Valley Boy | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Gotham
Category: EBooks
List Price: $27.50
Buy New: $9.18
You Save: $18.32 (67%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 9967
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.761004092
ASIN: B000W9695Y
Publication Date: November 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
"A revealing memoir from Tom Perkins???renowned venture capitalist, Silicon Valley and biotechnology pioneer, and one of America???s most successful businessmen Known for his idiosyncratic ideas and golden touch, Tom Perkins has always been one of the business world???s most intriguing figures. But his legacy took an unexpected new turn when he resigned from Hewlett-Packard???s board in 2006, protesting the ???questionable ethics and dubious legality??? of their chairman???s now infamous leak investigation. In this insightful memoir, Perkins recalls these and other fascinating episodes of his life, both personal and professional, including his involvement in the creation of American industries no one could have dreamed of a century ago. In 1957 Perkins started working for Hewlett-Packard, and his career with the company spanned, becoming the administrative head of the research laboratories and the first general manager of its skyrocketing computer businesses. He was a pioneer in laser technology, starting the company that he later merged into Spectra-Physics. As chairman of Genentech for fourteen years, founder of the Silicon Valley venture-capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and director of Applied Materials at Compaq, Corning Glass, and Philips Electronics, Perkins never shies away from the cutting edge. He also discusses his marriage to Danielle Steel, his notorious vintage car collection, his yacht (the largest privately owned sailboat), his race across the ocean, his being tried for manslaughter in a backwater French town, and the toughest assignment he???s ever had: as a trustee emeritus at the San Francisco ballet."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Loved this book but didn't expect to November 1, 2008
I bought this book from the discount bin at my local book store and did not expect to like it much. I was interested in giving it a shot as I am a wanna be entre-poor-neur and Tom Perkins is like a rock star to someone like me.
I instantly found myself hooked to the book and the stories of his life. Not only did I learn tons about business and venture financing, he tells great tales of life in general.
I was captivated from page 1 to page 276. What an interesting life!
A must read if you are a lover of business, technology, extravigance or entrepreneurship.
Inspirational but not perfect. July 29, 2008
As an aspiring young entrepreneur, I found Tom Perkins' Valley Boy a most enjoyable read. I was able to easily relate to many of his stories, although my experiences are drastically different. I can understand why many people do not find this book enjoyable - they can not relate. While I would recommend this book (and already have) to most of my friends, I don't think it is written with a wide enough audience in mind. If I were given the opportunity to meet with Mr. Perkins, I am sure we could devise a more appealing piece of writing. His genius and creativity are quite evident, but his point of view as an author needs some adjustment.
 Unreadable June 27, 2008
Perhaps I'm the only one, but I found this book to be basically unreadable. (As such, I have only read a small part of it.) Tom Perkins is an impressive person with a successful career by many standards, and I am interested in what he does for a living even, but suffice it to say he is not one of our nation's best writers.
Stories over a few dinners June 13, 2008
The book is a few interesting stories from his life told as if it were over several dinners and several glasses of wine.
I personally like the conversational style and flow of the book and so highly recommend it.
These are just a few vignettes from his life and I'm sure there are many more stories to tell.
 Tom's view of things April 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Tom takes the opportunity to get his view of events in his life on the record. Very doubtful as biography, this book is more of an attempt to sway public interpretation of events in his long career, spanning early years in Hewlett Packard, the formation of the Kleiner Perkins venture capital firm, his sailing exploits, his marriage to Danielle Steele, and how he chose to use his vast wealth to influence events and people he encountered. Right up front he deals with the spying incidents at Hewlett Packard when Pattie Dunn was the chairwoman (very condescending), as well as his relationship with Carly Fiorina (very confrontational and rocky), but most of it comes off as self-serving and slanted to his view. Yet, the book is interesting as an peek into the restless and eclectic mind of the ultimate bootstrapper, a man who leveraged his times and opportunites into one of the most successful careers on record. Despite this, it also serves as a warning to those who believe great wealth is matched with great wisdom, since clearly, his wealth was poured into his world class collection of toys and houses. Take heed.
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