30 Books like Hard Drive

The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison*

by Mike Wilson • 1997

Larry Ellison sold databases. His real product was the legend of Larry Ellison.

3.93

436

🖥️ Silicon Valley History 💼 Tech Mogul Biographies 🥊 Corporate Rivalries 🤝 Co-Founder Partnerships 📈 Hypergrowth

The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison* Summary

The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison* 97%

Larry Ellison sold databases. His real product was the legend of Larry Ellison.

by Mike Wilson 1997

3.93

436 ratings

🖥️ Silicon Valley History 💼 Tech Mogul Biographies 🥊 Corporate Rivalries 🤝 Co-Founder Partnerships 📈 Hypergrowth

Softwar

by Matthew Symonds • 2003

Oracle nearly died in 1990. Its founder's response: bet the company on an all-in internet gamble.

3.78

499

💾 Tech Industry History 🔄 Company Turnarounds 🚀 Software Entrepreneurship 🌐 Internet Business ⚡ Disruptive Leadership

Softwar 97%

Oracle nearly died in 1990. Its founder's response: bet the company on an all-in internet gamble.

by Matthew Symonds 2003

3.78

499 ratings

💾 Tech Industry History 🔄 Company Turnarounds 🚀 Software Entrepreneurship 🌐 Internet Business ⚡ Disruptive Leadership

Barbarians Led by Bill Gates

by Jennifer Edstrom • 1998

The browser war wasn't won by vision: it was won by weaponizing Windows against Netscape.

3.6

163

🖥️ Software Business 🏢 Corporate History 📈 Market Dominance 🌐 Browser Wars 🎯 Growth By Acquisition

Barbarians Led by Bill Gates 97%

The browser war wasn't won by vision: it was won by weaponizing Windows against Netscape.

by Jennifer Edstrom 1998

3.6

163 ratings

🖥️ Software Business 🏢 Corporate History 📈 Market Dominance 🌐 Browser Wars 🎯 Growth By Acquisition

Steve Jobs

by Walter Isaacson • 2011

Unfiltered access, no editorial control: the biography where genius and cruelty share the page.

4.16

1.4M+

🏢 Tech Titans 💻 Silicon Valley History 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Design Thinking 🚀 Innovation Culture

Steve Jobs 96%

Unfiltered access, no editorial control: the biography where genius and cruelty share the page.

by Walter Isaacson 2011

4.16

1.4M+ ratings

🏢 Tech Titans 💻 Silicon Valley History 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Design Thinking 🚀 Innovation Culture

iCon

by Jeffrey S. Young • 2005

Fired at thirty from Apple. Twelve years later, he returned to rescue it.

4.06

11k+

🚀 Startup Stories 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Design Thinking 👁️ Product Vision 💡 Innovation Culture

iCon 96%

Fired at thirty from Apple. Twelve years later, he returned to rescue it.

by Jeffrey S. Young 2005

4.06

11k+ ratings

🚀 Startup Stories 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Design Thinking 👁️ Product Vision 💡 Innovation Culture

Steve Jobs

by Karen Blumenthal • 2012

Garage startup. Public firing. Decade in exile. The return that produced the iPod and iPhone.

3.95

7k+

⌨️ Computer History 💻 Tech Founders 🎨 Product Design 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🌸 Counterculture Tech

Steve Jobs 96%

Garage startup. Public firing. Decade in exile. The return that produced the iPod and iPhone.

by Karen Blumenthal 2012

3.95

7k+ ratings

⌨️ Computer History 💻 Tech Founders 🎨 Product Design 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🌸 Counterculture Tech

Return to the Little Kingdom

by Michael Moritz • 2009

A Los Altos garage, two unlikely partners, and the unfiltered early years of Apple.

4.00

1k+

🏞️ Silicon Valley History 🚀 Tech Startups 🏛️ Company Origin Stories 🎨 Design Thinking 🏢 Corporate Culture

Return to the Little Kingdom 96%

A Los Altos garage, two unlikely partners, and the unfiltered early years of Apple.

by Michael Moritz 2009

4.00

1k+ ratings

🏞️ Silicon Valley History 🚀 Tech Startups 🏛️ Company Origin Stories 🎨 Design Thinking 🏢 Corporate Culture

Hatching Twitter

by Nick Bilton • 2013

Four friends created Twitter. Then they systematically destroyed each other.

4.04

19k+

🚀 Tech Startups 🌉 Silicon Valley 📱 Social Media ⚔️ Founder Feuds 🕵️ Corporate Intrigue

Hatching Twitter 95%

Four friends created Twitter. Then they systematically destroyed each other.

by Nick Bilton 2013

4.04

19k+ ratings

🚀 Tech Startups 🌉 Silicon Valley 📱 Social Media ⚔️ Founder Feuds 🕵️ Corporate Intrigue

The Everything Store

by Brad Stone • 2013

How one man's ferocious drive turned an online bookstore into the world's most feared company.

4.14

78k+

👤 Founder Biographies 🏢 Corporate History 🚀 Tech Startups 🛒 E-Commerce 🧭 Corporate Culture

The Everything Store 95%

How one man's ferocious drive turned an online bookstore into the world's most feared company.

by Brad Stone 2013

4.14

78k+ ratings

👤 Founder Biographies 🏢 Corporate History 🚀 Tech Startups 🛒 E-Commerce 🧭 Corporate Culture

The Intel Trinity

by Michael S. Malone • 2014

Intel was built by three founders who rarely got along. Their friction shaped the modern world.

4.20

831

🌉 Silicon Valley History 💾 Semiconductor Industry 🏢 Corporate Histories 🚀 Tech Entrepreneurship 🤝 Founder Dynamics

The Intel Trinity 95%

Intel was built by three founders who rarely got along. Their friction shaped the modern world.

by Michael S. Malone 2014

4.20

831 ratings

🌉 Silicon Valley History 💾 Semiconductor Industry 🏢 Corporate Histories 🚀 Tech Entrepreneurship 🤝 Founder Dynamics

After Steve

by Tripp Mickle • 2022

After Jobs, Tim Cook made Apple worth $3 trillion. Jony Ive watched its creative engine stall.

4.09

3k+

🏢 Corporate Culture 📱 Big Tech ✏️ Design Thinking 🔄 Leadership Transitions ⚙️ Operations Management

After Steve 95%

After Jobs, Tim Cook made Apple worth $3 trillion. Jony Ive watched its creative engine stall.

by Tripp Mickle 2022

4.09

3k+ ratings

🏢 Corporate Culture 📱 Big Tech ✏️ Design Thinking 🔄 Leadership Transitions ⚙️ Operations Management

Losing the Signal

by Jacquie McNish • 2015

BlackBerry invented mobile email, built an $80 billion empire. The iPhone killed it in four years.

3.98

5k+

📉 Corporate Collapse 🔀 Disruptive Innovation 💻 Tech Industry 👥 Founder Dynamics 🚀 Tech Entrepreneurs

Losing the Signal 95%

BlackBerry invented mobile email, built an $80 billion empire. The iPhone killed it in four years.

by Jacquie McNish 2015

3.98

5k+ ratings

📉 Corporate Collapse 🔀 Disruptive Innovation 💻 Tech Industry 👥 Founder Dynamics 🚀 Tech Entrepreneurs

In the Plex

by Steven Levy • 2011

Inside Google: how two PhD students turned a search engine into the operating system of modern life.

3.84

30k+

🏢 Corporate History 🌐 Internet History ⚙️ Engineering Culture 💻 Silicon Valley 🚀 Startup Origin Stories

In the Plex 95%

Inside Google: how two PhD students turned a search engine into the operating system of modern life.

by Steven Levy 2011

3.84

30k+ ratings

🏢 Corporate History 🌐 Internet History ⚙️ Engineering Culture 💻 Silicon Valley 🚀 Startup Origin Stories

Steve Jobs

by Patricia Lakin • 2011

Before the iPhone, Jobs took a calligraphy class. That strange detour explains everything.

3.85

384

🚀 Tech Entrepreneurship 🎨 Product Design 💻 Silicon Valley 👁️ Visionary Leadership 💡 Design Thinking

Steve Jobs 95%

Before the iPhone, Jobs took a calligraphy class. That strange detour explains everything.

by Patricia Lakin 2011

3.85

384 ratings

🚀 Tech Entrepreneurship 🎨 Product Design 💻 Silicon Valley 👁️ Visionary Leadership 💡 Design Thinking

How to Think Like Bill Gates

by Daniel Smith • 2015

Deploy the Gates analytical method: it built Microsoft, and now it fights malaria.

3.69

275

🧑‍💻 Tech Entrepreneurship 💰 Billionaire Biographies 🏢 Corporate Leadership 🧠 Founder Thinking 📊 Data-Driven Thinking

How to Think Like Bill Gates 95%

Deploy the Gates analytical method: it built Microsoft, and now it fights malaria.

by Daniel Smith 2015

3.69

275 ratings

🧑‍💻 Tech Entrepreneurship 💰 Billionaire Biographies 🏢 Corporate Leadership 🧠 Founder Thinking 📊 Data-Driven Thinking

Inside Steve's Brain

by Leander Kahney • 2008

How ruthless focus, elite teams, and total control built the world's most admired company.

3.95

5k+

🍎 Apple History 💻 Tech Leadership 🎨 Design-Led Business ✂️ Ruthless Focus 💡 Innovation Culture

Inside Steve's Brain 95%

How ruthless focus, elite teams, and total control built the world's most admired company.

by Leander Kahney 2008

3.95

5k+ ratings

🍎 Apple History 💻 Tech Leadership 🎨 Design-Led Business ✂️ Ruthless Focus 💡 Innovation Culture

The Second Coming of Steve Jobs

by Alan Deutschman • 2000

Fired at thirty, Jobs failed a decade before returning to remake the company that rejected him.

3.95

3k+

🔄 Tech Turnarounds 🌉 Silicon Valley 🎭 Second Acts 🎨 Product Design ✨ Creative Perfectionism

The Second Coming of Steve Jobs 95%

Fired at thirty, Jobs failed a decade before returning to remake the company that rejected him.

by Alan Deutschman 2000

3.95

3k+ ratings

🔄 Tech Turnarounds 🌉 Silicon Valley 🎭 Second Acts 🎨 Product Design ✨ Creative Perfectionism

Amazon Unbound

by Brad Stone • 2021

Amazon's second act produced AWS, Alexa, and a $1.7 trillion empire, but the backlash had begun.

4.07

7k+

🏢 Big Tech 📜 Corporate History 💼 Workplace Culture 🛒 E-Commerce 🔬 Innovation Culture

Amazon Unbound 95%

Amazon's second act produced AWS, Alexa, and a $1.7 trillion empire, but the backlash had begun.

by Brad Stone 2021

4.07

7k+ ratings

🏢 Big Tech 📜 Corporate History 💼 Workplace Culture 🛒 E-Commerce 🔬 Innovation Culture

Google It

by Anna Crowley Redding • 2018

Two Stanford students, a garage, and an algorithm that ranked the entire web by importance.

4.00

617

🏢 Tech Company History 🌉 Silicon Valley Startups 🌐 Internet History 📖 Corporate Biography 🧮 Algorithmic Thinking

Google It 95%

Two Stanford students, a garage, and an algorithm that ranked the entire web by importance.

by Anna Crowley Redding 2018

4.00

617 ratings

🏢 Tech Company History 🌉 Silicon Valley Startups 🌐 Internet History 📖 Corporate Biography 🧮 Algorithmic Thinking

Hackers

by Steven Levy • 1984

Before the garage, a creed of open access and hands-on tinkering drove the computer revolution.

4.16

9k+

🖥️ Computer History 💻 Personal Computing ☮️ Tech Counterculture 📖 Open Source Philosophy ⌨️ Software History

Hackers 95%

Before the garage, a creed of open access and hands-on tinkering drove the computer revolution.

by Steven Levy 1984

4.16

9k+ ratings

🖥️ Computer History 💻 Personal Computing ☮️ Tech Counterculture 📖 Open Source Philosophy ⌨️ Software History

iWoz - Computer Geek to Cult Icon

by Steve Wozniak • 2006

Phone-hacking pranks, the Apple I, and the engineer who left his own revolution to teach.

3.85

18k+

🖥️ Personal Computing 🌉 Silicon Valley History 📞 Phone Phreaking 🔓 Hacker Ethos 🔧 Maker Culture

iWoz - Computer Geek to Cult Icon Summary

iWoz - Computer Geek to Cult Icon 95%

Phone-hacking pranks, the Apple I, and the engineer who left his own revolution to teach.

by Steve Wozniak 2006

3.85

18k+ ratings

🖥️ Personal Computing 🌉 Silicon Valley History 📞 Phone Phreaking 🔓 Hacker Ethos 🔧 Maker Culture

The Google Story

by David A. Vise • 2005

How two Stanford dropouts, one algorithm, and an ethical pledge built a $100 billion empire.

3.88

16k+

🚀 Silicon Valley Startups 💰 Digital Advertising ⚖️ Corporate Ethics 🏢 Tech Company Histories ⚔️ Tech Rivalries

The Google Story 95%

How two Stanford dropouts, one algorithm, and an ethical pledge built a $100 billion empire.

by David A. Vise 2005

3.88

16k+ ratings

🚀 Silicon Valley Startups 💰 Digital Advertising ⚖️ Corporate Ethics 🏢 Tech Company Histories ⚔️ Tech Rivalries

Troublemakers

by Leslie Berlin • 2017

The seven years when a California peninsula birthed personal computing, biotech, and video games.

4.09

769

🌉 Silicon Valley 🖥️ Personal Computing 💰 Venture Capital 👩‍💻 Women In Tech 🎮 Video Game History

Troublemakers 95%

The seven years when a California peninsula birthed personal computing, biotech, and video games.

by Leslie Berlin 2017

4.09

769 ratings

🌉 Silicon Valley 🖥️ Personal Computing 💰 Venture Capital 👩‍💻 Women In Tech 🎮 Video Game History

Tim Cook

by Leander Kahney • 2019

They said Apple peaked with Jobs. Cook's bet on operations, ethics, and privacy tripled its value.

3.70

3k+

🍎 Apple History 💻 Tech Leadership ❤️ Values-Driven Leadership ⚖️ Corporate Ethics 📦 Supply Chain Management

Tim Cook 95%

They said Apple peaked with Jobs. Cook's bet on operations, ethics, and privacy tripled its value.

by Leander Kahney 2019

3.70

3k+ ratings

🍎 Apple History 💻 Tech Leadership ❤️ Values-Driven Leadership ⚖️ Corporate Ethics 📦 Supply Chain Management

The Innovators

by Walter Isaacson • 2011

The digital revolution wasn't born in garages but in teams of hackers, engineers, and visionaries.

4.12

40k+

🖥️ Computer History 🤝 Collaborative Innovation 🏞️ Silicon Valley Origins 🌐 Internet History 💻 Digital Revolution

The Innovators 95%

The digital revolution wasn't born in garages but in teams of hackers, engineers, and visionaries.

by Walter Isaacson 2011

4.12

40k+ ratings

🖥️ Computer History 🤝 Collaborative Innovation 🏞️ Silicon Valley Origins 🌐 Internet History 💻 Digital Revolution

The Nvidia Way

by Tae Kim • 2024

The rules that saved Nvidia from bankruptcy now run a three-trillion-dollar company.

4.31

4k+

🔌 Semiconductor Industry 🏢 Tech Company Histories 👤 Founder-Led Companies 🧭 Management Philosophy ♟️ Competitive Strategy

The Nvidia Way 95%

The rules that saved Nvidia from bankruptcy now run a three-trillion-dollar company.

by Tae Kim 2024

4.31

4k+ ratings

🔌 Semiconductor Industry 🏢 Tech Company Histories 👤 Founder-Led Companies 🧭 Management Philosophy ♟️ Competitive Strategy

Giants of Enterprise

by Richard S. Tedlow • 2001

Seven titans built American business. The power they won then turned on them.

4.25

2k+

📜 Business History 🇺🇸 American Capitalism 🏭 Industrial Innovation 🛍️ Consumer Culture 🏷️ Brand Building

Giants of Enterprise 95%

Seven titans built American business. The power they won then turned on them.

by Richard S. Tedlow 2001

4.25

2k+ ratings

📜 Business History 🇺🇸 American Capitalism 🏭 Industrial Innovation 🛍️ Consumer Culture 🏷️ Brand Building

How the Internet Happened

by Brian McCullough • 2018

The Internet was not inevitable: a handful of companies built it in a frantic twenty-year race.

4.27

2k+

🖥️ Internet History 💸 Dot-Com Bubble 🔧 Tech History 🌉 Silicon Valley History 🧭 Internet Pioneers

How the Internet Happened 95%

The Internet was not inevitable: a handful of companies built it in a frantic twenty-year race.

by Brian McCullough 2018

4.27

2k+ ratings

🖥️ Internet History 💸 Dot-Com Bubble 🔧 Tech History 🌉 Silicon Valley History 🧭 Internet Pioneers

Power Play

by Tim Higgins • 2021

A $35,000 electric car drew 400,000 pre-orders. The factory to build it became a nightmare.

4.07

2k+

🚗 Electric Vehicles 💻 Silicon Valley Culture 🏢 Corporate Biographies 🏭 Manufacturing ⚡ Disruptive Technology

Power Play 95%

A $35,000 electric car drew 400,000 pre-orders. The factory to build it became a nightmare.

by Tim Higgins 2021

4.07

2k+ ratings

🚗 Electric Vehicles 💻 Silicon Valley Culture 🏢 Corporate Biographies 🏭 Manufacturing ⚡ Disruptive Technology

The PayPal Wars

by Eric M. Jackson • 2004

Russian mobsters, eBay's sabotage, an IPO after 9/11: inside PayPal's fight to survive.

3.99

1k+

🚀 Startup Stories 💳 Fintech History 🔗 Network Effects 🌉 Silicon Valley History 🦠 Viral Growth

The PayPal Wars 94%

Russian mobsters, eBay's sabotage, an IPO after 9/11: inside PayPal's fight to survive.

by Eric M. Jackson 2004

3.99

1k+ ratings

🚀 Startup Stories 💳 Fintech History 🔗 Network Effects 🌉 Silicon Valley History 🦠 Viral Growth

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