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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Interesting and sometimes uncomfortable read
It's a book that pays to remember that this is one persons perspective, and also the person directly involved in the narrative; but by the end, including that epilogue chapter; but it's clear that this is not simply the story of someone out of place and unable to adapt.
There's clearly a lot to learn from this, to understand the long term lessons that these wannabe unicorn companies are trying to do.
There's nothing wrong with building a strong company culture, and aiming higher than just paying staff to do a job. But saying and really doing are not the same thing. Sometimes people can get caught up in the fast pace of it all and forget the lasting effects of the small decisions, or the repercussions of quick thinking actions.
Dan's book is a powerful read and the lessons within are certainly going to sit with me. I've made mistakes in the past, forgetting to consider feelings and long term effects, not on this scale thankfully, but enough to stay with me as reference points. I hope that if this book does anything, it can act as a way to teach people lessons without ever having to make these mistakes, hurt people's feelings, and put priorities in the wrong order.
It's a book that pays to remember that this is one persons perspective, and also the person directly involved in the narrative; but by the end, including that epilogue chapter; but it's clear that this is not simply the story of someone out of place and unable to adapt.
There's clearly a lot to learn from this, to understand the long term lessons that these wannabe unicorn companies are trying to do.
There's nothing wrong with building a strong company culture, and aiming higher than just paying staff to do a job. But saying and really doing are not the same thing. Sometimes people can get caught up in the fast pace of it all and forget the lasting effects of the small decisions, or the repercussions of quick thinking actions.
Dan's book is a powerful read and the lessons within are certainly going to sit with me. I've made mistakes in the past, forgetting to consider feelings and long term effects, not on this scale thankfully, but enough to stay with me as reference points. I hope that if this book does anything, it can act as a way to teach people lessons without ever having to make these mistakes, hurt people's feelings, and put priorities in the wrong order.
A quick read, and ties into some things I'm doing at work, plus my deep love for HBO's Silicon Valley. Lyons' observations are insightful and conveyed in an acerbic and witty mode that I very much enjoyed. While anecdotal in nature, Lyons covers just enough ground to extrapolate his experiences at HubSpot to comment on the larger trends in the current start up environment.
Could not put it down - one of the best books I've read in a long time, and a must-read for anyone working in start-ups or tech in general. Too good!
This was a great cautionary tale for me - as an engineer passing the mid-40s, I wonder how employable I'll be in 10 years. :/ It took a lot of great (sometimes a bit too easy) potshots at drink-the-kool-aid Silicon Valley startup culture. And there is something can't-look-away fascinating about a really crushing work experience, where you seem to dig yourself deeper the harder you try.
Surprisingly what held me back the most about this book was the writing style - just clunky and tepid in many places. Dan Lyons has been writing for many years, but maybe tech journalism doesn't necessarily translate to narrative. I found myself wishing the same story had been ghost-written by Michael Lewis.
Surprisingly what held me back the most about this book was the writing style - just clunky and tepid in many places. Dan Lyons has been writing for many years, but maybe tech journalism doesn't necessarily translate to narrative. I found myself wishing the same story had been ghost-written by Michael Lewis.
Interesting perspective, but aside from the ending, I would say it reflects about as poorly on the author as it does Hubspot. The worst experience he had while at the company was the abusive boss, and that can happen anywhere.
This book is a very enjoyable read, it is well written, funny and a fascinating look behind the Silicon Valley "tech bubble" and the insane corporate culture. It definitely makes me want to read more of this work.
However, there was parts of this book that didn't sit right with me. Clearly a white guy that is always been appreciated for his talents, didn't. And yes I do agree he experienced ageism but he seemed to lack empathy for other forms of discrimination. He did mention the lack of diversity in tech, but is thrilled to be in a LA writers room with all guys where he can openly make jokes about "huge cocks and dry vaginas", which he wouldn't be able to do at HubSpot...
He describes himself as someone who "could always fit in" and was "never was bullied at school", and fails to acknowledge that his could be due to his white male privilege. I guess I found it hard him describing the ageism he was experiencing but then at times was misogynistic, entitled and arrogant. This unfortunately made him come across a bit out of touch and did ruin it a bit for me.
That being said, I read it in less than 24hrs as I enjoyed it so much. I would recommend it to others, but recommend to keep his lack of introspection in mind as that is not what you will get from this book, but what you will get is a funny, entertaining look behind the curtain of a seemingly insane company that like many other Unicorns makes no profits but yet is worth over a billion dollars.
However, there was parts of this book that didn't sit right with me. Clearly a white guy that is always been appreciated for his talents, didn't. And yes I do agree he experienced ageism but he seemed to lack empathy for other forms of discrimination. He did mention the lack of diversity in tech, but is thrilled to be in a LA writers room with all guys where he can openly make jokes about "huge cocks and dry vaginas", which he wouldn't be able to do at HubSpot...
He describes himself as someone who "could always fit in" and was "never was bullied at school", and fails to acknowledge that his could be due to his white male privilege. I guess I found it hard him describing the ageism he was experiencing but then at times was misogynistic, entitled and arrogant. This unfortunately made him come across a bit out of touch and did ruin it a bit for me.
That being said, I read it in less than 24hrs as I enjoyed it so much. I would recommend it to others, but recommend to keep his lack of introspection in mind as that is not what you will get from this book, but what you will get is a funny, entertaining look behind the curtain of a seemingly insane company that like many other Unicorns makes no profits but yet is worth over a billion dollars.
Good lord, after almost 5 years in startups, this was the definition of 'too close to home'.
Most enjoyable book that I have read this year. Great insights into working in a company that is operating inside a bubble of hype. Must read.
Dan Lyons lost his job right after his wife quit hers. He was in desperate need of a job and decided to try something completely new. He gets a job at Hubspot an up and coming tech company. His is twice the age of his coworkers. He doesn't understand the environment or his coworkers.
The way he tells it he worked in an extremely hostile work environment but kept putting up with it waiting for the company to go public and make money. (Which he does). You can see where some of the story lines for Silicon Valley came from. At times he definitely comes across as an employee that has been fired and is bashing the company.
The way he tells it he worked in an extremely hostile work environment but kept putting up with it waiting for the company to go public and make money. (Which he does). You can see where some of the story lines for Silicon Valley came from. At times he definitely comes across as an employee that has been fired and is bashing the company.