Forbes Greatest Technology Stories: Inspiring Tales of the Entrepreneurs and Inventors Who Revolutionized Modern Business

By Jeffrey S. Young

Book Overview

Here is the fascinating story of the making of the high-tech business revolution and the birth of the Digital Age. Journalist Jeffrey Young chronicles six decades of unbridled technological innovation, taking you inside today's business empires and introducing you to the dreamers, the schemers, the entrepreneurs, and the inventors who built them, including: * Millionaire-playboy turned visionary-CEO Thomas Watson, Jr.-how he helped pioneer the business computing industry in the early 1950s and made IBM its undisputed master for the next three decades * Fast-talking hippie-entrepreneur Steve Jobs and engineering genius Steve Wozniak-how they went from penniless "wireheads" to high-tech multimillionaires overnight * Bill Gates-whose talent for turning other people's creative innovations into his own marketplace success was at the heart of Microsoft's brilliant strategy-a tactic Gates perfected at a very tender age * How a handful of visionaries turned a Cold War communications system into the global phenomenon called the Internet Packed with all the excitement of scientific discovery and nail-biting suspense of entrepreneurial brinksmanship, Forbes Greatest Technology Stories is must reading for every business professional. Forbes (r) is a registered trademark of Forbes Inc. Its use is pursuant to a license agreement with forbes Inc.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471243744
• ISBN13: 9780471243748
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 1.3" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

a great motivator for any IT person out there

After buying the book I was a little scaptic about this book keeping me intrested but rather than being too technical and 'professional' the book is more like a drama with alot of winners and losers.It was a great inspiring experience-reading stories like the ones about bill gates,steve jobs and his body 'woz'.The book floats along the evolution of the computer industry,the IBM empire,the Microsoft phenomenen throght the stories of the people who made it and those who couldn't stay in the top.A must read for every person who has some computer background who wants to know how it all started and also for the not-yet computer fan who just wants a good read.

Tales Well-Told

These really are "stories" rather than commentaries. A born storyteller, Young presents what he calls "inspiring tales of the entrepreneurs and inventors who revolutionized modern business." They include the "pioneers and pirates" who developed the prototype for the first commercial computers as well as Thomas J. Watson, Jr., William Shockley, Jack Kilby, Jay Forrester, Edwin De Castro, Douglas Engelbart, Bob Noyce, Andy Grove, & Gordon Moore, Edward Roberts, Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak, Don Estridge, Lew Eggbrecht, Bill Gates & Paul Allen, Tom Carter, Bill McGowan, Craig McCaw, Bob Taylor, Steve Case, and Marc Andreesen.Perhaps at least a few of these names are unfamiliar to you. That is one of the great benefits of this book: It introduces a "cast" of literally hundreds of different "characters", most of them probably unfamiliar to most readers. I was fascinated to learn how important their "roles" were...how significant the impact of their work has proven to be.For whom will this book be of greatest interest? Probably for those such as I who enjoy a story well-told, who have a keen interest in knowing more about various "entrepreneurs and inventors who revolutionized modern business", and who appreciate having what amounts to a frame-of-reference within which to understand current and future developments. Also, Young's book will suggest additional readings such as full-length biographies of the major "characters" in the "tales" he has told so well.

This is the best contrast of invention vs marketing.

If you thought the TNT "Pirates of Silicon Valley" was good, this expounds so much the TV show left out. This story held me spellbound as it encompassed the whole history of the modern computer. It starts with a young college professor who dwells on the binary numbers taught to him by his mother. He makes a drum with paper capacitors that when spun, the drum would charge the paper and he could perform calculations. You will understand why Bill Gates is a billionaire - he is probably one the most ruthless & resourceful people ever. Learn how his unkempt appearance is part of his strategy to destroy his competitors.The whole book read like a mystery novel. Anyone in the IT world will realize that they only had a few pieces of the story - this book fills in the blanks. The insights of the author are amazing. I've read hundreds of books - this is the best secular book I've ever read.