Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Zero to One

Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
manuelaleal
Sep 15, 2015manuelaleal rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This most brilliant book on start-up strategies it also deeply flawed. The business analysis is faultless, challenging, exciting and truly mind-blowing. PT essentially explains his theory of monopolies, technology and what makes a technology company TRULY successful. The problem appears at the end of the book when PT essentially describes that the culture of technology companies should be like cults, and gives hints at mildly creepy ageism and downright hypocrisy. For example Peter Thiel gives out a scholarship for VERY young people to drop out of college to develop a business idea for one year, yet none of his companies seem to hire people without college degrees. He has a degree from Stanford and a law degree and yet sells the idea that college is useless but again if you look at the companies he owns, none of his employees seems to lack college degrees. He makes generalizations from a VERY privileged position, but then if you look at his politics, it makes sense. Try to put that aside for one sec because the first part of the book really is brilliant. As flawed as it is, this is an essential book about business, entrepreneurial culture and technology and Peter's record as a founder of Pay Pal and record as Facebook's first investor should leave no doubt as to his record, business acumen and analytical abilities (outside of his shady political ideas).