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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
A business professor’s look into four of the world’s largest businesses. Would have loved to see a more in-depth analysis on these companies.
Recommended for: readers interested in: entrepreneurial stories; the role of big data; and the presence of consumer self-image.
Remarks: a very well-written evaluation of the 'big four'. It's a great start for readers with a casual, somewhat ignorant interest in business and finance, as the writer does not use too much trade verbology that would confuse casual readers. Also great as an audiobook!
Remarks: a very well-written evaluation of the 'big four'. It's a great start for readers with a casual, somewhat ignorant interest in business and finance, as the writer does not use too much trade verbology that would confuse casual readers. Also great as an audiobook!
Opinion turn into easy way to fall asleep
It’s interesting to see his perspective how the big four dominates the market but then it gets tediously boring hearing his perspective. It went from interesting to incredibly boring
It’s interesting to see his perspective how the big four dominates the market but then it gets tediously boring hearing his perspective. It went from interesting to incredibly boring
I got a lot out of this. It changed the way I think about these 4 companies, and their future. I liked the book much better when it read like an information dump, or a well-thought out thesis. I was annoyed by the author's conversational style..dropping F-bombs, making little jabs at people..i.e. when comparing something to Bruce Jenner and his accomplishments and showing up on the author's childhood Wheaties box, why does he have to add something like, "Sorry Caitlyn, you are always Bruce to me." Not a huge deal. But the style makes the author seem less intelligent, more pompous and less credible.
DNF. Couldn't hack the author's style, snark, or obsession with humans as sex-crazed hunter gatherers.
Predicting the future is always a fool's errand. In technology, doubly so. History would have found it easier to be kind to his wayward predictions if he weren't so damn certain that he was the next Nostradamus.
Predicting the future is always a fool's errand. In technology, doubly so. History would have found it easier to be kind to his wayward predictions if he weren't so damn certain that he was the next Nostradamus.
Three things mar this otherwise excellent book, which convincingly argues that Apple is a religion-cum-luxury brand and that Big Tech should be broken up: 1) the chapter on entrepreneurism culled from a course he runs; 2) the admission that having stocks in two of these companies helped the author out after the 2008 Crash; and 3) the iffy tone that veers from colloquial to very well researched academic paper. And one more thing: the book ought to be called The Four Horsemen but that would get it banned on Amazon.
Learned a lot from it. About marketing and the internet, and the 4 companies the book focused upon.
It's a bit over-dramatic, but I guess that was also entertaining.
It's a bit over-dramatic, but I guess that was also entertaining.
Reading this in the summer of 2021 means there wasn't much in here I didn't know already, however even then Galloway paints an entertaining picture. This book is a frank and unapologetic look at these foundational tech companies and while sometimes harsh, his words ring true (and are often laugh out loud funny!).
I hope that every young person I know learns the messages contained in the 2nd to last chapter on what it takes to be successful in life. I often feel lucky that I've stumbled across many of these tenants due to a great childhood (thanks Mom and Dad!). And a slew of timely mentors along the way.
I hope that every young person I know learns the messages contained in the 2nd to last chapter on what it takes to be successful in life. I often feel lucky that I've stumbled across many of these tenants due to a great childhood (thanks Mom and Dad!). And a slew of timely mentors along the way.
This was a very interesting book. The author describes the amazing stories of Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple. He goes on to tell about that great good that each of these organisations have done for humanity, but at the same time, talks about a dark side to each. (e.g. loss of privacy, consumerism, etc.). Sometimes the negative portrayed, do seem a little extreme, but a good read nonetheless.