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

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 business people 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 humour 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.

In his new conclusion, Cringely looks at the likely near-future of the PC industry, arguing that most of the major companies are facing a need to dramatically reformulate their mission in the light of engineering developments already in the works. He offers a new paradigm for the development of the industry as it moves from its early "start up" phase into a more mature, more competitive era. --Jake Bond

"The title is an inspiration, and Cringely's whimsical, matter of fact style--an attribute altogether missing in the urgent, go-go lifestyles of the people he writes about--makes the book itself worth reading. It has a sense of perspective most books about the high-tech priesthood sorely lack."-- "USA Today""A wonderfully readable, acerbic and funny tale of America's most important industry'"-- Tom Peters"Cringely writes in a tone that's part "Spy Magazine, " part "Newsweek, " and part "The Wonder Years.""-- "Los Angeles Times""An epic tale. The best book on the subject so far."-- "New York Daily News""A fascinating book . . . well worth the time."-- "Sacramento Bee"As compelling and entertaining read as "Barbarians at the Gate."-- Roger von Oech --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This work looks at the business of computing in the US, as computer science, as a business, and as a collection of extraordinary and eccentric characters. After automobiles, energy production, and illegal drugs, personal computers are one of the largest manufacturing industries in the world, and one of the great success stories for American business. This book is linked to a Channel 4 television series entitled "The Triumph of the Nerds".