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In the Company of Giants: Candid Conversations With the Visionaries of the Digital World

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In the Company of Giants - Candid Conversations with the Visionaries of the Digital World By Rama D. Jager & Rafael Ortiz McGraw-Hill Book Co Besides their bank accounts, what is the X-factor that distinguishes individuals like Bill Gates as juggernauts in the digital industry? Is it their IQ, business acumen, or luck? It's hard to say, but one thing for sure is that every one of them has a battle story to tell and scars to show. In the Company of Giants cuts through the ills of wordiness and brings to you, unfiltered, the ideas, insights and strategies of the movers and shakers of the digital world. Remember the movie Phenomenon starring John Travolta? Travolta's average Joe character went from small-town mechanic to genius in a bolt of lightning. Now don't we all appreciate a blast of genius now and then; we all fall prey to the overnight success stories churned out by the Hollywood movie-making machine, but there will be none of that in this book. Everyone interviewed in this book is riddled with battle scars from clamouring to the top. In the Company of Giants is written in a question-and-answer format preceded by a short introduction that reads kind of like a resume of the interviewee. A parade of clear thinkers and visionaries like Steve Jobs (Apple), Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Charles Wang (Computer Associates) pack the pages with their visions, business philosophies, and predictions. Although the Q&A format is highly effective in presenting the ideas of these top guns in an unfiltered manner, I have reservations about the information and responses being too well-prepared and sometimes reeking of public-relations hype. Nonetheless, the interviewers did an excellent job of asking probing and exploratory questions in true journalistic fashion. Success, as these individuals have experienced it, stems from an ambiguous mix of genius, perseverance and luck; however, that doesn't preclude the fact that there are some lessons that transcend the boundaries and is applicable in any industry - you will personally realise certain traits (be it work ethics or philosophical perspective) that fuel the success of people like Bill Hewlett of Hewlett-Packard. In the Company of Giants isn't a feel-good book that will give you the false impression that you can make it big too. Rather, it's a conglomeration of right moves that you are obligated to filter through yourself and decide which is applicable. So, don't expect life-altering advice about whether to start your own business because, as Michael Dell puts it, "If I have to tell you, then you don't know." But as a reference to the fundamentals of good marketing and human resource management from those who have been there, this book is invaluable.

This book grew out of a series of interviews by the authors with some of the most powerful visionaries of the computer industry. Among them are Bill Hewlett, Michael Dell, Andy Grove, Ken Olsen, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Sandy Kurtzig, Steve Case and Ed McCracken. Some of the topics covered are business strategy, getting started, utilizing human capital, successful partnerships, fostering teamwork, customer relations, using technology and leadership practices.

If you're looking for a formula to successful participation in the computer industry, this book will not provide it. If you are looking for insights on business practices and strategy from some of the greatest entrepreneurs in the computer industry, this book will offer that and more.

Also included in the book are profiles of the entrepreneurs, their backgrounds and core values. This book is a candid look at the many different ways that business can be grown and fostered, from some of the greatest business minds of the computer industry.

Rama Dev Jager and Rafael Ortiz present an excellent series of 16 interviews with the digital world's most successful leaders: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, T.J. Rodgers, Gordon Eubanks, Steve Case, Scott Cook, Sandy Kurtzig, John Warnock, Charles Geschke, Michael Dell, Charles Wang, Andy Grove, Trip Hawkins, Ed McCracken, Ken Olsen, and Bill Hewlett. Each interview begins with a brief history of how each person founded a company and produced groundbreaking change in the digital industry. These pioneers answer many probing questions about their achievements, visions for the future of electronic technology, and tips for success. Their interview responses are highly informative and engaging. The book is thoughtfully written and well edited. Although much of its advice will be familiar to experienced marketers, managers, and executives, we [...] recommend it to them because of the useful and interesting inside look at the techniques and insights these industry leaders employed to such successful results.

Steve Jobs interview is well worth the price of the book. Fortunately, the insights don't stop there. T.J. Rodgers, Charles Wang, Gordon Eubanks, Steve Case, and so on are incredibly interesting people. The most boring interviews would probably have to be Andy Grove and Bill Gates! These visionaries are true role models in business and in life. Their conviction and their passion truly speaks volumes. I learned more reading this book then any marketing or finance course I have taken so far. Nothing compares to this book. I would love to see a sequal with Larry Ellison, Scott McNealy, Lou Gerstner, etc. Well worth the price of admission.

The format of this book (a chapter apiece for some of the greatest minds in the computer industry) makes it an excellent read. You can flip back and forth to read your favorites first, or read it straight through.

But where are the tough questions? Almost every chapter seemed to have the same structure - what kind of advice would you give to entrepeneurs today, what were the important things you did that led to your success, blah blah blah. Everybody was given a chance to state the "company line". The interviewers even admit that they were afraid of Bill Gates.

Still, for anyone that wants a quick synopsis of who the players have been, and what their attitudes are toward the industry, the book does certainly provide that. I learned a few things.

In the Company of Giants offers one of the freshest treatment today's "Robber Barons" and manages to do it without bogging the reader down in technical minutae. I found this book to provide frank insight into how these executives achieved the success they did and what aspect of technology is likely to yield fruit in the future. The personal stories from these giants are what make the book

Authors Jager and Ortiz have some big names on the cover of their book "In the Company of Giants," but offer little in the way of insight into where these 15 visionaries plan to take the digital world. The interviews with the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and John Warnock are full of tough questions like "what is your advice to young people on starting new businesses." If you haven't read anything about the men (and one woman) interviewed in this book, this book provides a good thumbnail sketch of each one. If you were expecting something deeper and more meaningful insight, look elsewhere. I'd suggest "Accidental Empires" by Robert X. Cringely as a good primer on some of the people in "Giants."

This is truly an excellent book, with great insights into the minds of the technology elite -- the questions are great, and the answers from these CEOs are even better! I learned a lot from reading and rereading this book, and the Q&A made the book very fun to read. If you are planning a career in high-tech, this book will be worthwhile.