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Robert X. Cringely, Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date (Addison-Wesley, 1992) Many critics refer to Cringely's Accidental Empires as the best introduction to the PC industry, although by today's perspective the book is less a practical guide and more a history lesson. Cringely discusses not only the technology but also the personalities behind the technology. He writes expertly on tech big wigs like Steve Jobs and his first stint as Apple's CEO: "Like the Bhagwan driving around Rancho Rajneesh each day in another Rolls-Royce, Jobs kept his troops fascinated and productive. The joke going around said that Jobs had `reality distortion field' surrounding him. He'd say something and the kids in the Macintosh division would find themselves replying, 'Drink poison Kool-Aid? Yeah, that makes sense.'" According to Laura Evenson writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, Cringely adopted his pseudonym (his real name is Mark Stephens) while writing for InfoWorld in the 80s. After the success of Accidental Empires -– it is listed as one of the 10 best books about business by several publications – Crignely went on to develop a documentary for PBS titled "Triumph of the Nerds," and now writes for PBS and several British television concerns. MORE: Cringely’s PBS site |
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