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Secrets of Silicon Valley: What Everyone Else Can Learn from the Innovation Capital of the World Paperback – July 1, 2014

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Deborah Perry Piscione (Author)
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Deborah Perry Piscione (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 59 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Reprint edition (July 1, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1137279176
  • ISBN-13: 978-1137279170
  • Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.6 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #851,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 starsTrite -
By Loyd Eskildson HALL OF FAME on April 4, 2013
Format: Hardcover
The author knows as much about Silicon Valley secrets as the Man in the Moon. Readers are instead given pages of useless driven about her formerly working in Republican politics, moving to Silicon Valley and a smaller home, lots of rah-rah for Stanford, background on the farmer that used to own the land, and 'insights' from a VC software funder (an area that's full of fluff and hyped-up P/E ratios). Not surprising, since her 'real' background seems to be in P.R. (hype).

Interesting also how the supporting reviews are so uniformly maximally positive and full of nothing but similarly superficial generalities; further, most don't use their real name or list their geographic locations, and this is the only review they've published on Amazon. Something's fishy here -
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1.0 out of 5 starsIs this book an elaborate joke?
By D N on May 27, 2013
Format: Hardcover
The author writes about Silicon Valley like someone who saw a time-share commercial about it, a long time ago. Entire chapters look like they were copied-and-pasted from a 'lonely planet' travel guide, but with inferior writing. I'm not kidding. Here's an excerpt from Chapter 11:

"Silicon Valley lies inland and is surrounded on three sides by mountain ranges. The area, from San Jose in the south to Palo Alto in the north, has some of the most optimum weather in the world, with more than 300 sunny days a year. The average temperature in Silicon Valley ranges between 42 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit in January, and between 57 and 84 degrees in July. Temperature fluctuations between night and day can vary as little as 10 to 12 degrees, meaning that its climate does not experience huge temperature drops or rises like some other parts of California. The highest temperature ever recorded in San Jose was 114 degrees in June 1961; the lowest was 20 degrees Fahrenheit in December 1990."

Yes, this is what the rest of the world needs -- to build a weather machine and copy our climate. The rest of the book is all about geography, government institutions (not surprising for someone who spent so much time in and around the government), and lots of quotes from business school professors who never actually founded any companies.

How much screen time do the 20-something engineers and entrepreneurs who actually run the valley get? Very, very little. This book isn't for them, or for anyone striving to replicate some of the wealth creation here. It's a way to flatter 60-year-olds into thinking that they 'get it'.
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1.0 out of 5 starsNo secrets given here
By fanoplane on September 11, 2013
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Atrocious book. For someone with any background on the bay area, the ideas brought up here are obvious. I hoped the book would give some insight into the sociological aspects that make Silicon Valley, but instead the book just focuses on the outcomes which are well known. Many of the summaries of local businesses and big corporations look like they come from a travel guide, or are pasted from PR material from the companies own websites. As the book progresses it feels like the author's writing gets sloppy. Grammar mistakes and nonsensical sentences become a regular occurrence.

Towards the end of the book, the author makes an personal anecdote to a local preschool. She first informs the reader that the school has a great reputation. She then proceeds to mention one of the instructors informed the author that the author's son (who attends the preschool) is gifted, as a form of verifying the preschool's reputation while also touting her own child's abilities. I didn't buy this book to learn about the author's child's talents, and the story doesn't help to explain why the school is so great.

Unfortunately, as has been pointed out by other reviewers, there seem to be a majority of reviews for this book which give a 5-start rating with absolutely no justification. I wish I had not wasted my time or money on this book.
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1.0 out of 5 starsBeware of robotic supporting reviews
By Amazon Customer on April 13, 2013
Format: Hardcover
It's a shame to use robot reviewers to promote a book. It may get some attention at search result page, but readers will soon find out.
3 Comments 41 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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1.0 out of 5 starsIs this book a joke?
By Victoria Anderson on February 15, 2014
Format: Hardcover
I'm from Indiana and I know more about startups, real estate in the Silicon Valley and technology than the author, who claims her "bubble" of washington left her clueless about innovations from California. One only had to pick up a single issue of Forbes, watch five minutes of CNBC or surf any news channel to know more than this author does. How she failed to know about the stock market crash from the tech bubble years before moving to an area she claimed to know nothing about caused me to stop reading after the second chapter. She's either an idiot or trying to find a reason to write a book. If she truly was in Washington as an "insider" she would have been aware of something about the Silicon Valley. Do not waste your time on this silly book and equally idiotic author.
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1.0 out of 5 starsThe me generation speaks
By Rockstarter on February 9, 2014
Format: Hardcover
This is a self promotion with an overabundance of what I did, my big homes, TV appearances and political appointments. Totally out of touch, except to herself. Thumbs downer.
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4.0 out of 5 starsSecret "Way to San Jose"
By George W Beard on January 16, 2016
Format: Paperback
"The Meeting Places" (Ch. 10) reveals where to make friends with bloggers and on-line activists ready to will help. You don't have to pull up stakes - Ms. Piscione's 'secrets' open 'the way to San Jose' that even BrightChange volunteers hadn't utilized.
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1.0 out of 5 starsBut this book is so bad that I feel compelled to warn people against wasting ...
By Ruiwen on April 30, 2015
Format: Paperback
I borrowed the book from the library because it's so highly rated here. But this book is so bad that I feel compelled to warn people against wasting their time on this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFantastic read!!!

Great book, fantastic read. Don't let all the 1 star scare you all. I live in Silicon Valley and find this book insightful. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Q-GW
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent book

A book full of important anecdotes and insights about the origin and future of Silicone Valley. Also a pleasure to read.

Published 20 months ago by Gregory Mitrovich
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent book, just it

No doubt, it is the best book that I read in this year. A key book for entrepreneurs that dream to be like the best, managers that want to create innovations in their companies and... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Ariel Quesada
4.0 out of 5 starsConcise, informative description of why the Bay Area is decades ahead...

Ms. Piscione, formerly of the Washinginton National Capitol Area, has provided the American citizen with just why the California Bay Area is the world's mecca for innovation and... Read more

Published on February 15, 2014 by D. Lawrence
5.0 out of 5 starsVery informative

It was very informative. First I checked it out from the library. Since it had so much useful information that I wanted to have it with me and purchased it.

Published on December 9, 2013 by Eenja Olson
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat abstract of what is the Silicon Valley

The reading is very enjoyable. The author has the talent to tell stories and keep you engaged, without losing the focus on high quality content. Read more

Published on August 24, 2013 by Daniel Cukier
5.0 out of 5 starsInformative for College Students

I am a college student and this book was great for a research paper I had to write. It is easy to follow and included a lot of information about the Silicon Valley that I was... Read more

Published on August 9, 2013 by Lori Hurst
3.0 out of 5 starsA simple general introduction of silicon valley

A very easy read, and is targeted to people who are not familiar with the high tech industry. The author is a Washington DC transplant, so, she writes from an outsider's... Read more

Published on July 28, 2013 by Judy Lee

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