This is my new favorite book, another gem by Michael Lewis. One of the reasons I love it is because the events depicted provide context to what was happening in my life during and after the years when it took place (roughly 1991 – 1999).
From 2000 to 2003, I worked in Boulder as a software developer for a company called Aerojet, which was acquired by Northrop Grumman. While there, I had the pleasure of working on several Silicon Graphics computer workstations. At the time, I had no idea who was responsible for building these impressive computers.
It turns out that a man named James H. Clark was one of the founders of Silicon Graphics. The New New Thing tells his story. Clark went on to launch Netscape in 1994. As soon as this browser became available, I used it almost exclusively to browse the internet.
In 1996, Clark founded a company called Healtheon, which soon merged with WebMD to become a leader in health information. To this day, I occasionally find useful information on the WebMD website!
Always in search of the “new new thing”, Clark became the first man to launch three BILLION-dollar companies. My life was impacted by each one of these companies, although I had no idea that this fascinating man was responsible.
After the events depicted in the book, Clark helped produce a movie called The Cove. This documentary made a big impression on me. Again, I had no idea that Clark was partly responsible for making it happen.
I’m grateful to Michael Lewis for telling the story of a man who had more influence on my life than I ever would have known without reading this excellent book. It makes me wonder how many other people have impacted my life without my knowledge!
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