Burn Book

Kara Swisher, an award-winning journalist, has written a book called "Burn Book" that provides a witty, scathing, but fair account of the tech industry and its founders who wanted to change the world but broke it instead. She covers the explosion of the digital sector in the early 1990s and develops a long track record of digging up and reporting the truth of this new world order. The book is part memoir, part history, and a necessary recounting of tech's most powerful players. Despite the damage she chronicles, Swisher remains optimistic about tech's potential to help solve problems and not just create them. She calls upon the industry to make better, more thoughtful choices, even as a new set of powerful AI tools are poised to change the world yet again.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 27 February 2024
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

From the acclaimed journalist Kara Swisher comes a witty, scathing, yet fair account of the tech industry and its founders who aimed to change the world but ended up breaking it instead.

While tech titans boasted of their ability to move fast and break things, Kara Swisher was moving even faster and breaking news. Covering the explosion of the digital sector in the early 1990s, she established a long track record of uncovering and reporting the truth of this new world order. Her relentless scoops led one CEO to accuse her of listening in through the heating ducts, and for Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg to once say, "It is a constant joke in the Valley when people write memos for them to say, 'I hope Kara never sees this.'"

Burn Book is a blend of memoir, history, and, most importantly, a crucial recounting of tech's most influential players. This is the inside story we've all been waiting for of modern Silicon Valley and the biggest boom in wealth creation in the history of the world.

While still in college, Swisher began her career at The Washington Post, where she became one of the few journalists interested in the emerging field of tech. She was among the first to recognize the potential of the internet, accurately predicting that everything that could be digitized would be digitized.

She went on to work for The Wall Street Journal, joining forces with Walt Mossberg to launch the groundbreaking AllThingsD conference, as well as pioneering online tech sites. It's safe to say that Swisher has interviewed everyone. Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Bob Iger, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin are just a few of the many individuals Swisher has grilled, figuratively and, in one famous case, literally.

Despite the damage she chronicles, Swisher remains optimistic about the future of technology. She believes that the tech industry has the potential to create a more equitable and sustainable world, but it will require a shift in mindset and a commitment to ethical practices.

In conclusion, Burn Book is a must-read for anyone interested in the tech industry, its founders, and the impact it has had on society world. Kara Swisher's witty, scathing, yet fair account provides a valuable perspective on the industry's past and present, and her optimism for the future is a refreshing reminder that technology can be a force for good if used responsibly.

Weight: 586g
Dimension: 163 x 241 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780349442129