Burn Book

From renowned journalist Kara Swisher comes Burn Book, an incisive and unflinching examination of the tech industry and its enigmatic founders who embarked on a quest to change the world, only to break it in the process. This deeply insightful narrative melds memoir and history, offering an essential recounting of Silicon Valley's ascent and its seismic impact on global affairs.

In Burn Book, Swisher traces her career from a precocious college student to a powerhouse journalist at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She provides a front-row seat to the explosion of the digital sector in the early 1990s, unearthing the truths behind the audacious claims and ambitions of tech magnates. Her investigative prowess was so formidable that one CEO accused her of "listening in the heating ducts," and Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg quipped: "It is a constant joke in the Valley when people write memos for them to say, 'I hope Kara never sees this.'"

Swisher's start at The Washington Post marked her as one of the few journalists captivated by the burgeoning tech industry. Early on, she foresaw the internet's potential, predicting that "everything that could be digitised, would be digitised.” Her career trajectory soared as she joined The Wall Street Journal, co-founding the influential AllThingsD conference and pioneering online tech journalism.

Few have the access or the tenacity that Swisher has; she has interviewed almost every major player in the tech world. Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Bob Iger, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Meg Whitman, Peter Thiel, and Mark Zuckerberg are just a few of the industry titans who have faced her relentless questioning, sometimes eliciting responses that were both figuratively and literally sweat-inducing.

Despite the often-damaging revelations chronicled in Burn Book, Swisher remains cautiously optimistic about technology's capacity for good. She makes a compelling case for the tech industry to make more conscientious and deliberate choices as the world stands on the precipice of yet another transformation brought about by powerful AI tools.

Above all, Burn Book is a love letter to technology from someone who understands its complexities better than anyone. It recounts soaring tales of innovation and the bright minds that fuelled it, as well as the endured trials, tribulations, and intricate history of Silicon Valley's meteoric rise and fall. The book examines how the commercial internet was born, the monumental prosperity it brought, and the consequent power it wields today, presenting a clear and present danger to humanity.

Swisher's narrative is a detailed, often irreverent dialogue with the past and present of tech, capturing the industry's essence in all its flawed brilliance. For anyone seeking to understand the nuances of Silicon Valley, its leaders, and its profound impact on modern life, Burn Book is an indispensable read.