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Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date Paperback – September 13, 1996

by Robert X. Cringely (Author)

92 customer reviews

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Computer manufacturing is--after cars, energy production and illegal drugs--the largest industry in the world, and it's one of the last great success stories in American business. Accidental Empires is the trenchant, vastly readable history of that industry, focusing as much on the astoundingly odd personalities at its core--Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mitch Kapor, etc. and the hacker culture they spawned as it does on the remarkable technology they created. Cringely reveals the manias and foibles of these men (they are always men) with deadpan hilarity and cogently demonstrates how their neuroses have shaped the computer business. But Cringely gives us much more than high-tech voyeurism and insider gossip. From the birth of the transistor to the mid-life crisis of the computer industry, he spins a sweeping, uniquely American saga of creativity and ego that is at once uproarious, shocking and inspiring.

Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Robert X. Cringely manages to capture the contradictions and everyday insanity of computer industry empire building, while at the same time chipping away sardonically at the PR campaigns that have built up some very common businesspeople into the household gods of geekdom. Despite some chuckles at the expense of all things nerdy, white, and male in the computer industry, Cringely somehow manages to balance the humor with a genuine appreciation of both the technical and strategic accomplishments of these industry luminaries. Whether you're a hard-boiled Silicon Valley marketing exec fishing for an IPO or just a plain old reader with an interest in business history and anecdotal storytelling, there's something to enjoy here.

From Publishers Weekly

Rich in relevant, entertaining digressions, this breezy but informative history recounts how gifted, maverick "nerds," "hippies" and entrepreneurs like Apple's Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs invented and developed microprocessors and operating systems into today's volatile, ego-driven, highly competitive personal computer industry, in which ever-changing technical standards propel the market. Info World columnist Cringley charges that the astronomical sales of PCs ($70-billion worldwide in 1990) "both created the longest continuous peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history and ended it." While current dominance by IBM spurs competitors to further research and networking, the author predicts that by the year 2000 single chips will render today's PCs obsolete and that of American technology only software will survive.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HarperBusiness; Reprint edition (September 13, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0887308554
ISBN-13: 978-0887308550
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.9 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #108 in Books > Computers & Technology > History & Culture > History
- #267 in Books > Business & Money > Industries > Computers & Technology
- #840 in Books > Business & Money > Biography & History > Company Profiles

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Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

5 star		66%
4 star		26%
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Top Customer Reviews

Great book, even if you're not a nerd!

ByA customeron October 23, 1999

Format: Paperback

If you're interested in the birth and growth of the PC industry this is your guide!
After I saw the TV series I wanted to have the book, I even mailed Bob Cringely for the ISBN. A book like this could be a rather dull book, but this isn't one of those. This is a great book full of facts served with plenty of humour. Cringely was there when it happened, he knows what he's writing about. This book tells you about never released software, missed opportunities, killer applications, where the GUI came from, and much more in a language that isn't just for nerds.
I've read this book twice, I'm pretty sure I'll read it again...

22 comments 27 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Interesting content but Cringely's attitude makes me cringe

ByEllen Isaacson July 19, 2000

Format: Paperback

As someone who's been working in Silicon Valley for years, I found this book interesting for its insight into the history of the computer business and the strong personalities who created it. It focuses on the early giants of IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Compaq, and the like, well before the Internet became a popular medium. The book highlighted for me how much an industry is shaped by the people and their peculiarities, and how the culture of an organization shapes its perception of and reaction to events.
Still, Cringley's smug, know-it-all attitude detracted from the book and made me question the credibility of his analysis. He paints people in black and white strokes, often portraying the object of his ridicule as blind to the obviously correct course of action. Cringely is especially harsh on people he perceives as ego-driven and insecure, which, ironically, is just how he struck me.
I suspect people who are not particularly tied into the computer culture won't find this worth reading. But if you are among those hooked on the computer industry and you can get past Cringely's attitude, the book has some useful insights, anecdotes, and facts.

22 comments 47 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

History of Computing for People Like Us

ByWalter Nicolauon September 10, 2001

Format: Paperback

Accidental Empires is the suggestive title of a journey into the story of computing starting from its humble beginnings during the early seventies and ending just before the Internet revolution. It is by all means a fascinating account of the people and events that shaped the marketplace and gave it a direction and turned it into a multibillion industry. I still find it hard to believe that the first computer available on the market came in unassembled parts and the user had to put it together and the end product had no harddrive, no OS, and no applications to run. And this happened only 25 years ago...
As a journalist for Infoworld, Cringely leads us with a firm hand and clear passion for disentangling the intricate dependencies and relationships that reign in the computing industry. His book is a well informed account of the evolution of operating systems, hardware, networking, and print technologies starting from the day these were just wild ideas. Although the lecture may sound a little too technical and hence a bit complicated, this book is easy to follow. Through Cringely's talent we get a (funny but very plausible) portrait of the people, their desires, shortcommings, and in most cases genius and totally obsessive personalities.
Apart for the obvious animosity that the author nurtures towards Gates and Jobs whom he claims to be to various degrees true sociopaths, one with ambition to dominate the world, the other one to be accepted and loved, I find the whole overview to be an objective and informative account of the fascinating and tumultuous evolution of computing as we know today. Overall, Cringely argues that despite the incredible brainpower, no founding geek was ever capable of truly assessing the enormous impact the creation of personal computing, a user friendly OS, and networking technologies would have on our world and their pockets (this is to confirm that one can excel in many things but not all things). At the same time, it is simply stupefying to read about the incredibly ill advised strategic decisions that established companies, such as IBM and Xerox, made. For more info on the 200 billion dollars misstake, turn to the IBM files.
Along with The Sillicon Boys, this is the best book on the history of computing for the layman I've read so far, I don't hesitate to give it five stars.

11 comment 19 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A Bit Dated but Still Worth Reading

BySheryl L. KatzVINE VOICEon August 30, 2000

Format: Paperback

This book was a book that launched a genre - the sarcastic, gossipy fast-paced insiders look at the computer industry. It's still one of the best of its kind even though it is now pretty dated.
I work in a company on the fringe of the computer industry. Sometimes co-workers come and ask me what to read to understand the industry. This is the first book I give them. The stories in this book, how Microsoft beat IBM, how Apple grew, etc. are the fundamental mythology of the industry. If you work in or near the industry you ought to read this book. As some other reviewers have noted, the tone will make some readers cringe a bit, but the tone is pretty depictive of the way in which many people in the industry actually see things.
The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it is a bit dated. Most of the stories have been told later and better by others so if you've already read a lot of the books about the industry this one will seem a bit old. Although I do still think this book is worth reading even if you've read the others.

0Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Laugh out loud funny

Byfrumiousbon December 5, 2001

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I started reading this book while curled up on the couch next to a friend who was trying to watch a soccer match. He finally told me to stop snickering or leave the room. I had to leave the room.
_Accidental Empires_ is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time and as someone who works as a consultant for one of the companies roasted in its pages, I have to say that the passage of time has not made its commentary any less true. Also insightful, well-written, witty, etc.

0Comment 7 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Good

fast shipping and exactly as described. Good Job

Published 9 months ago by Amazon Customer

A Look At Computers And Computer Manufacturing

Robert X. Cringely, a former Apple employee turned tech gossip columnist, provides us an interesting book about Computers and Computer Manufactuing in Accidental Empires.Read more

Published 10 months ago by Desertman84

Excellent trip through PC history!

Loved this book!

Published 1 year ago by Amazon Customer

Three Stars

Published 1 year ago by Keaton

National Inquirer into Computerdom

Accidental Empires

The book begins by claiming that personal computers and spreadsheets made leveraged buy-outs, and looting company pension plans, possible (p.4).Read more

Published on March 31, 2015 by Acute Observer

Four Stars

good

Published on February 22, 2015 by Gregg Clester

Interesting story of how modern computing came to be

Interesting story of how modern computing came to be. Giving fascinating insights in to the key players who made it happen such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.Read more

Published on January 27, 2015 by JB

National Inquiror into Computerdom

Accidental Empires

The book begins by claiming that personal computers and spreadsheets made leveraged buy-outs, and looting company pension plans, possible (p.4).Read more

Published on October 15, 2014 by Acute Observer

Five Stars

Gave it as a gift to my Grandson. He found it interesting.

Published on July 19, 2014 by SMay

Ah, the good old days

Microsoft, Lotus, Apple.

"Think of Bill Gates as the emir of Kuwait and Steve Jobs as Saddam Hussein.Read more

Published on June 17, 2014 by C. Stutts

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