Author: Ben Horowitz
There are two parts to this book by Ben Horowitz. The first tells the story of his two startups, LoudCloud and Opsware and the lessons he learned from them. This is the more interesting and authentic part of the book, where Ben provides a ring-side view of the crises that he faced and how he handled them. One of my close friends worked at Opsware during this period and I was curious to read about the developments there and validate them with him.
The second part of the book contains general teachings from Ben on the challenges a CEO faces and how to navigate them. Needless to say, Ben has a wealth of experience, both personal as well as second hand with the many ventures that he has invested in. This is well trodden turf and there aren’t many new words of wisdom that he doles out here. He re-enforces the well-known belief that it is “lonely at the top”. He says that a CEO should expect to be uncomfortable with the state of affairs most of the time and it is important for you to develop “Techniques that can calm your nerves”.
The book is written in a very readable style and Ben has a great way of simplifying the verbiage so that the message pops out. For instance to highlight the role of the CEO, he says “some employees make products; some make sales; the CEO makes decisions”. He also has a very nice way of bringing out the contrast of behaviors in a binary fashion. He describes two types of CEOs: Peacetime and Wartime CEOS. In another context he talks about CEOs as being “Ones” or “Twos”. To get more insight into this, you will have to read the book.
There are two parts to this book by Ben Horowitz. The first tells the story of his two startups, LoudCloud and Opsware and the lessons he learned from them. This is the more interesting and authentic part of the book, where Ben provides a ring-side view of the crises that he faced and how he handled them. One of my close friends worked at Opsware during this period and I was curious to read about the developments there and validate them with him.
The second part of the book contains general teachings from Ben on the challenges a CEO faces and how to navigate them. Needless to say, Ben has a wealth of experience, both personal as well as second hand with the many ventures that he has invested in. This is well trodden turf and there aren’t many new words of wisdom that he doles out here. He re-enforces the well-known belief that it is “lonely at the top”. He says that a CEO should expect to be uncomfortable with the state of affairs most of the time and it is important for you to develop “Techniques that can calm your nerves”.
The book is written in a very readable style and Ben has a great way of simplifying the verbiage so that the message pops out. For instance to highlight the role of the CEO, he says “some employees make products; some make sales; the CEO makes decisions”. He also has a very nice way of bringing out the contrast of behaviors in a binary fashion. He describes two types of CEOs: Peacetime and Wartime CEOS. In another context he talks about CEOs as being “Ones” or “Twos”. To get more insight into this, you will have to read the book.
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