I just received from Amazon a copy of Founders at Work, a collection of interviews with entrepreneurs. It’s by Jessica Livingston, one of the Y Combinator folks.
Here’s the list of interviewees, which includes myself. In the interview, I talk about the early days of both ONElist, which became Yahoo Groups, and Bloglines. I haven’t had a chance to read the book yet (hey, I just got it a couple hours ago!), but I’ve got to believe that this is a great resource for people interested in starting their own Internet companies. And if nothing else, it’s got a picture of me with a shaved head in it.
Founders at Work
January 29, 2007 By
Hm…. it’s good link bait to write a book and interview bloggers
Kevin
Worked on me; my copy arrived from Amazon about five minutes ago, and I already ran through your chapter — good job! Have to get you to sign the picture next time I see ya.
I’d definitely recommend this book, and I enjoyed your chapter about Bloglines. The one thing that stands out is the widely different approaches people take toward starting their companies — you advocate a low-cost, finance-it-yourself cheaply route, while others started as consulting companies and others got a lot of VC money right from the beginning.
I finished the book last night and liked it very much. Without fawning too much, the book’s themes and lessons are useful to someone way outside the Valley who is considering a startup. They are: make things people want (which I already knew from PG’s essays), commit 100% through thick and thin, don’t expect your first idea to be your last, and luck has more to do with success than skill.