- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Times Books (31 Dec 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0812931432
- ISBN-13: 978-0812931433
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.8 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,176,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Amazon.co.uk Review
If you've ever gone out to lunch with a coworker and suddenly found yourself witness to a savage stream of unflattering assessments of bosses, wicked gossip, and the-emperor-has-no-clothes analysis of your industry, you'll know what it's like to read High Stakes, No Prisoners. Ferguson, an MIT PhD., started up a company called Vermeer Technologies in 1994, a rough time for start-ups in Silicon Valley. The country was coming out of a recession, the stock market was stagnant, and the Internet wasn't yet taken seriously by those with money to invest. Vermeer had a software program called FrontPage that only someone who understood the coming power of the Net could appreciate. Even in Silicon Valley, few were so prescient.
Most of High Stakes is the story of Vermeer, from its start-up to its sale to Microsoft. (Now bundled with Microsoft Office, FrontPage is used by more than 3 million people worldwide.) Along the way, Ferguson met the players in the Valley and formed strong opinions of them. He describes Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale as an egomaniac and technological dolt in way, way over his head. Oracle founder Larry Ellison is "severely warped." One of his best lines sums up Silicon Valley as a place where "one finds little evidence that the meek shall inherit the earth."
But this isn't just the technological equivalent of WWF trash-talking. Ferguson is very tough on himself, too, and details his own shortcomings as a person and a businessman. Mostly, it's a gloves-off account of how things really get done in high technology today, as refreshingly honest and acerbic an account as you'll ever read. --Lou Schuler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
M2 Best Books, February 16, 2001
A very interesting read. Not often there is a book written by someone high up on the 'inside' about the life of an Internet start-up.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Start-ups, says Charles Ferguson, author of High Stakes, No Prisoners, are the intellectual equivalent of driving a small, fast convertible with the top down, the stereo playing Keith Jarrett, Bach or JJ Cale very loud, doing 100 miles an hour on an empty road at sunset. "You might crash, but the experience is visceral, immediate, and intense."
Anyone considering taking that ride would be well advised to read Ferguson's book before they set out. High Stakes is a witty, acerbic, and detailed account of how he grew Vermeer from a germ of an idea into a world leader in web site authoring technology. It was a painful but highly lucrative exercise. Vermeer was sold to Microsoft for $113 million after just two years.
What makes this different from other Silicon Valley start-up tales is that Ferguson doesn't hold anything back. He recounts the endless meetings with venture capitalists and the internal struggles that almost brought the company down. He is also quick to criticise both himself and others, resulting in a book that is both educational and entertaining.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A book full of facts, stories and cause-effect relations. Do you want to know why Netscape didn't make it ? How can you put vendor lock-in in your software ? What are the surprises when partnering with a VC ? Insider stories of software product strategies, critical views of "industry leaders", vaporware competition etc., told by someone able to point at his own mistakes.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An inspiring and fascinating book which is a must-read for all aspiring high-tech entrepreneurs and CEOs. Charles Ferguson relates how he founded Vermeer, created Frontpage, and within two years sold it to Microsoft for $130m. He comes across as smart, arrogant, paranoid and brilliantly perceptive. He admits his mistakes and pulls no punches in describing the people he dealt with.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
dissing the careerist CEO
He has a healthy contempt for mechanistic VCs, fussy lawyers - and self-serving, careerist CEOs. Like them, he wanted to get rich. Read more
Published on 10 May 2003 by "bogmanstar"
Arrogance, Paranoia and Naked Greed - All Valid Motivations
Ferguson's analysis is untroubled by any reflection. He is certain on all matters, whether the future of businesses about which he knows little, or the motivation and... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2000
The high tech, high price, high stress start-up manual
Rarely has a book caught my imagination as much as this. Firstly the sheer magnificance of the idea, execution and politics of this web development company was breathtaking. Read more
Published on 12 April 2000 by tomlinf@hotmail.com
An utterly fascinating insight into Internet news headlines
This book has been a real page turner, and is guilty of keeping me up FAR too late at night in recent days. Read more
Published on 9 April 2000
Interesting story of how to do an Internet start-up
An authentic and interesting story of VC funding and technology history in the emerging internet market. Read more
Published on 6 Mar 2000 by richard_woodfield@msn.com
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