Troublemakers: Silicon Valley's Coming of Age

Description

Introduction: A bit like love -- Arrival: 1969-1971. Prometheus in the Pentagon (Bob Taylor) ; Nerd paradise (Al Alcorn) ; Eight quarters in her pocket (Fawn Alvarez) ; The Fairchildren (Mike Markkula) ; What do we do with these? (Niels Reimers) ; Come with me, or I'll go by myself (Sandra Kurtzig) -- Building: 1972-1975. Have you seen this woman? (Sandra Kurtzig) ; Turn your backs on the origins of computing! (Bob Taylor) ; Hit in the ass by lightning (Al Alcorn) ; Make it happen (Niels Reimers) ; That's what I did on Mondays (Mike Markkula) -- Challenges: 1976-1977. I needed to land behind a desk (Fawn Alvarez) ; This is a big fucking deal (Al Alcorn) ; One more year or bust (Sandra Kurtzig) ; No idea how you start a company (Niels Reimers and Bob Swanson) ; That flips my switch (Mike Markkula) ; I've never seen a man type that fast (Bob Taylor) ; There are no standards yet (Mike Markkula) -- Triumph: 1979-1981. Looks like $100 million to me! (Niels Reimers and Bob Swanson) ; Sitting in a kiddie seat (Al Alcorn) ; Can you imagine your grandmother using one? (Bob Taylor) ; Young maniacs (Mike Markkula) ; What in the hell are you trying to say? (Fawn Alvarez) ; We don't need any money (Sandra Kurtzig) -- Transition: 1983-1984. The rabbits hopped away (Bob Taylor) ; Video nation (Al Alcorn) ; Knew it before they did (Niels Reimers) ; No one thought they would sell (Fawn Alvarez) ; The entire world will never be the same (Mike Markkula) ; She works hard for the money (Sandra Kurtzig) -- Conclusion: Wave after wave -- Postscript: The troublemakers today.;A narrative history of the Silicon Valley generation that launched five major high-tech industries in seven years details the specific contributions of seven technical pioneers and how they established the foundation for today's tech-driven world.;"At a time when the five most valuable companies on the planet are high-tech firms and nearly half of Americans say they cannot live without their cell phones, Troublemakers reveals the untold story of how we got here. This is the gripping tale of seven exceptional men and women, pioneers of Silicon Valley in the 1970s and early 1980s. Together, they worked across generations, industries, and companies to bring technology from Pentagon offices and university laboratories to the rest of us. In doing so, they changed the world. In Troublemakers, historian Leslie Berlin introduces the people and stories behind the birth of the Internet and the microprocessor, as well as Apple, Atari, Genentech, Xerox PARC, ROLM, ASK, and the iconic venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. In the space of only seven years and thirty-five miles, five major industries--personal computing, video games, biotechnology, modern venture capital, and advanced semiconductor logic--were born. Featured among innovators such as Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, and Don Valentine are Mike Markkula, Apple Computer's first chairman; Bob Taylor, who kick-started the Arpanet and masterminded the personal computer; Sandra Kurtzig, the first woman to take a technology company public; Al Alcorn, the engineer behind the first wildly successful video game; Fawn Alvarez, who rose from an assembler on a factory line to the executive suite; and Niels Reimers, who changed how university innovations reach the public. These troublemakers rewrote the rules and invented the future."--Jacket. Introduction: A bit like love -- Arrival: 1969-1971. Prometheus in the Pentagon (Bob Taylor) Nerd paradise (Al Alcorn) Eight quarters in her pocket (Fawn Alvarez) The Fairchildren (Mike Markkula) What do we do with these? (Niels Reimers) Come with me, or I'll go by myself (Sandra Kurtzig) -- Building: 1972-1975. Have you seen this woman? (Sandra Kurtzig) Turn your backs on the origins of computing! (Bob Taylor) Hit in the ass by lightning (Al Alcorn) Make it happen (Niels Reimers) That's what I did on Mondays (Mike Markkula) -- Challenges: 1976-1977. I needed to land behind a desk (Fawn Alvarez) This is a big fucking deal (Al Alcorn) One more year or bust (Sandra Kurtzig) No idea how you start a company (Niels Reimers and Bob Swanson) That flips my switch (Mike Markkula) I've never seen a man type that fast (Bob Taylor) There are no standards yet (Mike Markkula) -- Triumph: 1979-1981. Looks like $100 million to me! (Niels Reimers and Bob Swanson) Sitting in a kiddie seat (Al Alcorn) Can you imagine your grandmother using one? (Bob Taylor) Young maniacs (Mike Markkula) What in the hell are you trying to say? (Fawn Alvarez) We don't need any money (Sandra Kurtzig) -- Transition: 1983-1984. The rabbits hopped away (Bob Taylor) Video nation (Al Alcorn) Knew it before they did (Niels Reimers) No one thought they would sell (Fawn Alvarez) The entire world will never be the same (Mike Markkula) She works hard for the money (Sandra Kurtzig) -- Conclusion: Wave after wave -- Postscript: The troublemakers today.