The Silicon Boys: And Their Valley of Dreams

by David A. Kaplan

Book Overview

In the best book to date on the subject (San Francisco Chronicle), prize-winning journalist David A. Kaplan brings to life the culture and history of Silicon Valley. The symbol of high-tech genius and ineffable wealth, a place that competes with Hollywood and Washington in the zeitgeist of success and excess, the Valley is the epicenter of the New Economy. Depending on yesterday's stock market close, roughly a quartermillion Siliconillionaires...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688179061
• ISBN13: 9780688179069
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

What an amazing book!

Wow. What an amazing book. Not many books live up to my expectations, but this one surpassed it. David Kaplan manages to walk readers through the entire history of Silicon Valley, from orchards, to Apple, to Fairchild, to Intel, to Yahoo! and beyond, explaining every step of the way how each company is interrelated and the geneology of the people and the funding. There are antedotal stories along the way to keep you interested. He tells of the greed, and the lavish lifestyles. We get behind-the-scenes details of the deals that created the companies we all take for granted - Netscape, Microsoft, Yahoo, Intel, Apple, etc. This book is much more than merely the stories of those on the back cover (Yang, Doerr, Andreessen, Gates, Clark, Jobs): It is a detailed, well planned, well executed history of Silicon Valley. Anyone wanting to know the history of the valley or the history of the high tech companies in the valley need look no further than this book. It amazes me that Kaplan was able to pack so much fascinating information into just over 300 pages.

A great look into the magic kingdom

This was my summer vacation book last year, beginning and ending during my family's flight to and from San Francisco. We flew to California for the Women's World Cup match in Palo Alto. For me, as we drove our rental car throughout the Silicon Valley, Kaplan's book brought to life what went on behind the walls, whether on the Stanford campus, in the venture capital firms up the street, or on the verandas of the homes dotting the nearby hills. It was a terrific read and an insightful look at today's mega-rich and how they made it.

Amazing, fascinating and highly revealing.

Did you ever wonder where and how Netscape got its start? Think you know how Yahoo became the search engine powerhouse? Do you what Marc Anderseen did to become a millionaire?Read this most fascinating and captivating tale of the powerful giants of the silicon valley. Follow along as the "Boys" make their mark in computer history and how each of them made their millions.Find out who is the one man that Bill Gates fears or what the "boys" think of Steven Jobs. You'll read about greed and the lust for power, the undying quest by these men to become the best at what they do.The book is more than just the story of the rise to the top, it is laced with so much history of the silicon valley and those that had and has the desire to make it work and prosper. A very good book indeed!

I found Silicon Boys to be a page-turner

I am not much of a non-fiction reader outside of computer manuals and that sort of thing. I like a book that gets my adrenaline going and that I have a hard time to putting down.Well, suprise, suprise, for me, Silicon Boys was just that sort of book. I could hardly wait to read it and had a hard time putting it down to turn out the light.At first I thought it was just going to be sour grapes about the rich boys. But as I read further I got caught up into who discovered what and who stole what from whom and who was on their last dime and then became mega rich and - well- the whole intrigue of it all.David Kaplan has a way with words and in the future I will definitely be looking for his name in print.