Rating: 
Summary: A great look into the magic kingdom
Review: This was my summer vacation book last year, beginning and ending during my family's flight to and from San Francisco. We flew to California for the Women's World Cup match in Palo Alto. For me, as we drove our rental car throughout the Silicon Valley, Kaplan's book brought to life what went on behind the walls, whether on the Stanford campus, in the venture capital firms up the street, or on the verandas of the homes dotting the nearby hills. It was a terrific read and an insightful look at today's mega-rich and how they made it.
Rating: 
Summary: Marred by money
Review: I suppose that some people think the most interesting thing about Silicon Valley is how rich people are. Kaplan certainly seems obsessed with the tremendous wealth of his subjects. I almost couldn't get through the opening chapter, which seemed and endless account of extravagant parties, expensive homes and millionaire's toys. The chapter on Larry Ellison is also marred by repeated visits to the subject of his wealth. The rest of the book is a good overview of the history of hi-tech in the US. You meet innovators and the charismatic leaders. You learn what various companies do and how they got to where they are. If you work in the hi-tech industry you know this stuff, but I didn't know Sun from Oracle and this book cleared that all up for me. If you're interested in the hi-tech industry AND you enjoy "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" you'll probably give this book five stars!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, fascinating and highly revealing.
Review: Did you ever wonder where and how Netscape got its start? Think you know how Yahoo became the search engine powerhouse? Do you what Marc Anderseen did to become a millionaire? Read this most fascinating and captivating tale of the powerful giants of the silicon valley. Follow along as the "Boys" make their mark in computer history and how each of them made their millions. Find out who is the one man that Bill Gates fears or what the "boys" think of Steven Jobs. You'll read about greed and the lust for power, the undying quest by these men to become the best at what they do. The book is more than just the story of the rise to the top, it is laced with so much history of the silicon valley and those that had and has the desire to make it work and prosper. A very good book indeed!
Rating: 
Summary: Rehash of Other Peoples Stuff
Review: If you've found the Silicon Valley and related industry to be worth reading about, and if you've read most of the other books on the subject, you won't find much new or interesting, or even that entertaining in this book. The breezy, irreverent style is pretty much a knockoff of the classic approach taken to the Valley by Robert X Cringely in Accidental Empires (if you've read that book or seen the TV shows you'll recognize a lot of the stories here). If you've read the Gates Biographies, the Larry Ellison biography, the William Shockley Biography, the and the book about Intel, you'll start to think this book is a stringing together of twice and thrice told tales. I did find the sections about the workings and history of the venture capitable firms to be interesting, and the material in them to be new - at least to me - but the rest of the book was so much a warmed over retelling of better, deeper books it makes me think I just haven't yet read the book on venture capitalists that those chapters came from. If you haven't read the other books I've mentioned, and you want a readable account telling some of the big stories of the Valley, then this book is an acceptable primer. But, as others have noted, it just tells the "big" stories and really doesn't get at what the Valley is about.
Rating:
Summary: The billionaires
Review: Kaplan's book about Silicon Valley focuses on the big names and he does come up with some great "dirt" on each of them. (How Jobs Screwed Wozniak, how Clark abused Andreessen, etc.) He also throws in some interesting history of the big companies there. Ultimately, though, it's no more satisfying than reading a stack of People magazines. For a more thoughtful guide to the Valley, read Po Bronson.
Rating: 
Summary: Shockingly Shockley
Review: The few paragraphs about TJ Rogers and Professor Shockley is worth the read ! Gary Kildall comes across as a tragic figure.
Rating:
Summary: I found Silicon Boys to be a page-turner
Review: I am not much of a non-fiction reader outside of computer manuals and that sort of thing. I like a book that gets my adrenaline going and that I have a hard time to putting down. Well, suprise, suprise, for me, Silicon Boys was just that sort of book. I could hardly wait to read it and had a hard time putting it down to turn out the light. At first I thought it was just going to be sour grapes about the rich boys. But as I read further I got caught up into who discovered what and who stole what from whom and who was on their last dime and then became mega rich and - well- the whole intrigue of it all. David Kaplan has a way with words and in the future I will definitely be looking for his name in print.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but he doesn't understand SV's real draw
Review: Kaplan writes a lot of good detail that you don't find in other books, but he misses the boat on describing Silicon Valley's appeal. Firstly, money isn't really the issue for most people. That's not why people are working 16 hour days. These people love what they do, and saying they do it for the $ is like saying a criminal seriously thinks he'll get the electric chair. It's a remote possibility if all kinds of factors fall into place, but it essentially feels like something that happens to other people. Kaplan shouldn't confuse the lifestyles that moguls have with the lives of actual workers. Secondly, there is no other industry that gives 20-somethings the opportunities, responsibilities and respect that Silicon Valley does. Everywhere else, you have to start out of college and slowly work your way up the ladder. Thirdly, it is about changing the world. I grew up in a blue collar family that didn't have a lot of books in the house, and any academic interests I had to pursue on my own. I would have killed for the information that is now available on the web, and I'll do anything to get that information to more people who don't currently have access to it. I'm hardly alone.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Account Written in a Compelling Way
Review: Similar to many people, I am fascinated with what's going on in the technology sector of US industry. I felt there was something missing in all the television reports, and Kaplan's book certainly seems to be the answer. In an entertaining way, he tracks the birth and evolution of what seems to be an otherworldly movement. As someone who was in the banking industry as a junior analyst in the late 80s and left after two years, I wanted to see if the Valley and Manhattan were similar. Yes but no. Silicon Valley is even more sick. Wall Street has your typical greed, but it's nothing compared to the phenomenon out West as chronicled by Kaplan. What are they doing with all that money? I'm not sure why everyone loves to hate Bill Gates; at least he's doing something positive with his wealth these days. As I suspected and Kaplan confirms, there is no soul in this industry. I am beginning to remember again why I left San Francisco after just a year and a half. Dare I say? These people are even emptier than their film industry counterparts.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books...EVER
Review: Absolutely LOVED this book. If you love Silicon Valley, fast cars, and the entrepreneurial spirit, you won't be able to put this book down! One of my favorite books...EVER. Couldn't put it down once I started. The only thing that disappointed me was that it had to end.
| 
