that really do drive home the above concepts and other such as business model flexibility and the importance of listening to the customer.
These concepts were brought up by most interviewees in their different settings and contexts, and as I usually feel that having a context or a story when reading about these concepts makes them more fun and yields better educational value, I thought Founders was a great book.
The business media usually distills fundamental concepts such as team building, creating a good product and perseverance to the point where you either get a generic phrase or a string of dull paragraphs where a single generic phrase would do; the effect is that reading about business becomes a boring activity, but Founders at Work was different.
It's not a how-to book but narratives that really do drive home the above concepts and other such as business model flexibility and the importance of listening to the customer.
These concepts were brought up by most interviewees in their different settings and contexts, and as I usually feel that having a context or a story when reading about these concepts makes them more fun and yields better educational value, I thought Founders was a great book.
September 24, 2019
I didn't read all the chapters -- I only read the ones that interested me. I didn't read about startups I'd never heard of because they got killed by a late-comer, or startups that dealt with very esoteric subjects like parallel supercomputers. If I'd read those, maybe my rating would have differed.
As a sort of note-to-self, these were the chapters that I read:
1
2
4
6
7
8
9
12
15
16
18
19
26
27
29
33 (the parts that interested me)
I should probably read the questions that interest me from the chapters I haven't read at some point, but until then, the book gets 4/5. It's full of insights from people with hands-on experience, but parts of it felt like unproductively reading startup-history gossip. In total, the pros outweighed the cons by far.
As a sort of note-to-self, these were the chapters that I read:
1
2
4
6
7
8
9
12
15
16
18
19
26
27
29
33 (the parts that interested me)
I should probably read the questions that interest me from the chapters I haven't read at some point, but until then, the book gets 4/5. It's full of insights from people with hands-on experience, but parts of it felt like unproductively reading startup-history gossip. In total, the pros outweighed the cons by far.
June 4, 2007
everyone has a bad day/week/month.
February 27, 2013
There's a harmful cult of the start-up centred around鈥攎ostly鈥擯aul Graham, and this book is, if not their Dianetics, at least their Battlefield Earth.
I wish I could give it a lower score, but I can't, in good faith, because it's exactly what it promises to be and exactly what I thought it was going to be when I picked it up: a gossip rag in book form.
It's the sort of thing dim, greedy assholes could read religiously, but to the rest of us, it mostly serves to drive home the fact that self-described ``entrepreneurs''鈥攁nd certainly the ones mapping cleanly to the Y Combinator ideal鈥攁re all barely competent, borderline sociopathic, and full of shit.
I wish I could give it a lower score, but I can't, in good faith, because it's exactly what it promises to be and exactly what I thought it was going to be when I picked it up: a gossip rag in book form.
It's the sort of thing dim, greedy assholes could read religiously, but to the rest of us, it mostly serves to drive home the fact that self-described ``entrepreneurs''鈥攁nd certainly the ones mapping cleanly to the Y Combinator ideal鈥攁re all barely competent, borderline sociopathic, and full of shit.
July 27, 2021
I used to work at a Startup.
That gave me larger picture of Tamil Nadu's SaaS world.
An Interesting book that shares stories of Founders.
I liked many of the stories.
A Good Archetype book.
1. Determination
2. Perseverance
3. Adaptive
Common Feelings among Founders: Rejection, Isolation, Uncertainty, Lack of Progress
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
That gave me larger picture of Tamil Nadu's SaaS world.
An Interesting book that shares stories of Founders.
I liked many of the stories.
A Good Archetype book.
1. Determination
2. Perseverance
3. Adaptive
Common Feelings among Founders: Rejection, Isolation, Uncertainty, Lack of Progress
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
July 21, 2013
A bit outdated but really inspiring. It's interesting to note the patterns between the different founders stories. The most unexpected being that many were unaware of the importance or enormity of the project they were in the process of undertaking.
November 25, 2020
Jessica does a fantastic job making the stories of founders really pop. These anecdotes will make you laugh, cry, and feel awe inspired. If anyone has any ambition of starting a venture and wants to get the real stories of trials and triumphs, read this book!
February 17, 2014
鬲丨賲賷賱 賲賯鬲胤賮丕鬲 賲賳 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲噩丕賳賸丕
May 30, 2015
袣薪懈谐邪 褏芯褉芯褕邪 褌械屑, 褔褌芯 芯薪邪 斜芯谐邪褌邪 薪邪 懈褋褌芯褉懈懈 屑薪芯谐懈褏 蟹薪邪褔懈褌械谢褜薪褘褏 褋褌邪褉褌邪锌芯胁 薪邪褔懈薪邪褟 芯褌 褋邪屑芯谐芯 蟹邪褉芯卸写械薪懈褟 懈薪褌械褉薪械褌 斜懈蟹薪械褋邪 胁 小楔袗 懈 芯褋芯斜械薪薪芯 褌械屑, 褔褌芯 懈褋褌芯褉懈懈 懈褋褏芯写褟 懈蟹 锌械褉胁褘褏 褍褋褌, 芯褌 懈褏 芯褋薪芯胁邪褌械谢械泄 胁 褎芯褉屑械 懈薪褌械褉胁褜褞.
袘芯谢褜褕械 胁褋械谐芯 屑薪械 斜褘谢芯 懈薪褌械褉械褋薪芯 褍蟹薪邪褌褜 芯 屑薪芯谐懈褏 胁褘蟹芯胁邪褏, 泻芯褌芯褉褘械 锌邪写邪谢懈 薪邪 锌谢械褔懈 褉褍泻芯胁芯写褋褌胁邪 懈 芯褋薪芯胁邪褌械谢械泄 泻芯屑锌邪薪懈泄, 懈褏 锌芯胁芯褉芯褌薪褘械 锌褍褌懈 胁 懈褋褌芯褉懈懈 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈褟, 邪 褌邪泻卸械 褔褌芯 懈屑械薪薪芯 写胁懈谐邪谢芯 懈屑懈, 褔褌芯 卸械 蟹邪褋褌邪胁谢褟谢芯 褍锌芯褉褋褌胁芯胁邪褌褜, 褔械谐芯 芯薪懈 胁 懈褌芯谐械 写芯褋褌懈谐谢懈 懈 泻邪泻芯泄 褑械薪芯泄.
袘芯谢褜褕械 胁褋械谐芯 屑薪械 斜褘谢芯 懈薪褌械褉械褋薪芯 褍蟹薪邪褌褜 芯 屑薪芯谐懈褏 胁褘蟹芯胁邪褏, 泻芯褌芯褉褘械 锌邪写邪谢懈 薪邪 锌谢械褔懈 褉褍泻芯胁芯写褋褌胁邪 懈 芯褋薪芯胁邪褌械谢械泄 泻芯屑锌邪薪懈泄, 懈褏 锌芯胁芯褉芯褌薪褘械 锌褍褌懈 胁 懈褋褌芯褉懈懈 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈褟, 邪 褌邪泻卸械 褔褌芯 懈屑械薪薪芯 写胁懈谐邪谢芯 懈屑懈, 褔褌芯 卸械 蟹邪褋褌邪胁谢褟谢芯 褍锌芯褉褋褌胁芯胁邪褌褜, 褔械谐芯 芯薪懈 胁 懈褌芯谐械 写芯褋褌懈谐谢懈 懈 泻邪泻芯泄 褑械薪芯泄.
Read
May 10, 2015A great book for bedime reading. It's basically impossible to read this book cover-to-cover in one sitting (a lot like the "48 Laws of Power"), but each piece is entertaining and instructive on its own. It does seem like it gets a bit repetitive about halfway through, but I'd highly recommend this book to anyone starting their own business.
December 5, 2019
This is like a small-time capsule that makes you aware of each and every person who has contributed to the growth of human experiences collectively. The book is about founders but it touches the lives of VC Mafias to Sharks and pretty much everyone involved. Master of Scale podcast by Reid H. will sure takes you back to the stories of people you will find somewhere in this book.
July 1, 2021
Th book is greatly written and has good start-up stories from the first computer to blogs and user-focused content. The focus is strongly on the US.
Based on them, the book establishes some patterns for their success like many started without a specific idea or doing less can lead to a real success.
#blinkist
Based on them, the book establishes some patterns for their success like many started without a specific idea or doing less can lead to a real success.
#blinkist
January 9, 2016
Great read. An insightful look into the experiences of successful founders. One thing I learned is that even the best venture capitalists turn down unicorns.
November 16, 2024
Written as a conversation with successful founders, the book focuses on the early days of starting up - it narrates stories of how the idea was conceptualised, reminds you of the basics that are important, leaves you with insights and ends up as a reality check on what it means to build a startup.
Without doubt, the one message that consistently comes up as the key factor in building successful startups is persistence and perseverance. The stories show that rarely anything goes as per the plan, the journey is almost always filled with setbacks, challenges, disappointments and failures, and that its how you overcome the adversity and the hardship that determines how (and if) the business succeeds. You have to believe that you can, and be determined to make it happen.
What is equally fascinating is that while almost all of them say that building a startup is incredibly painful and that it simply takes over your life, they know that founders live day to day with a sense of uncertainty, isolation, and sometimes lack of progress, they still add - without hesitation - that they would do it again if they thought it could do something important and bring about change.
It is interesting to read that while some were new ideas, many were focussed on improving the experience of similar products as in the case of Firefox or TripAdvisor and even Apple! And there are quite a few who just knew they wanted to build something, but no idea what and they just started with any idea and then evolved - in fact one of them goes to the extreme of saying that 鈥渢he first idea you have is irrelevant. It's just a catalyst for you to get started. Then you figure out what's wrong with it and you go through phases of denial, panic, regret. And then you finally have a better idea and the second idea is always the important one鈥�.
Every story is unique and yet they all have more in common than differences and offer the same advice - be open and do not get attached to your vision because things may (will) change, always keep a technology roadmap in your mind and a market roadmap as to where things are headed, hire only the best people as the difference between good and great people might be 20 percent more in salary, but it's 100 or 200 percent more in throughput, chemistry and culture fit it鈥檚 important - focus not just on smart and capable people but those who are passionate and really care about doing a great job, avoid taking venture money esp as venture capitalists are quite impatient with a difficult situation, differentiate not just with technology but with the custoner experience and the brand, do not be shy of PR and say you are a step ahead of where you actually are to move to the step that you want to be at鈥�
As an entrepreneur myself, I can relate to many stories鈥�. and one message that made me think is the practical advise by the TripAdvisor cofounder, Kaufer on fostering a future of risk-taking, weighing a scenario in terms of time and opportunity cost, and his suggestion that 鈥渋f the amount of time spent making a mistake is small, don't be afraid to make a lot of mistakes without a lot of time analyzing whether you should or shouldn't do it. It is what we often hear but not necessarily put into action - if we're not failing at something on a regular basis, we're just not trying hard enough鈥�.
In summary the following comment captures it all - 鈥淧eople don't realize that a rapidly growing company is crumbling within and feels pain every hour of every day because nothing works the way it was designed as little as a year before.鈥�
The stories date back a few decades and as I read about these internet and tech companies from the 90s, it took me back in time. While I had read about some of the founders earlier (e.g Apple, Hotmail, PayPal, RIM, Flickr, and a few others), most of the stories were new for me and even more interesting as I was aware of the products but not the origin (e.g Adobe, TripAdvisor, Lotus, WebTV etc.)
Without doubt, the one message that consistently comes up as the key factor in building successful startups is persistence and perseverance. The stories show that rarely anything goes as per the plan, the journey is almost always filled with setbacks, challenges, disappointments and failures, and that its how you overcome the adversity and the hardship that determines how (and if) the business succeeds. You have to believe that you can, and be determined to make it happen.
What is equally fascinating is that while almost all of them say that building a startup is incredibly painful and that it simply takes over your life, they know that founders live day to day with a sense of uncertainty, isolation, and sometimes lack of progress, they still add - without hesitation - that they would do it again if they thought it could do something important and bring about change.
It is interesting to read that while some were new ideas, many were focussed on improving the experience of similar products as in the case of Firefox or TripAdvisor and even Apple! And there are quite a few who just knew they wanted to build something, but no idea what and they just started with any idea and then evolved - in fact one of them goes to the extreme of saying that 鈥渢he first idea you have is irrelevant. It's just a catalyst for you to get started. Then you figure out what's wrong with it and you go through phases of denial, panic, regret. And then you finally have a better idea and the second idea is always the important one鈥�.
Every story is unique and yet they all have more in common than differences and offer the same advice - be open and do not get attached to your vision because things may (will) change, always keep a technology roadmap in your mind and a market roadmap as to where things are headed, hire only the best people as the difference between good and great people might be 20 percent more in salary, but it's 100 or 200 percent more in throughput, chemistry and culture fit it鈥檚 important - focus not just on smart and capable people but those who are passionate and really care about doing a great job, avoid taking venture money esp as venture capitalists are quite impatient with a difficult situation, differentiate not just with technology but with the custoner experience and the brand, do not be shy of PR and say you are a step ahead of where you actually are to move to the step that you want to be at鈥�
As an entrepreneur myself, I can relate to many stories鈥�. and one message that made me think is the practical advise by the TripAdvisor cofounder, Kaufer on fostering a future of risk-taking, weighing a scenario in terms of time and opportunity cost, and his suggestion that 鈥渋f the amount of time spent making a mistake is small, don't be afraid to make a lot of mistakes without a lot of time analyzing whether you should or shouldn't do it. It is what we often hear but not necessarily put into action - if we're not failing at something on a regular basis, we're just not trying hard enough鈥�.
In summary the following comment captures it all - 鈥淧eople don't realize that a rapidly growing company is crumbling within and feels pain every hour of every day because nothing works the way it was designed as little as a year before.鈥�
The stories date back a few decades and as I read about these internet and tech companies from the 90s, it took me back in time. While I had read about some of the founders earlier (e.g Apple, Hotmail, PayPal, RIM, Flickr, and a few others), most of the stories were new for me and even more interesting as I was aware of the products but not the origin (e.g Adobe, TripAdvisor, Lotus, WebTV etc.)
December 2, 2021
This is one of those books that I found so enlightening that I actually went and ordered a copy after I finished reading a copy that I had borrowed from the library. I've always dreamed of one day starting a company, and it was so great to read about the variety of experiences of startup founders, from how long it took to build and scale their companies (sometimes right away, sometimes it took years), to their ages (all over the map), to the mistakes and triumphs they had (also all over the map). I really appreciated hearing this diversity, because taken in isolation, one entrepreneur's story can seem like it is the only path to success (e.g. quit your job, raise enormous amounts of VC, "blitzscale", etc.) but really, there is no consistency among the entrepreneurs featured in this book. Many of them did not quit their full-time jobs until their startups got some traction; many of them did not raise VC at all but bootstrapped their firms either all or part of the way; many of them did not prioritize growth over revenue. Of course, others did do all or some of these things, which does fit into the Silicon Valley playbook, but these interviews show that even not hewing to such a "tried and tested" playbook can still result in success.
The only common thread amongst all these entrepreneurs is their perseverance and grit. Not completely irrational perseverance -- some of the semi-successful startups, like ArsDigita, still crashed-and-burned for other reasons -- but the level of passion and obsession with a problem space is what animates all entrepreneurs and gives them more than a fighting chance of being successful, versus employees in an enterprise who don't necessarily have that same kind of existential fire in their bellies.
The only common thread amongst all these entrepreneurs is their perseverance and grit. Not completely irrational perseverance -- some of the semi-successful startups, like ArsDigita, still crashed-and-burned for other reasons -- but the level of passion and obsession with a problem space is what animates all entrepreneurs and gives them more than a fighting chance of being successful, versus employees in an enterprise who don't necessarily have that same kind of existential fire in their bellies.
January 7, 2024
9/10
I like to think of this book as a set of raw data points summarizing the decisions made by successful startup founders and their corresponding outcomes. Each chapter consists of an interview with a different founder, who discusses the challenges faced in the early days of their startup. The author doesn鈥檛 try to connect the interviews with any kind of an overarching narrative, so it鈥檚 up to the reader to find patterns and get a feel for how successful startups are built.
I like to think of this book as a set of raw data points summarizing the decisions made by successful startup founders and their corresponding outcomes. Each chapter consists of an interview with a different founder, who discusses the challenges faced in the early days of their startup. The author doesn鈥檛 try to connect the interviews with any kind of an overarching narrative, so it鈥檚 up to the reader to find patterns and get a feel for how successful startups are built.
May 24, 2022
Interesting insight of the problem and challenges faced by startup entrepreneurs, and how they overcame them. As the book is a set of interviews, some interviews are really interesting and insightful, while others get a bit long and boring. It was more fun to read about companies i had prior knowledge about and whose product i had used, as their journey was more relatable.
June 13, 2022
Loved every second of this book. Each chapter is a different story of a startup founder. I read it slowly so it wouldn't end, and read many chapters twice. My biggest take was that most founders didn't necessarily know what they were doing - or even that they were on to something big.
January 3, 2021
Occasionally motivating, but largely outdated, with many mentioned companies already gone out of existence. I also feel that the book needed a lot more editing, as the guests sometimes go too deep into the unnecessary specifics.
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March 10, 2025Kind of like a history book at this point. Enjoyable though
November 3, 2024
A helpful book
August 25, 2024
"Founders at Work" is a captivating and insightful collection of interviews that takes you behind the scenes of some of the biggest names in technology. Jessica Livingston does a fantastic job of humanizing these industry giants by sharing their early struggles and the hilarious, often painful moments that shaped their journeys.
I loved how the book captures the raw, unfiltered experiences of founders like Steve Wozniak and Caterina Fake when they were just starting out. Reading about their trials and triumphs made them relatable and showcased their resilience in the face of adversity. It鈥檚 refreshing to see these confident millionaires portrayed as novices navigating the complexities of building a startup.
This book is not just for tech enthusiasts; it鈥檚 a treasure trove of inspiration for anyone who dreams of launching their own venture. Whether you鈥檙e an aspiring entrepreneur or just curious about the stories behind the tech we use every day, "Founders at Work" is a must-read! Highly recommend!
I loved how the book captures the raw, unfiltered experiences of founders like Steve Wozniak and Caterina Fake when they were just starting out. Reading about their trials and triumphs made them relatable and showcased their resilience in the face of adversity. It鈥檚 refreshing to see these confident millionaires portrayed as novices navigating the complexities of building a startup.
This book is not just for tech enthusiasts; it鈥檚 a treasure trove of inspiration for anyone who dreams of launching their own venture. Whether you鈥檙e an aspiring entrepreneur or just curious about the stories behind the tech we use every day, "Founders at Work" is a must-read! Highly recommend!
October 12, 2024
Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days by Jessica Livingston is a well-regarded book in the tech and entrepreneurship community. It features interviews with prominent startup founders such as Steve Wozniak (Apple), Max Levchin (PayPal), and Paul Graham (Y Combinator). The book offers firsthand accounts of how these entrepreneurs overcame obstacles, pivoted their business models, and ultimately succeeded.
Key strengths:
1. In-depth interviews: The interviews provide valuable insights into the mindsets, strategies, and challenges of startup founders.
2. Diverse perspectives: By featuring a variety of founders from different industries, the book covers a wide range of startup experiences.
3. Inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs: It emphasizes the importance of persistence, problem-solving, and adaptability.
4. Historical value: Many of the companies discussed have gone on to become household names, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at the early days of tech giants.
Criticisms:
1. Focused on the tech sector: If you're not interested in technology startups, the lessons might feel less applicable.
2. Interview format: Some readers might prefer a more narrative-driven approach rather than direct interview transcripts.
Overall, Founders at Work is a valuable read for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, particularly in the tech industry. It offers both practical advice and motivational stories.
Key strengths:
1. In-depth interviews: The interviews provide valuable insights into the mindsets, strategies, and challenges of startup founders.
2. Diverse perspectives: By featuring a variety of founders from different industries, the book covers a wide range of startup experiences.
3. Inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs: It emphasizes the importance of persistence, problem-solving, and adaptability.
4. Historical value: Many of the companies discussed have gone on to become household names, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at the early days of tech giants.
Criticisms:
1. Focused on the tech sector: If you're not interested in technology startups, the lessons might feel less applicable.
2. Interview format: Some readers might prefer a more narrative-driven approach rather than direct interview transcripts.
Overall, Founders at Work is a valuable read for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, particularly in the tech industry. It offers both practical advice and motivational stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 23, 2024The world-building in this book was impressive, but at times, the descriptive passages became overwhelming. I found myself skimming through some of the longer sections. Despite that, the story itself was compelling enough to keep me engaged.
September 2, 2024
Worth it for the Brewster Kahle interview alone.
Read
October 21, 2024There were elements I really enjoyed, like the setting and some of the side characters, but the main plot felt somewhat predictable. It has its moments, but I wished for more twists to keep me on my toes.
Read
October 21, 2024This book had a unique voice, and I appreciated the author鈥檚 creativity. However, there were sections where the plot meandered, and I lost interest temporarily. The ending was satisfying, though, which redeemed some of the slower parts.
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