The Monk and The Riddle
📅 Finished on: 2022-04-11
A startup needs passion, but also a solid plan and the will to work hard and understand the market
Recommended by Ferriss, a nice book about the spirit of passion in Silicon Valley (and short)
Well written, I did not fully get the monk part, but I liked the protagonist’s parable. He is a major figure in Silicon Valley who knows the VC world. It starts with an entrepreneur with a rather weak idea, funerals.com, focused only on getting rich, and follows his story as he learns that you need a solid project, the right mindset, and many small glimpses into the startup world. By the end he reinvents the startup into something more sensible, The Circle Of Life.
It also talks about his previous companies, like a video game company where he did not feel like the right person in charge, and WebTV, acquired by Microsoft and bringing a shift to the industry.
An interesting read, nothing exceptional, but it kept me good company for a few days.