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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This book provides a lot of insight into the much admired tech startup industry. It's an eye opener to anybody considering venturing into that industry. I got a feeling that some of the stories might have been embellished a bit with poetic licence in order to make for a better story but overall, it all sounded real and believable.
It's a quick and fun read and would definitely expand your knowledge about the world of silicon valley, for better or worse.
It's a quick and fun read and would definitely expand your knowledge about the world of silicon valley, for better or worse.
If you or someone you know is considering working for a startup, read this first.
Basically an essential read for anyone working in tech right now. Sure, I'd prefer similar written by someone on the engineering side, but the criticism of culture and management is general.
I was torn between a 1 star and a 5 star review. The 5 stars because I can't remember the last time I read a book that made me so angry. I was initially really excited to read this - like the author I am a 50+ guy who jumped into the much younger world of start-ups. I was curious about his thoughts and experiences, both good and bad. Given his journalism background, I had really high expectations. I was completely let down. This book was really just a polemic about the evils of start-ups and their culture, both in general and a high level of specificity the company he worked at HubSpot.
Is there a culture of ageism, sexism, racism, etc. at some start-ups? Absolutely. And at established companies? Of course! These issues are not start-up issues, but societal issues. Is HubSpot a weird place to work? I really have no idea - based on the author's experience, yes, but unfortunately we only got one side of the story. Is IBM a weird place to work? Perhaps if you're 25 years old - who is to know?
Further, the author trashed the product, but he never said if he ever used it or not. And I'm not sure he realizes that ageism is a two-way street. He is so critical of the younger generation that is leading the company that he refuses to give them credit for building something. He may not like what the product is intended to do, but it doesn't mean it doesn't do it well. I don't like what Marlboro does, but that doesn't it mean it doesn't do it well.
What irked me the most is as a fish out of water at the start-ups I have worked at, I try hard to break the stereotype of the old cranky guy who refuses to adapt - in short, what younger employers fear. What I do is try to learn as much as I can from my much younger co-workers (I've learned tons!) and embrace the energy and spirit of passionate, intelligent people putting their heart and soul into creating great companies. He criticizes the HubSpot team for feeling they are doing something "revolutionary", but why is that wrong? Everyone should feel that about their company!
In short, I've worked for or with about six start-ups, not all were started by white males or even predominately male. I never saw a nerf gun, but did have lots of candy. Some companies flourished, some didn't. All were exciting, intellectually challenging, and amazing places to work. I'm truly sorry the author didn't have the same experiences I've had.
Is there a culture of ageism, sexism, racism, etc. at some start-ups? Absolutely. And at established companies? Of course! These issues are not start-up issues, but societal issues. Is HubSpot a weird place to work? I really have no idea - based on the author's experience, yes, but unfortunately we only got one side of the story. Is IBM a weird place to work? Perhaps if you're 25 years old - who is to know?
Further, the author trashed the product, but he never said if he ever used it or not. And I'm not sure he realizes that ageism is a two-way street. He is so critical of the younger generation that is leading the company that he refuses to give them credit for building something. He may not like what the product is intended to do, but it doesn't mean it doesn't do it well. I don't like what Marlboro does, but that doesn't it mean it doesn't do it well.
What irked me the most is as a fish out of water at the start-ups I have worked at, I try hard to break the stereotype of the old cranky guy who refuses to adapt - in short, what younger employers fear. What I do is try to learn as much as I can from my much younger co-workers (I've learned tons!) and embrace the energy and spirit of passionate, intelligent people putting their heart and soul into creating great companies. He criticizes the HubSpot team for feeling they are doing something "revolutionary", but why is that wrong? Everyone should feel that about their company!
In short, I've worked for or with about six start-ups, not all were started by white males or even predominately male. I never saw a nerf gun, but did have lots of candy. Some companies flourished, some didn't. All were exciting, intellectually challenging, and amazing places to work. I'm truly sorry the author didn't have the same experiences I've had.
Narcissism vs insanity: the book.
I was not sure about which rating should I give. One one hand, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is remarkably entertaining, and would deserve 4 stars for this. On the other hand, if the author wanted to communicate a message, then he proved himself to be an unreliable narrator.
It is hard to present yourself as exposing the vapid stupidity, ageism, sexism and sociopathy of the tech culture when you yourself come across as a grouchy, ageist and narcissistic jerk.
I was not sure about which rating should I give. One one hand, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is remarkably entertaining, and would deserve 4 stars for this. On the other hand, if the author wanted to communicate a message, then he proved himself to be an unreliable narrator.
It is hard to present yourself as exposing the vapid stupidity, ageism, sexism and sociopathy of the tech culture when you yourself come across as a grouchy, ageist and narcissistic jerk.
The book started alright, surprisingly. It's the story of this really whiny and self-entitled guy who starts working in a tech company and complains about everything that happens, and some parts of it are pretty relatable (yes, I do work at HubSpot, yes, I'm 22 and right out of college, and yes, there are some things that did make me laugh in his description, because yes, some parts of our culture code are, indeed, preposterous).
Then, somewhere along the middle, it just became 100% whining and no more making fun of the culture code and the colleagues. Just complaining and explaining that the guy deserved sooooooo much better - and didn't get anything better because, apparently, well, other people didn't think that he deserved anything more than what he had. Real heartbreaker.
All in all, if you want a funny overview of everything ridiculous at HubSpot, ask any HubSpot employee. I'll tell you everything about the free beer, the Halloween party and the dogs, and I won't whine so much about how amazing I am and how my bosses - sorry, team leader - don't see my real value.
Then, somewhere along the middle, it just became 100% whining and no more making fun of the culture code and the colleagues. Just complaining and explaining that the guy deserved sooooooo much better - and didn't get anything better because, apparently, well, other people didn't think that he deserved anything more than what he had. Real heartbreaker.
All in all, if you want a funny overview of everything ridiculous at HubSpot, ask any HubSpot employee. I'll tell you everything about the free beer, the Halloween party and the dogs, and I won't whine so much about how amazing I am and how my bosses - sorry, team leader - don't see my real value.
dark
Expert skewering of the excesses and cultishness of Silicon Valley. Essential reading for anyone who works in tech, cares about how "cultural fit" leads to discrimination, or is nervous about the seemingly unstoppable growth of another bubble.
If I've made this book sound boring or dry, it's anything but - it has the pace of a novel where you can't wait to find out what happened next, and is very, very funny - it's a cliche to say I laughed out loud but I really did.
If I've made this book sound boring or dry, it's anything but - it has the pace of a novel where you can't wait to find out what happened next, and is very, very funny - it's a cliche to say I laughed out loud but I really did.
This book was really amusing and kind of scary for lots of different reasons. Both Lyons and HubSpot came across as kind of insufferable, but Lyons also said a lot of what I would have been thinking in his position. HubSpot sounds like a seriously awful place to work. After I finished the book, I read through their website and "Culture Code" and it's just as exhausting as I thought it would be. It's so twee and enthusiastic and self-congratulatory. I would really hate to work there. I also read HubSpot's response to the book (called "Undisrupted" - uuugh) and the writing style is the same there. I don't know how to describe it perfectly but the word insufferable pops up a lot in my head. I'm glad they apologized for calling it a "graduation" whenever someone quit or was fired, though, that was pretty ridiculous. I also did not realize how many startups make MILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars for investors without even turning a profit...I mean I really have no idea how business works but doesn't it kind of seem like a scam if a small number of people can make such an insane amount on a company that loses money? Maybe this is just how it is now but it doesn't sound like it's great for the employees. And I'm sure it's not this way at all startups but at this one at least it really sounded like people were drinking the kool-aid pretty hard. I feel like it's normal to have some criticisms about your business or place of work, and while there have been lots of places I've loved working at, there haven't been any that I've thought were perfect or where I thought nothing could have been improved. Lyons reporting of the cruelty of the company sounded legit to me, and it makes the cheery emphasis on "delightion" that they put forward as their brand even more cult-ish. On the other hand, Lyons felt like an entitled old who misses the old days when you could talk at work about firing your nanny because she made your wife uncomfortable and not have coworkers think that was gross. But I am more on his side than HubSpot's, mainly because he's one person and they are a company, and their brand even outside of what Lyons wrote about it feels creepy to me...or at least just really annoying. Lyons could probably stand to get his head out of his ass a little bit, because I'm sure many of the jokes he cracked to lighten the mood deserved the blank stares they got, but I feel like this was probably the worst place he could have ended up after journalism. A startup that was less ridiculous and felt more like a business might have gotten him to think about some of the notions he had about how to joke/banter with coworkers in a funny and respectful way in the 21st century, but as it was, there was no way for him to tell what was politically correct for 2015 and what was definitely ridiculous. He did reach out to friends and colleagues to ask about some of the stuff he encountered to be sure that his feelings about them were not overreactions, but the absurdity of HubSpot didn't leave a lot of room for nuance.
I also did think briefly about whether or not it makes me cynical or joyless to not be on board with "delightion" or sending emails with many exclamation points to praise all my coworkers for the AWESOME jobs they're doing!!!!!!! and I think I'm good. I mean, I think I'd rather get my joy elsewhere.
I also did think briefly about whether or not it makes me cynical or joyless to not be on board with "delightion" or sending emails with many exclamation points to praise all my coworkers for the AWESOME jobs they're doing!!!!!!! and I think I'm good. I mean, I think I'd rather get my joy elsewhere.
I might have liked this more if Lyons himself was more humble. Many many thoughts on it, but I feel like a lot of truth is hard to take because he's so smug and unwilling to recognize any of his own flaws. He also seems not to apply the same critical lens to other industries as he does to Tech Start-ups and so comes off a bit like he's pining for the past "utopia" of corporate America???
No promises, but if I organize my thoughts more I'll come back and edit this review.
No promises, but if I organize my thoughts more I'll come back and edit this review.