Format: HardcoverChange
Price:$16.84+ Free shipping with Amazon Prime
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
on August 6, 2016
Chaos Monkeys is a bargain, since you are really getting four books in one. First, our lucky reader is treated to a Sherman-style total war on the vanities and conceits of the tech elite. For the hater in all of us, it is uncompromised, savage delight. He particularly takes aim at noxious myth of meritocracy in the valley. As anywhere, those educated at the right places, and taught the right diction and manner of speaking rise to the top. For whatever reason, people in silicon valley seem to need reminding of this fairly often, perhaps more than most.
Another skewered vanity is that the work being done there is “changing the world.” The nirvana of being paid millions while doing meaningful work is the final privilege being sought by the waves of wall street refugees making their way out west. Only the most self-deluded really buy it, and as Antonio shows, those often happen to be working at the most influential and powerful companies. Is Facebook really changing the world? Without question, but when Facebook uses the language of historical figures, implicitly placing itself on the same podium as Cato the elder, say, it is both creepy and pathetic. Furthermore, the same gulf between the windfalls of the upper echelon and the rank-and-file is still present.
The second book is a detailed, unsparing deep-dive into the trenches of the ad tech industry. Just for that, it is worth reading if your job has any remote connection with selling online. You will come away with more awareness of how pixels convert to dollars. This theme occupies most of the second half of the book. If anything, the vivid metaphors he uses to describe the otherwise dull and esoteric details of identity matching and attribution will serve you well anytime you must summon a complete picture of this complex web in your head. Even non-specialists will find fascinating the descriptions of how private data is collected and sold, not to mention probably realizing they have been worried about the wrong kind of privacy violations.
Third, there is a marvelous how-to guide for aspiring entrepreneurs hidden between the diatribes. Antonio managed to meet many of the key players in the industry. His detailed accounts of many of these meetings (confrontations) offer a unique behind-the-scenes vantage which many manuals for silicon valley success avoid, so the authors can remain in good stead with the figures involved. In addition, there is another way that Chaos Monkeys serves as an excellent preview of what entrepreneurship entails. Other how-to books are so smitten with the idea of entrepreneur as Hero that they often fail to convey the tedium, anxiety and chaos that are most of the day-to-day realities for any entrepreneur. These other books mention that building a company is hard and stressful, but often seem shy to mention exactly why, beyond executing a bad idea, or a linear increase in working hours. In reality, the unspoken “hard” part of any startup is not the actual hours involved, or the idea, or execution, but rather the unwavering conviction you must have to keep at it when things are totally falling apart. The struggle to convince yourself, your investors and your customers that your vision of the world is the correct one is constant war against entropy, counterfactuals, competitors or self-doubts. Any of these must be swallowed, digested, shat out, and freeze-dried as more grist for your sales pitch mill. Every entrepreneur will immediately recognize what Antonio unabashedly portrays: the dreadful gulf between the inward awareness of all the chaos and flux at the startup, while preserving the outward image of polish, order and optimism. In fact, the delusion of performing world-changing work as an entrepreneur (even when you’re just building a s***ty analytics panel) is so pervasive, it cannot be solely attributed to narcissism. The book makes the point that this delusion is actually an emotional coping mechanism to endure the aforementioned doublethink on a daily basis.
Finally, we are given an intimate, unsentimental portrait of Antonio’s tortured psyche. While I wouldn’t necessarily advocate “praying for Antonio’s soul,” as a previous reviewer stated, his relentless self-deprecation and raw honesty balance out some of the selfish decisions he makes in the book. He is extremely well read, and I suspect this background informs a somewhat tragic theme of the book— for a certain type of person, the only hope that can lift the cynicism and misanthropy of early life disappointment is to undergo a meaningful quest with loyal companions. There aren’t many of those quests around anymore, unfortunately, nor is there a surfeit of loyal companions in the sort of places and professions that demand one’s full faculties. In the book, many characters and causes fail to meet this high bar, of course. I suspect more than a few failed idealists will find a kindred spirit in Antonio, despite the caustic tone throughout. That said, there is plenty here to be offended about, if that is your sort of thing. Some of the criticism is justified. For example, there is some objectification of women that could have been omitted. However, if that is your ONLY take-away, then you are precisely the sort of self-important, thin-skinned windbag that is rightfully skewered in Chaos Monkeys.
Another skewered vanity is that the work being done there is “changing the world.” The nirvana of being paid millions while doing meaningful work is the final privilege being sought by the waves of wall street refugees making their way out west. Only the most self-deluded really buy it, and as Antonio shows, those often happen to be working at the most influential and powerful companies. Is Facebook really changing the world? Without question, but when Facebook uses the language of historical figures, implicitly placing itself on the same podium as Cato the elder, say, it is both creepy and pathetic. Furthermore, the same gulf between the windfalls of the upper echelon and the rank-and-file is still present.
The second book is a detailed, unsparing deep-dive into the trenches of the ad tech industry. Just for that, it is worth reading if your job has any remote connection with selling online. You will come away with more awareness of how pixels convert to dollars. This theme occupies most of the second half of the book. If anything, the vivid metaphors he uses to describe the otherwise dull and esoteric details of identity matching and attribution will serve you well anytime you must summon a complete picture of this complex web in your head. Even non-specialists will find fascinating the descriptions of how private data is collected and sold, not to mention probably realizing they have been worried about the wrong kind of privacy violations.
Third, there is a marvelous how-to guide for aspiring entrepreneurs hidden between the diatribes. Antonio managed to meet many of the key players in the industry. His detailed accounts of many of these meetings (confrontations) offer a unique behind-the-scenes vantage which many manuals for silicon valley success avoid, so the authors can remain in good stead with the figures involved. In addition, there is another way that Chaos Monkeys serves as an excellent preview of what entrepreneurship entails. Other how-to books are so smitten with the idea of entrepreneur as Hero that they often fail to convey the tedium, anxiety and chaos that are most of the day-to-day realities for any entrepreneur. These other books mention that building a company is hard and stressful, but often seem shy to mention exactly why, beyond executing a bad idea, or a linear increase in working hours. In reality, the unspoken “hard” part of any startup is not the actual hours involved, or the idea, or execution, but rather the unwavering conviction you must have to keep at it when things are totally falling apart. The struggle to convince yourself, your investors and your customers that your vision of the world is the correct one is constant war against entropy, counterfactuals, competitors or self-doubts. Any of these must be swallowed, digested, shat out, and freeze-dried as more grist for your sales pitch mill. Every entrepreneur will immediately recognize what Antonio unabashedly portrays: the dreadful gulf between the inward awareness of all the chaos and flux at the startup, while preserving the outward image of polish, order and optimism. In fact, the delusion of performing world-changing work as an entrepreneur (even when you’re just building a s***ty analytics panel) is so pervasive, it cannot be solely attributed to narcissism. The book makes the point that this delusion is actually an emotional coping mechanism to endure the aforementioned doublethink on a daily basis.
Finally, we are given an intimate, unsentimental portrait of Antonio’s tortured psyche. While I wouldn’t necessarily advocate “praying for Antonio’s soul,” as a previous reviewer stated, his relentless self-deprecation and raw honesty balance out some of the selfish decisions he makes in the book. He is extremely well read, and I suspect this background informs a somewhat tragic theme of the book— for a certain type of person, the only hope that can lift the cynicism and misanthropy of early life disappointment is to undergo a meaningful quest with loyal companions. There aren’t many of those quests around anymore, unfortunately, nor is there a surfeit of loyal companions in the sort of places and professions that demand one’s full faculties. In the book, many characters and causes fail to meet this high bar, of course. I suspect more than a few failed idealists will find a kindred spirit in Antonio, despite the caustic tone throughout. That said, there is plenty here to be offended about, if that is your sort of thing. Some of the criticism is justified. For example, there is some objectification of women that could have been omitted. However, if that is your ONLY take-away, then you are precisely the sort of self-important, thin-skinned windbag that is rightfully skewered in Chaos Monkeys.
on July 2, 2016
If you are remotely interested in startups and tech you should read this book. This is Liar's Poker crossed with Silicon Valley, with a smattering of Hunter S. Thompson-esque ruminations about life, capitalism, and everything.
You will either love or hate Martinez's voice (I found myself doing both at different parts of the book). I'm sure a lot of people are going to get hung up on some offhand sexist comments or the dirt thrown at Facebook's execs (and I'm sure that Martinez could have avoided both while keeping the book interesting). The real gems in the book, however, are the tangents that Martinez takes to describe in a really simple way some fairly technical concepts. For example the way that he describes online advertising and why it is similar to security trading is really well done.
Read this book if you want to see how the Valley works from someone who was in there, drank the koolaid, but have the clarity of mind to get out of there and write about it.
You will either love or hate Martinez's voice (I found myself doing both at different parts of the book). I'm sure a lot of people are going to get hung up on some offhand sexist comments or the dirt thrown at Facebook's execs (and I'm sure that Martinez could have avoided both while keeping the book interesting). The real gems in the book, however, are the tangents that Martinez takes to describe in a really simple way some fairly technical concepts. For example the way that he describes online advertising and why it is similar to security trading is really well done.
Read this book if you want to see how the Valley works from someone who was in there, drank the koolaid, but have the clarity of mind to get out of there and write about it.
on January 7, 2017
If you have any interest in doing your own startup or working in a typical Silicon Valley startup, then this book is a must-read. Back in the early 90's when we were still using DOS, I tried to get a software startup going, and got close to getting it funded, but ultimately failed. Looking back, I was incredibly naive, but a lot has changed since the early 90's. Read this to see how it's being done now.
The second two-thirds of the book is about life as a product manager in Facebook. it was less interesting to me because I've worked as a developer in other people's startups since my own failed. Startups involve an incredible amount of politics, irrationality, and cults of the personality. All-in-all, they're not a whole lot of fun, unless you're single and in your twenties. Not only that, but most of them fail anyway. Still, if you're up for it, read this book so you can dodge some of the flak certain to come you way.
The author, Antonio, is a smart guy with deep personality problems. During the course of the book, he manages to father two children out of wedlock with the same woman, while having relationships with several other women. He also double-crosses just about every person he works with, including the two developers who got him started (and who he takes to calling his 'boys'). All that being said, Antonio is a very good writer who has given us an enjoyable read.
The second two-thirds of the book is about life as a product manager in Facebook. it was less interesting to me because I've worked as a developer in other people's startups since my own failed. Startups involve an incredible amount of politics, irrationality, and cults of the personality. All-in-all, they're not a whole lot of fun, unless you're single and in your twenties. Not only that, but most of them fail anyway. Still, if you're up for it, read this book so you can dodge some of the flak certain to come you way.
The author, Antonio, is a smart guy with deep personality problems. During the course of the book, he manages to father two children out of wedlock with the same woman, while having relationships with several other women. He also double-crosses just about every person he works with, including the two developers who got him started (and who he takes to calling his 'boys'). All that being said, Antonio is a very good writer who has given us an enjoyable read.
on July 7, 2016
This is about as unfiltered as well as lucid an account of life as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur can be. It comes off very authentically. The writing is excellent with even his wide ranging quotes well chosen and inserted without the usual smug pretentiousness. Despite several bits of self justification he doesn't place himself above others. This is Liar's Poker for Silicon Valley, not the usual techno elitist promotional drivel. Along the way it is also a fairly educational look at the consumer internet industry, particularly the advertising side as practiced at Google, Facebook and Twitter.
Still given the vast influence Silicon Valley companies have on global culture this is a sad commentary on a local culture that is influencing us all. The original startup in the story, AdGrok, should have by all rights been a chapter 7 bankruptcy. That it was an acquihire with multi-million dollar payouts for the three founders shows just how overheated the tech market is. That the author would whine about it reflects how out of whack expectations are in the overheated market. Mostly though it just made me very sad that he left British Trader Woman with two young kids and no father, then did it again with another woman and another child. Long after nobody cares about any of the companies or big personalities he writes about those kids will sorely miss growing up without a father. The costs of serving the idol of money and power are high indeed.
Still given the vast influence Silicon Valley companies have on global culture this is a sad commentary on a local culture that is influencing us all. The original startup in the story, AdGrok, should have by all rights been a chapter 7 bankruptcy. That it was an acquihire with multi-million dollar payouts for the three founders shows just how overheated the tech market is. That the author would whine about it reflects how out of whack expectations are in the overheated market. Mostly though it just made me very sad that he left British Trader Woman with two young kids and no father, then did it again with another woman and another child. Long after nobody cares about any of the companies or big personalities he writes about those kids will sorely miss growing up without a father. The costs of serving the idol of money and power are high indeed.
on August 6, 2016
I had a hunch I was going to like this book, and I was not disappointed.
Chaos Monkeys takes you through the culture, the contradictions and, as the title would suggest, the chaos in which Silicon Valley is apparently wrapped. Antonio Garcia Martinez makes a charming guide: funny, literate and with a rakish sense of humor that gives this insider’s account a kind of immediacy and real emotional punch. I got the kind of lift from reading this book that I once did when reading the rollicking prose of Tom Wolfe, who was also a chronicler of the earliest corporate cultures that defined California and the Valley. Martinez, like Wolfe, offers keen cultural observations that spring from our very human strivings and persistent ambitions.
This book delivers a lot. We learn much about Antonio’s personal life, his history, his loves (several women and a couple boats), his avocations, his strengths (which include his gift for writing and other forms of persuasion as well as his canny negotiating powers) and his weaknesses (his impulsiveness and his willingness to shade the truth a bit when it serves his purposes). But this account is hardly a highly varnished one, and he casts his critical capacities inward on several occasions. We might prudently reserve some suspicions about the strict veracity of a gifted story-teller like Martinez, but I find this account has the ring of truth and he holds the mirror close to the his own face.
But the book is also a compendium of information, anecdotes and personal portraits of an important scene in American business history. All this, of course, relates to the “obscene fortune and random failure in Silicon Valley” advertised in the book’s subtitle. Though many reviewers damn this aspect with faint praise, calling it gossipy, I myself found it substantive, detailed and instructive about a slice of entrepreneurial and investment activity that is not really well known or understood by many who might like to know. What’s involved in a bona fide start-up? What are the aims of venture capitalists, who variously smile or frown on these endeavors? When the corporate development types from Twitter and Facebook come calling, what are they seeking and what are they offering? Martinez reliably spills the beans in this regard, naming names, pegging salaries and calculating compensation packages out over two-, three- and four-year time horizons. Enquiring minds want to know. And in the end there is really more random failure than obscene fortune. And I think Martinez would likely agree and especially as it applied to him personally.
As a sort of footnote (and, by the way, Martinez likes footnotes very much, as do I), let me advise the potential reader that this book also takes a fairly deep dive into advertising technology. And this, too, is really a big economic and business story of our time. Open your newspaper (or however you take your news these days) and you’ll likely read about the disruptive influence of the Internet, mobile technology and all things digital on those reliable engines of the 20th century economy: media and advertising. It’s a story literally told daily. Old models are rapidly shrinking and new ones shape-shifting at the present moment. Many think Google and Facebook own this future, although that’s probably premature. Make no mistake about it though; Martinez knows this scene up close and personal. He was toiling daily for several years, working simultaneously at both the work of destruction and the act of creation, in the very belly of the beast. I venture an opinion that there are few people who know more about this brave new world of digital persuasion than Antonio Garcia Martinez.
Bottom line: This book has been my favorite summer read by far. It entertained as it informed. I heartily recommend it.
Chaos Monkeys takes you through the culture, the contradictions and, as the title would suggest, the chaos in which Silicon Valley is apparently wrapped. Antonio Garcia Martinez makes a charming guide: funny, literate and with a rakish sense of humor that gives this insider’s account a kind of immediacy and real emotional punch. I got the kind of lift from reading this book that I once did when reading the rollicking prose of Tom Wolfe, who was also a chronicler of the earliest corporate cultures that defined California and the Valley. Martinez, like Wolfe, offers keen cultural observations that spring from our very human strivings and persistent ambitions.
This book delivers a lot. We learn much about Antonio’s personal life, his history, his loves (several women and a couple boats), his avocations, his strengths (which include his gift for writing and other forms of persuasion as well as his canny negotiating powers) and his weaknesses (his impulsiveness and his willingness to shade the truth a bit when it serves his purposes). But this account is hardly a highly varnished one, and he casts his critical capacities inward on several occasions. We might prudently reserve some suspicions about the strict veracity of a gifted story-teller like Martinez, but I find this account has the ring of truth and he holds the mirror close to the his own face.
But the book is also a compendium of information, anecdotes and personal portraits of an important scene in American business history. All this, of course, relates to the “obscene fortune and random failure in Silicon Valley” advertised in the book’s subtitle. Though many reviewers damn this aspect with faint praise, calling it gossipy, I myself found it substantive, detailed and instructive about a slice of entrepreneurial and investment activity that is not really well known or understood by many who might like to know. What’s involved in a bona fide start-up? What are the aims of venture capitalists, who variously smile or frown on these endeavors? When the corporate development types from Twitter and Facebook come calling, what are they seeking and what are they offering? Martinez reliably spills the beans in this regard, naming names, pegging salaries and calculating compensation packages out over two-, three- and four-year time horizons. Enquiring minds want to know. And in the end there is really more random failure than obscene fortune. And I think Martinez would likely agree and especially as it applied to him personally.
As a sort of footnote (and, by the way, Martinez likes footnotes very much, as do I), let me advise the potential reader that this book also takes a fairly deep dive into advertising technology. And this, too, is really a big economic and business story of our time. Open your newspaper (or however you take your news these days) and you’ll likely read about the disruptive influence of the Internet, mobile technology and all things digital on those reliable engines of the 20th century economy: media and advertising. It’s a story literally told daily. Old models are rapidly shrinking and new ones shape-shifting at the present moment. Many think Google and Facebook own this future, although that’s probably premature. Make no mistake about it though; Martinez knows this scene up close and personal. He was toiling daily for several years, working simultaneously at both the work of destruction and the act of creation, in the very belly of the beast. I venture an opinion that there are few people who know more about this brave new world of digital persuasion than Antonio Garcia Martinez.
Bottom line: This book has been my favorite summer read by far. It entertained as it informed. I heartily recommend it.
on August 7, 2016
Mr. Martinez chronicle's of his career in Silicon Valley is entertaining, refreshingly honest and of historical significance. The first part of the book details his time at AdGrok, a startup of no great consequence, where he cut his teeth in Silicon Valley. It is a tale of ambition, greed, irreverence, vengeance and betrayal, sprinkled with enough kindness and chutzpah to keep even the less morbid reader engaged. The second part of the book chronicles Mr. Martinez career in Facebook, as a member of the nascent Ads team. It is a fascinating and unforgiving account of the culture and personalities that propelled Facebook to profitability. Of historical significance is the brilliant description of the evolution of the surprisingly technical world of Internet advertisement, written in the first person by someone who had a hand in its shaping. The tale is interesting in of itself but the book is made by Mr. Martinez prose. His writing is articulate, witty and erudite. Most importantly, in a world where BS is a major currency, Mr. Martinez's voice is a breath of fresh air in its irreverence and honesty. He spares nothing and no one: SV Feminists, SJWs, greedy VCs, sycophant middle managers and sociopath CEOs. I suspect many readers will be turned off by his candor, but I for one thoroughly enjoyed his genuine, if sometimes coarse, voice. I wish Mr. Martinez all the best in his nautical adventures and best of luck in his literary career - it is hard to imagine he can come back to technology after this.
on October 31, 2016
I’m one of those people who wishes that Hunter S. Thompson’s spirit would come back to haunt us in this increasingly twisted age. And after reading “Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley” I’m convinced that his ghost all but inhabits its author, Antonio Garcia Martinez. Martinez also reminds me of one of Buckminister Fuller’s “Great Pirates” in “Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth.” That is, he’s more of a “comprehensivist” than a specialist, with a spooky intelligence that sees the world from the perspective of a restless adventurer who doesn’t quite fit in with the landlubbers. Graduate level physicist at Berkeley, Goldman Sachs quant, code writing geek, ad man/mad man, hacker-entrepreneur, sailing enthusiast, and finally, Gonzo Journalist extraordinaire, Martinez pens line after line of wicked black humor as he takes you through the chaotic ecosystem of venture capitalists and “startupistas” in Silicon Valley. Sardonic, cynical, irreverent, and aware—with a mind like a steel trap—this book is a must read for young, ambitious techies who are chomping at the bit to become the next Mark Zuckerberg.
There is this great scene in the book where Martinez has a meeting with Sheryl Sandberg, Mark Zuckerberg and their key players at Facebook and “Zuck” suddenly asks if “using plugin data will make us more money?” Everyone turns to Martinez and he says: “My brain reacted like an old truck in winter, failing to start and cranking away futilely.” As he launches into a nuanced spiel with too much detail Zuck cuts him off before he finishes and says: “Why don’t you just answer the question?”
In near panic, Martinez replies: “I don’t think it would move the needle much, given recent experience.” The room is completely silent, waiting for Zuckerberg’s response.
“You can do this, but don’t use the Like button,” he says finally.
That’s it! A decision that could potentially involve thousands of people and billions in revenues, or just as easily NOT, is made swiftly and with gut feel. No time is wasted on PowerPoint presentations or lengthy discussions of technical minutiae. A ball is thrown, a strike called. Game over!
But Silicon Valley is like that. Venture capitalists do not listen politely while you make your pitch. They pepper you with questions before you can finish a sentence. After fifteen minutes of frantic expositions your little audition is over. And you walk away certain that you’ve botched your golden opportunity forever. Then you get a call on your smart phone while you’re crying in your beer at the nearest drinking establishment. Suddenly, you’re three sheets to the wind and expected to make a decision that can make you a millionaire or a loser in relatively short order. Therefore, keen instincts are essential at such junctures. There’s not much time to think things over. The possibilities are potentially infinite, but cul de sacs that can stall your career, or end it perhaps, litter the landscape.
But “Chaos Monkeys” is about much more than the rigors of entrepreneurship and the corporate politics of Silicon Valley. It’s also about the ambiance of the San Francisco Bay Area and how the techie demographic is transforming its traditional culture into a new world. Martinez also shares a fleeting glimpse of his love life with us, but not much, most notably his relations with a formidable female specimen he will only identify as “British Trader.” She is now the mother of his two children and basically on her own. I was watching him on C-Span (at a book signing in Silicon Valley) and he said that she was currently traveling around the world with their kids. He also said that after finishing his book he wants to circumnavigate the globe on his 40 foot cutter rigged sailboat. So he doesn’t seem to be the marrying kind. He’s too feral. But at the beginning of “Chaos Monkeys” you get the impression that he’s this dashing, Caribbean buccaneer in a puffy-sleeved dueling shirt, a red sash, and black pantaloons—Tyrone Power in “The Black Swan.” By the end of the book he seems more like one of S. Clay Wilson’s pirates in a Zap Comix from the Sixties—a scurvy sea dog with green teeth and diseased gums, capable of anything.
Just kidding. The truth is that Martinez is one freaking hell of a writer and he’s written the “Liar’s Poker” of Silicon Valley. “Chaos Monkeys” is tantamount to a message in a bottle that Martinez has thrown into the Japanese Current and if and when the Winds of Fate wash it up on your beach, make sure you read it—especially if you’re headed for the techie gold rush in California.
There is this great scene in the book where Martinez has a meeting with Sheryl Sandberg, Mark Zuckerberg and their key players at Facebook and “Zuck” suddenly asks if “using plugin data will make us more money?” Everyone turns to Martinez and he says: “My brain reacted like an old truck in winter, failing to start and cranking away futilely.” As he launches into a nuanced spiel with too much detail Zuck cuts him off before he finishes and says: “Why don’t you just answer the question?”
In near panic, Martinez replies: “I don’t think it would move the needle much, given recent experience.” The room is completely silent, waiting for Zuckerberg’s response.
“You can do this, but don’t use the Like button,” he says finally.
That’s it! A decision that could potentially involve thousands of people and billions in revenues, or just as easily NOT, is made swiftly and with gut feel. No time is wasted on PowerPoint presentations or lengthy discussions of technical minutiae. A ball is thrown, a strike called. Game over!
But Silicon Valley is like that. Venture capitalists do not listen politely while you make your pitch. They pepper you with questions before you can finish a sentence. After fifteen minutes of frantic expositions your little audition is over. And you walk away certain that you’ve botched your golden opportunity forever. Then you get a call on your smart phone while you’re crying in your beer at the nearest drinking establishment. Suddenly, you’re three sheets to the wind and expected to make a decision that can make you a millionaire or a loser in relatively short order. Therefore, keen instincts are essential at such junctures. There’s not much time to think things over. The possibilities are potentially infinite, but cul de sacs that can stall your career, or end it perhaps, litter the landscape.
But “Chaos Monkeys” is about much more than the rigors of entrepreneurship and the corporate politics of Silicon Valley. It’s also about the ambiance of the San Francisco Bay Area and how the techie demographic is transforming its traditional culture into a new world. Martinez also shares a fleeting glimpse of his love life with us, but not much, most notably his relations with a formidable female specimen he will only identify as “British Trader.” She is now the mother of his two children and basically on her own. I was watching him on C-Span (at a book signing in Silicon Valley) and he said that she was currently traveling around the world with their kids. He also said that after finishing his book he wants to circumnavigate the globe on his 40 foot cutter rigged sailboat. So he doesn’t seem to be the marrying kind. He’s too feral. But at the beginning of “Chaos Monkeys” you get the impression that he’s this dashing, Caribbean buccaneer in a puffy-sleeved dueling shirt, a red sash, and black pantaloons—Tyrone Power in “The Black Swan.” By the end of the book he seems more like one of S. Clay Wilson’s pirates in a Zap Comix from the Sixties—a scurvy sea dog with green teeth and diseased gums, capable of anything.
Just kidding. The truth is that Martinez is one freaking hell of a writer and he’s written the “Liar’s Poker” of Silicon Valley. “Chaos Monkeys” is tantamount to a message in a bottle that Martinez has thrown into the Japanese Current and if and when the Winds of Fate wash it up on your beach, make sure you read it—especially if you’re headed for the techie gold rush in California.
on July 17, 2016
Antonio does a great job sharing his story and being transparent about the behind the scenes of tech companies. There are really three parts to this book:
- working for your typical VC backed startup (where some founder manages to make you believe you'll strike it rich...more often than not things go way south).
- building a team, forming a company and raising money (where the founder has to navigate a really broad gray area between truth and lies) - as well as drive to an exit
- working at Facebook between 2011-2013 in an area that was getting no love from Mark Zuckerberg (Which covers a rocky pre/post IPO span).
All the parts were excellent in their own regards but what sets this book apart in my opinion is that the protagonist stays the same - so we get to see how his actions change (or don't - he's really a brat start to finish ^_^) over time. The internet is full of "how to start a company" or "10 steps to raise a venture round" but this book is about the life of a human being growing through his career and experiencing personal/professional victories and defeats.
- working for your typical VC backed startup (where some founder manages to make you believe you'll strike it rich...more often than not things go way south).
- building a team, forming a company and raising money (where the founder has to navigate a really broad gray area between truth and lies) - as well as drive to an exit
- working at Facebook between 2011-2013 in an area that was getting no love from Mark Zuckerberg (Which covers a rocky pre/post IPO span).
All the parts were excellent in their own regards but what sets this book apart in my opinion is that the protagonist stays the same - so we get to see how his actions change (or don't - he's really a brat start to finish ^_^) over time. The internet is full of "how to start a company" or "10 steps to raise a venture round" but this book is about the life of a human being growing through his career and experiencing personal/professional victories and defeats.
on August 4, 2016
This is basically 2 books in one, as some have correctly observed. The first part chronicles Mr. Martinez's path from Wall Street to a Silicon Valley employee, and then on to the creation of a startup and all the dynamics that go along with that: partners, fund-raising, pitching, and ultimately the company's "acquihire". Plenty of talk of his personal life along the way, providing many chuckles. Both parts have some nice twists, but the reason you want to read this book is just the deep intellectual writing .. something you do not get in other books of this type. The second part of the book, after the acquihire and subsequent job-change, is a "deep-dive" into the storyline of Facebook's internal advertising projects and partnerships as that behemoth went from a private company to public. Antonio gives you very detailed information on how ad technology works (and doesn't in the case of Facebook at the time), and really does a great job keeping your interest and providing great entertainment. The poor reviews for this book all seem to be from people that really don't get it. The book is truly a fantastic read.
