Shop top categories that ship internationally
Buy new:
$15.79
Delivery January 6 - 9
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
List Price: $29.99 Details
Save: $14.20 (47%)
FREE International Returns
No Import Fees Deposit & $11.10 Shipping to Netherlands Details

Shipping & Fee Details

Price $15.79
AmazonGlobal Shipping $11.10
Estimated Import Fees Deposit $0.00
Total $26.89

Delivery January 6 - 9
Or fastest delivery January 3 - 7
In Stock
$$15.79 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.79
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
FREE International Returns
Delivery January 10 - 31
Or fastest delivery January 13 - 28
$$15.79 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$15.79
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Jessica Livingston
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days Paperback – March 11, 2009

by Jessica Livingston (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 655 ratings
See all formats and editions
For would-be entrepreneurs, innovation managers or just anyone fascinated by the special chemistry and drive that created some of the best technology companies in the world, this book offers both wisdom and engaging insights straight from the source. Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, and author of The Long Tail "All the best things that I did at Apple came from (a) not having money and (b) not having done it before, ever". Steve Wozniak, Apple Now available in paperback-with a new preface and interview with Jessica Livingston about Y Combinator! Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days is a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days. These people are celebrities now. What was it like when they were just a couple friends with an idea? Founders like Steve Wozniak (Apple), Caterina Fake (Flickr), Mitch Kapor (Lotus), Max Levchin (PayPal), and Sabeer Bhatia (Hotmail) tell you in their own words about their surprising and often very funny discoveries as they learned how to build a company. Where did they get the ideas that made them rich? How did they convince investors to back them? What went wrong, and how did they recover? Nearly all technical people have thought of one day starting or working for a startup. For them, this book is the closest you can come to being a fly on the wall at a successful startup, to learn how it's done. But ultimately these interviews are required reading for anyone who wants to understand business, because startups are business reduced to its essence. The reason their founders become rich is that startups do what businessesdo create value more intensively than almost any other part of the economy. How? What are the secrets that make successful startups so insanely productive? Read this book, and let the founders themselves tell you.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    484 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 11, 2009
  4. Dimensions
    5.81 x 1.09 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1430210788
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1430210788
  7. See all details
Next slide of product details

Frequently bought together

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
This item: Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
$15.79
Get it Jan 6 - 9
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
$17.89
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
$17.05
Get it Jan 10 - 23
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jessica Livingston is a founding partner at Y Combinator, a seed-stage venture firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Mountain View, California. She was previously vice president of marketing at investment bank Adams Harkness. In addition to her work with startups at Y Combinator, she organizes Startup School (www.StartupSchool.org). She has a bachelor's degree in English from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Apress; First Edition (March 11, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 484 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1430210788
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1430210788
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.52 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.81 x 1.09 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 655 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jessica Livingston

Jessica Livingston

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jessica Livingston is a founding partner at Y Combinator, a seed-stage venture firm based in Cambridge, MA, and Mountain View, CA. She was previously VP of marketing at investment bank Adams Harkness. In addition to her work with startups at Y Combinator, she organizes Startup School. She has a BA in English from Bucknell.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
655 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book insightful and inspiring, with interesting stories and great interviews. They appreciate the timely advice and brillance of the advice. However, opinions differ on the jargon content, with some finding it easy to understand and internalize, while others feel it contains too much technical jargon and irrelevant details. There are mixed reviews on the value for money, with some finding it worth its price alone, while others consider it priceless for would-be entrepreneurs.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
InsightStory qualityInterview qualityTime differenceBrillanceJargon contentValue for moneyLength
76 customers mention "Insight"76 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and helpful for technology start-ups. It explains common themes and important decision points for founders, illustrating them through stories told by exceptional entrepreneurs. They appreciate the stories behind the advice, which is entertaining and easier to understand. The book also provides several ideas and advice for technology startups.

"...It sheds light on the origins of the hardware and internet revolutions, and it’s fascinating to see how some startups mentioned in the book, once..." Read more

"...This book tells the stories behind the advice, which is more entertaining and easier to internalize. 2) This book is meaty...." Read more

"...You really have to read the experiences. The book is full of all sorts of insights too, not just about entrepreneurship but also about the..." Read more

"...This book is perfect for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, technology startups, technology companies in general, and business books in general...." Read more

24 customers mention "Story quality"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the stories interesting and easy to read. They appreciate the candid, charming, and surprisingly good storytellers. The book provides insights into the founders' journeys, including milestones, challenges, mistakes, and advice. Readers also mention that the stories are amazing and shocking.

"...This book tells the stories behind the advice, which is more entertaining and easier to internalize. 2) This book is meaty...." Read more

"...good questions and kudos to the interviewees for their candid, fascinating, detailed answers...." Read more

"...you want to see how we got to where we are today; this book is a wonderful history of how our current world was created...." Read more

"...there are some amazing and sometime shocking stories from founders' perspective...." Read more

23 customers mention "Interview quality"23 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the insightful interviews in the book. The people interviewed are knowledgeable, and the questions are good. They find it interesting to hear from founders about their experiences and lessons learned. The questions are precise and inviting for discussion.

"...and kudos to the interviewees for their candid, fascinating, detailed answers...." Read more

"...The interviews offer great insight into what goes into tech startups. The problems are that: 1: The interviews are way too long...." Read more

"...writer's questions were precise and inviting for discussion. i personally felt that it was watching a television interview...." Read more

"...whats great about it? the interview are focus, and meant for the entrepreneurs wanna be (not to the wide audience),..." Read more

6 customers mention "Time difference"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's focus on timing. They find it easy to read and focused on internet startups, company types, and formation times. The advice is timely.

"...that wants to create through innovation this book shows that; timing is everything, brilliance is added, perseverance when all is lost, dedication..." Read more

"...the writing style was just what fits with a life in the fast lane - little time, easy to read chapters, inspiring and thank god, very 'down to earth...." Read more

"...Lots of variety of entrepreneurs, company types, and formation times (pre-bubble, post bubble, Web 2.0, etc)...." Read more

"Great material. Timely advice." Read more

3 customers mention "Brillance"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides valuable advice on entrepreneurship. They appreciate its straightforward approach and unique perspective.

"...through innovation this book shows that; timing is everything, brilliance is added, perseverance when all is lost, dedication to changing the world..." Read more

"The purest, fundamental advice that deals with entrepreneurship. There should be an AP test on this where you place out of MBA classes...." Read more

"Unique in its class..." Read more

11 customers mention "Jargon content"4 positive7 negative

Customers have different views on the jargon content. Some find it easy to understand and internalize, while others feel there is too much technical jargon and irrelevant details. The book lacks depth for some readers, with the author going off topic at times.

"Founders at Work is a fairly interesting read but lacks some depth...." Read more

"...the stories behind the advice, which is more entertaining and easier to internalize. 2) This book is meaty...." Read more

"...are very few nuggets of wisdom buried under lots of rambling and irrelevant details, and after the fact I'd argue the treasure hunt is not worth it...." Read more

"...the great successes in SV and elsewhere, their humble and sometimes difficult beginnings ('against all odds') that I am experiencing right now...." Read more

10 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed views on the book's value. Some find it valuable for entrepreneurs and worth its price. Others feel the stories are uninteresting after a while, with few articles being boring or meaningless. Overall, opinions vary on whether the book is worthwhile or too long-winded to be motivational or instructive.

"...with venture capitalists and funding a start-up makes the book worth its price alone." Read more

"...--however, this time I found the stories to be flat, and uninteresting after awhile...." Read more

"The two or three interviews that really inspired me made the purchase worth it...." Read more

"...and irrelevant details, and after the fact I'd argue the treasure hunt is not worth it. Unlike startups themselves, the book is very slow moving...." Read more

7 customers mention "Length"4 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's length. Some find it concise and insightful, with each interview feeling complete without being redundant. Others feel the interviews are too long, technical, and lack separation between them.

"...But others were brief and insightful. I would definitely recommend this...." Read more

"...The problems are that: 1: The interviews are way too long...." Read more

"...Each interview is just long enough to feel complete but not so long as to feel redundant...." Read more

"Great book so far! One huge and easily fixable flaw is lack of separation between interviews...." Read more

Cuts/tears
4 out of 5 stars
Cuts/tears
I received my book promptly and it's in good condition, except some oddly cut pages towards the front of the book. No important text is missing, so I guess I'll keep it.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Alexander Yaroshewski
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book feels like an ancient history of the startup world.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This book dives deep into the DNA of Silicon Valley, offering insights into both startups and venture capitalists. My understanding of the startup ecosystem had always been rooted in the 2010s and beyond, but reading this book, which traces back to the 1960s and explores the evolution of startups in the ‘90s and early 2000s, provided a completely new perspective on how the Bay Area truly operates. It sheds light on the origins of the hardware and internet revolutions, and it’s fascinating to see how some startups mentioned in the book, once valued at billions in the mid-2000s, have since disappeared.

    This book sparked many reflections, but the most significant lesson it reinforced is that persistence is the cornerstone of success.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Adam Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Back story narratives, lots of information, easy to read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    1) I often hear advice in the form 'Do this' or 'Do not do that.' I have a hard time internalizing that kind of advice because it's hard to remember. This book tells the stories behind the advice, which is more entertaining and easier to internalize.

    2) This book is meaty. It's 400 pages of small print, so there is a lot of information.

    3) It is easy to read in a random access fashion. Each chapter stands on its own, and each page has it's own question and answer in the dialog.

    4) You get the back stories. I read many things about Fog Creek and Viaweb that I never knew[..].
    14 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Christopher R. Field
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great content but kindle edition leaves much to be desired
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I bought the kindle edition of this book and I found it to be a terrible reading experience. Quote often it seemed like pieces of sentences were missing and occasionally when going from one page to another I would see the text of two lines superimposed on each other. I don't have a kindle so I used the android kindle app and kindle for the PC and both left much to be desired. Also I hated that if I flipped a few pages ahead that it would reset the location. Overall I would not recommend the e-book edition, the quality is horrendous. Also now that I see the prices, I paid more for the terrible kindle edition than the hardcover edition goes for. Anyway I would never recommend paying more for an e-book than a print book because you have less rights than with the print book. Also for a book like this I think there is value to being able to flip through it really quickly while the kindle interface is best for flipping through page by page.

    That being said, the quality of the book was great. It was full of all sorts of insights and experiences. They can all be summarized as don't give up, watch out for VC's but don't write them off, listen to your customers, be willing to change, make sure the initial founding team works together well, etc... But just listening the values does not do it justice. You really have to read the experiences. The book is full of all sorts of insights too, not just about entrepreneurship but also about the individual companies. For example I was really impressed about PayPal and the fraud stuff they did and how valuable that was. I just never knew. Overall I think the book was very well put together. Although some of the founders liked to talk a lot more than others and it droned on and on. But others were brief and insightful. I would definitely recommend this.

    If I bought the print edition I suspect I would be giving it 5 stars. But really the kindle experience is probably worth 0 stars. But the content is so good that I figure 4 stars is fair. Since at this time I see hardcover editions for $5 or $6 new I would say go grab one of those now!!! The book is definitely inspirational.
    8 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Graybeard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is a wonderful collection of interviews of company founders and co-founders. Kudos to the author for asking good questions and kudos to the interviewees for their candid, fascinating, detailed answers.

    What surprised me most was how down-to-earth and normal most of these successful people were. Only a couple of them seemed full of themselves. The rest, surprisingly, were just the opposite. Their stories about their startup days provided insights into their values, motivations, aspirations, points of view, work ethic; as well as their worries, fears, doubts, and concerns; plus their approach to making tough decisions and a recognition of their personal limitations and flaws. Their interview responses are full of insights into their decisions about business development, product development, product management, pricing, promotion, distribution, customer service, technical support, accounting, finance, hiring and technology choices; and dealing with venture capitalists, business partners and actual or potential competitors.

    The interviews also provide a lot of insights into technology trends and market trends during the time that the founders' companies were starting up.

    Here are the companies whose founders were interviewed, in the order they appear in the book: PayPal, Hotmail, Apple, Excite, Software Arts, Lotus Development, Iris Associates, Groove Networks, Pyra Labs (Blogger.com), Yahoo, Research in Motion, Marimba, Gmail, WebTV, TiVo, Viaweb, del.icio.us, ONELIST, Bloglines, Craigslist, Flickr, WAIS, InternetArchive, Alexa, Adobe Systems, Open Systems, Hummer Winblad, 37signals, ArsDigita, Fog Creek Software, TripAdvisor, HOT or NOT, Tickle, Firefox, Six Apart, Lycos, Aliant Computer Systems, Shareholder.com.

    This book is perfect for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, technology startups, technology companies in general, and business books in general. I've read the book once already and now I'm in the middle of reading it a second time. I wish there were an audio version of it.
    11 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Francesco
    3.0 out of 5 stars Great inspiring stories, some "ego" fille interviews...
    Reviewed in Italy on July 18, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Overall the book is very good, it shows how hard work and believing in your ideas can give you great (work) satisfaction.
    Some interviews are "polluted" by the interviewee ego, but overall it is an enjoyable book.
    Report
  • Paulo Roberto Feldmann
    5.0 out of 5 stars Theory & Practice
    Reviewed in Brazil on February 25, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent book. Many very interesting cases. I will use the book in my classes of start up. It is a technology book.
    Report
  • Relentless_explorer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining business read
    Reviewed in Canada on January 22, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    5 stars to the author for going out there and compiling all these stories together.

    The book is basically a collection of stories about people who worked hard and succeeded.
    People and situations are different, but the formula stays the same: "Work hard, fail, work hard, stay focused, succeed."
    Report
  • Ted H
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great stories for the tech geeks amongst us.
    Reviewed in Australia on February 3, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Really cool info, it is a little on the dry side reading wise.
    Report
  • Alexandros Papadopoulos
    5.0 out of 5 stars Learn from the best. Actually learn from the most ridiculous mistakes, the best ever did :)
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Are you an entrepreneur? Are you about to launch a startup? Then this book is for you.
    You will learn to ignore all conventional business rules and follow your instinct. You will read of numerous idiotic mistakes the most sucesful companies on the planet did when starting up, thus you will become more confident.
    If they managed to become so successful after all these mistakes, then you actually stand a chance after all.
    Did Adobe truly got it's name after a random map choice???
    Did Yahoo operate from a flooding basement for a few months???
    Was Paypal unable to make a simple transaction at it's first VC presentation???
    Then I can make it.
    Then you can make it.
    Then we all stand a fair chance for success.

    More than providing me with knowledge, this book gave me confidence. Confidence that I can can overcome my mistakes.
    Report