She is alive and hearing her recollections is super cool. If you follow the link to the short documentary I mentioned in the column you will see her then and now.
No, I didn't write Fire in the Valley, but did write some other books. I appreciate that you felt Hackers was a cool read. But whether you believe me or not, the default for real journalists is NOT embellishing, but doing reporting to get to the nearest thing to truth. Not all writers do that (some "nonfiction" authors are frank about making up dialogue, and even moving the timeline) but to me and the vast majority of my peers, nonfiction means just that.
I have been fascinated with YC since the beginning and twice tracked batches for stories--W07 for Newsweek and W11 for Wired. So it was great to return in the Sam Altman (and large cast of others) era to see how YC has basically made the pivot from its focus on mainly helping the founders in its batches to the broader mission of spreading startups (and the mentality of founders) throughout the world. When I spoke to PG from his happy UK exile, he reminded me that he was thinking this from the start. It was also great spending time with Sam and many other partners, some of whom I've known for years. Thanks to Kat, Sharon, and all the other YC folks and founders who helped me on this.
Ballmer says that in the NBA salaries are totally transparent. And columnists know everything that the GM does. Teamwork is judged every 24 second. This makes for a level of accountability that tech firms could use. Is he right?
Good to see so many people here are agog with disbelief at this story, which understandably didn't get as much talk as the more disturbing harassment charges. I am assuming by Uber's lack of a counter narrative to the jacket story that it is accurate. To be sure I did write Uber asking if Fowler's account was correct, but they did not reply.
What is really depressing is that its only the allegedly fraudulent activity that allows the AG to sue--if Spectrum didn't lie about its speed, it would have been free to overcharge and even to keep charging for its obsolete cable modems. And from here on in, there will be LESS regulation of these monopolies.
I wonder if the different dispositions of the companies in the first few years were simply a consequence of founders' personalities, relative market conditions, or the way the companies grew. Would Uber have been less combative if it had grown up in YC?
I wonder if Odyssey's UGC plan is starting at the wrong time--well the wave of clickbait now be a target of platforms under pressure? Or is "viruality" at any cost still the way to make a big splash on social?
Writing this story, I got a good sense of the difference between silicon valley culture and auto industry culture (at a time when carmakers perceive the threat from tech companies and are trying, sort of, to be more nimble and tech-ish). Bill Ford is a great entry point because his heart is in the environment and innovation--but his soul runs on fossil fuel motors zipping down the highway. And now Ford (the company) is trying to get into services--and to take on Uber.
It is not nuts at all. Over 20 years ago I bought a house in the Berkshires. The town I am in has no broadband, and probably won't get it for years. If I were buying a house now I would NEVER consider this place, which I otherwise love. What's more, it might be impossible to sell.
Just sayin' that we see this as first of a series of amazing stories about bugs--ones that are so vexing, with fixes so illuminating, that telling the story casts light beyond the specific problem... If you got 'em, respond to this piece on the page!
A little explanation here. We took some of the best writing on Medium and remixed passages to make a single coherent review--from 25 people. Is it as good as the pros? You folks can decide.
To me, the most fascinating detail: "There is no evidence that the article made a splash at the time. It may or may not have been widely read, but it was not especially cited or republished."