User level: Beginning-Intermediate
A few square miles of Northern California contain some of the world’s largest companies whose products affect billions of people every single day. What made these giants of Silicon Valley as impactful as they are? What do their paths to success have in common?
Turning Silicon into Gold is a sharp analysis of 25 case studies examining just that. Authors Griffin Kao, Jessica Hong, Michael Perusse, and Weizhen Sheng provide relevant commentary as they explore the stories behind companies such as Apple, Amazon, OpenTable, and many more. These organizations used unique problem-solving strategies to forever change the face of tech—whether it was Facebook’s second mover advantage over MySpace or Nintendo’s leap of faith in the 1980s to revitalize the video game industry.
Learn by example as Turning Silicon into Gold divulges the inner workings behind some of the most significant business decisions in tech history. The nuanced ways these companies tackled emerging markets and generated growth in uncertain times is essential knowledge for modern business leaders, innovators, and aspiring founders. Whether you are simply curious about the origins of the world’s tech giants or you are an entrepreneur looking for inspiration, the thoughtful, comprehensive case study collection that is Turning Silicon into Gold belongs on your bookshelf.
What You Will Learn- Understand why companies like Amazon, Facebook, OpenTable and more have made some controversial and strategic decisions
- Realize how Big Data is driving the success of many new and mature ventures
- See how tech companies are tackling emerging markets and generating growth
- Examine how capital flows through the tech industry
Who This Book is For
The book is for people currently in or interested in exploring a career in the intersection of technology and business, such as product management, entrepreneurship, or non-coding positions at a tech company—it’s also great for people generally curious about how the tech industry operates. The book offers case studies in an engaging and approachable way, while still providing important takeaways and probing questions—perfect for the casual reader or even someone trying to prepare for interviews.
| About the Authors |
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vii | |
| Introduction |
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ix | |
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1 | (36) |
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Chapter 1 The Second Mover Advantage |
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3 | (6) |
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Chapter 2 Election Meddling |
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9 | (6) |
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15 | (8) |
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Chapter 4 Pivot to Perfection |
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23 | (8) |
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Chapter 5 The Chicken or the Egg |
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31 | (6) |
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37 | (36) |
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Chapter 6 The Secondary Market |
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39 | (10) |
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Chapter 7 Cutting Out the Middleman |
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49 | (6) |
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Chapter 8 Innovating an Industry |
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55 | (6) |
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Chapter 9 Flourishing Freemium |
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61 | (8) |
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Chapter 10 Fake It `Til You Make It' |
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69 | (4) |
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Part III Extending the Lead |
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73 | (36) |
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Chapter 11 Online to Offline (020) |
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75 | (6) |
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Chapter 12 The Last Mile Problem |
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81 | (4) |
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Chapter 13 Tech IPO Flops |
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85 | (6) |
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Chapter 14 Apples to Apples |
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91 | (8) |
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Chapter 15 Memes As Marketing |
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99 | (10) |
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109 | (32) |
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Chapter 16 Un-assistive Voice Assistants |
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111 | (8) |
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Chapter 17 Too Much of a Good Thing |
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119 | (8) |
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127 | (6) |
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Chapter 19 The Rise and Fall of Virtual Reality |
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133 | (8) |
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141 | (38) |
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Chapter 20 Chinese Women in Tech |
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143 | (6) |
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Chapter 21 Mental Health Algorithms |
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149 | (6) |
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Chapter 22 I Made It; It's Mine |
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155 | (6) |
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Chapter 23 What to Expect When You're Expecting a Billion New Users |
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161 | (6) |
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Chapter 24 Wisdom of the Crowd |
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167 | (6) |
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Chapter 25 Dataism and Transhumanism |
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173 | (6) |
| Glossary |
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179 | (10) |
| Index |
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189 | |
Griffin Kao has a background in computer science, mechanical engineering, and economics from Brown University. He's worked as both a software engineer and product manager at B2B and B2C tech companies, both large and small, and has acquired a lot of insight into how the industry operates.
Jessica Hong is studying computer science at Cornell University. She's been able to witness the impact of technology in the world through her previous roles as a software engineer, product manager, and venture capital partner.
Michael Perusse, Harvard University class of 2020, studied computer science and mathematical sciences. He's worked in product management at both Google, Microsoft, and startups, and has written for a variety of magazines and websites.
Weizhen Sheng is studying Networked and Social Systems Engineering and pursuing a Masters degree in Data Science at the University of Pennsylvania. She has previously worked as a product manager and software engineer in the tech industry, and as an analyst at an investment board, offering her varying perspectives on the role of technology.
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