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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This book veers between humorous and scathing, and I'm not sure what Dan really wanted it to be - laughing at himself and his old-guy can't-fit-in situation, laughing at Hubspot and their ideas of culture, complaining about being mistreated, looking for sympathy, looking for justice. I find this book actually does remind me of the TV show Silicon Valley, it's sometimes dead-on and sometimes uncomfortably off-target, and I wished it was more consistent.
Author Dan Lyons absolutely skewers his former employer Hubspot, using spot on insight with a good blend of humor, in Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble. But the real story behind the book is the absolute disfunction of the tech world and how the public has been fooled into ignoring the hypocrisy and cult-like fervor of this narcissistic industry. In a snarky Jon Stewart style, he brings humor to his rollercoaster ride that includes a strange cast of characters that include "wantrapreneurs", brogrammers, and sociopaths.
The financial shenanigans that occur to fund this industry is shocking. The reality that billions of dollars are funneled out to a few hands, yet they make NO profit, goes against all financial rules. This is a bubble and you better look out because when it bursts, it's going to hit hard.
The employees of Hubspot are drinking the Kool-Aid because they are all hoping that this is the next Mark Zetterburg get rich quick company. But unlike Microsoft or Apple that started out small and provided an actual profitable product before going to an IPO, these companies are deep in the red (millions and millions). Lyons uses the term Bozo Explosion to explain the employees in one chapter.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs used the term "bozo explosion" to explain a companies mediocre early hires and how they end up running departments. The bozos are first in and when they need to hire new people, they prefer to hire bozos. But they are going to go down a level so they can feel superior. And the thing is that bozos don't know they are bozos. Lyons also refers to the running-Kruger effect based on a Cornell University study. The study found that incompetent people fail to recognize their own lack of skill, grossly overestimate their abilities, and are unable to recognize talent in other people who are actually competent. Lyons believes this phenomenon has occurred at Hubspot over the past 7 years, and if his story is true, sell your stock now.
Great read for anyone who has an interest in how Silicon Valley works on a general level and if you want a good guffaw.
The financial shenanigans that occur to fund this industry is shocking. The reality that billions of dollars are funneled out to a few hands, yet they make NO profit, goes against all financial rules. This is a bubble and you better look out because when it bursts, it's going to hit hard.
The employees of Hubspot are drinking the Kool-Aid because they are all hoping that this is the next Mark Zetterburg get rich quick company. But unlike Microsoft or Apple that started out small and provided an actual profitable product before going to an IPO, these companies are deep in the red (millions and millions). Lyons uses the term Bozo Explosion to explain the employees in one chapter.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs used the term "bozo explosion" to explain a companies mediocre early hires and how they end up running departments. The bozos are first in and when they need to hire new people, they prefer to hire bozos. But they are going to go down a level so they can feel superior. And the thing is that bozos don't know they are bozos. Lyons also refers to the running-Kruger effect based on a Cornell University study. The study found that incompetent people fail to recognize their own lack of skill, grossly overestimate their abilities, and are unable to recognize talent in other people who are actually competent. Lyons believes this phenomenon has occurred at Hubspot over the past 7 years, and if his story is true, sell your stock now.
Great read for anyone who has an interest in how Silicon Valley works on a general level and if you want a good guffaw.
"I rationalize this by telling myself that while the work might be ignoble, it's not necessarily evil. We're not Hitler. We're just annoying people." Dan Lyons puts into words the WTF thoughts so many traditional media people have as they try to find a new career in content marketing/digital experience/web etc. After 18 years as a newspaper reporter, I spent three years working for a company that aspired to be Hubspot and resembled it greatly. We heard a lot about the pool guy marketing genius. We saw huge business pivots every six months or so as the company tried to become profitable and attempted to carve out a niche. But, like Dan, I needed the money and job more than I needed to be smug and holier than thou. Frankly, I learned a lot, too, and in every job interview I've had since then, I have found the people interviewing me are far, far more interested in my start-up experience than my newspaper days. All the Millenials I worked with at the digital company were the same way. They were trying to survive in an industry that didn't know what it was doing. They didn't have a choice. I really like the honesty of this book and I appreciate that Dan fully admits he was a fish out of water. Like The Big Short, this book fleshes out the investors and industry changes that created this orange-themed, candy-supplied world.
This is a look at life in a tech start up. Factor in that the author is twice the age of his co-workers and you have a recipe for a book. At times it is hilarious. At times, I was struck by the 'bitter old guy" vibe. But, the observations throughout are interesting. My final note on this book is that I was puzzled that the author didn't understand Hubspot's reaction to his FB posts. A person can't work in corporate America and be oblivious to social media policy. Perhaps the journalism background of the author fostered a belief that he could always post whatever he wanted. All the same, this is a really interesting book.
Well that managed to be painful, hilarious, and explain why I thought Dan Lyons was *extra* snarky while writing for Gawker. Do recommend.
Reads like a horror story for those of us that work in this industry. Entertaining, but the author sometimes really really wants you to feel sympathetic to him, which detracts from the narrative.
A good, fun read that set off my PTSD from my own forays into the startup world. I think one company I worked at was just about 50% as evil as the one the author describes and I'm lucky it wasn't worse. There were a few moments when his tale of woe turned petty or repetitive, but for the most part he kept me turning the pages. A bucket of cold water to pour over our "irrational exuberance" about startups' culture and business practices.
I loved this book for many reasons.
Dan Lyons were technology editor for Newsweek and had made a career in Journalism, always moving up and advancing his career......until he was fired. It came as a shock. So, he decides to restart his career in marketing for a startup company called HubSpot. This is his story, as a 50 year old, recreating himself in a millennial world of startups like Facebook, Twitter, HubSpot and all these other tech companies. It does not go very well for many reasons.
This book made me laugh, made me mad, blew my mind, and gave me insight into startups, inventors, millennial's style of business. Am I 100% on Dan's side...no but I am 98% on his side. The best stories was Dan, 50 years old, getting in trouble and dealing with issues with people have his age.
Also, as a sales and marketing manager, I dealt with the "marketing" of HubSpot, so I had a bit of a connection with this book.
Lastly, I have to say, the HubSpot culture, as described by Dan Lyons, reminds me of [b:The Circle|18302455|The Circle|Dave Eggers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1376419833s/18302455.jpg|25791820]
Dan Lyons were technology editor for Newsweek and had made a career in Journalism, always moving up and advancing his career......until he was fired. It came as a shock. So, he decides to restart his career in marketing for a startup company called HubSpot. This is his story, as a 50 year old, recreating himself in a millennial world of startups like Facebook, Twitter, HubSpot and all these other tech companies. It does not go very well for many reasons.
This book made me laugh, made me mad, blew my mind, and gave me insight into startups, inventors, millennial's style of business. Am I 100% on Dan's side...no but I am 98% on his side. The best stories was Dan, 50 years old, getting in trouble and dealing with issues with people have his age.
Also, as a sales and marketing manager, I dealt with the "marketing" of HubSpot, so I had a bit of a connection with this book.
Lastly, I have to say, the HubSpot culture, as described by Dan Lyons, reminds me of [b:The Circle|18302455|The Circle|Dave Eggers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1376419833s/18302455.jpg|25791820]
If you are a) over 45
and/or
b) have ever worked for a startup tech or media company
you HAVE to read this book. Its incredibly funny, astonishingly infuriating and an amazingly accurate look at career trajectories for olds in the 21st century. It also provides a very clear description of how VCs and a handful of company executives pillage the funding system for startups to line their own pockets, while convincing young people to work for low salaries and zero job security.
Equally as good: The NYT review, which you can read here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/06/books/review-disrupted-dan-lyons-fake-steve-jobs.html
and/or
b) have ever worked for a startup tech or media company
you HAVE to read this book. Its incredibly funny, astonishingly infuriating and an amazingly accurate look at career trajectories for olds in the 21st century. It also provides a very clear description of how VCs and a handful of company executives pillage the funding system for startups to line their own pockets, while convincing young people to work for low salaries and zero job security.
Equally as good: The NYT review, which you can read here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/06/books/review-disrupted-dan-lyons-fake-steve-jobs.html