Burn Book: A Tech Love Story
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- Create Date：2024-10-19 14:20:19
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kara Swisher
- ISBN：1982163909
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Summary
From award-winning journalist Kara Swisher comes a witty， scathing， but fair accounting of the tech industry and its founders who wanted to change the world but broke it instead。
Part memoir， part history， Burn Book is a necessary chronicle of tech’s most powerful players。 This is the inside story we’ve all been waiting for about modern Silicon Valley and the biggest boom in wealth creation in the history of the world。
When tech titans crowed that they would “move fast and break things，” Kara Swisher was moving faster and breaking news。 While covering the explosion of the digital sector in the early 1990s， she developed a long track record of digging up and reporting the facts about this new world order。 Her consistent scoops drove one CEO to accuse her of “listening in the heating ducts” and prompted Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg to once observe: “It is a constant joke in the Valley when people write memos for them to say， ‘I hope Kara never sees this。’”
While still in college， Swisher got her start at The Washington Post， where she became one of the few people in journalism interested in covering the nascent Internet。 She went on to work for The Wall Street Journal， joining with Walt Mossberg to start the groundbreaking D: All Things Digital conference， as well as pioneering tech news sites。
Swisher has interviewed everyone who matters in tech over three decades， right when they presided over an explosion of world-changing innovation that has both helped and hurt our world。 Steve Jobs， Jeff Bezos， Elon Musk， Bill Gates， Sheryl Sandberg， Bob Iger， Larry Page and Sergey Brin， Meg Whitman， Peter Thiel， Sam Altman， and Mark Zuckerberg are just a few whom Swisher made sweat—figuratively and， in Zuckerberg’s case， literally。
Despite the damage she chronicles， Swisher remains optimistic about tech’s potential to help solve problems and not just create them。 She calls upon the industry to make better， more thoughtful choices， even as a new set of powerful AI tools are poised to change the world yet again。 At its heart， this book is a love story to， for， and about tech from someone who knows it better than anyone。
Part memoir， part history， Burn Book is a necessary chronicle of tech’s most powerful players。 This is the inside story we’ve all been waiting for about modern Silicon Valley and the biggest boom in wealth creation in the history of the world。
When tech titans crowed that they would “move fast and break things，” Kara Swisher was moving faster and breaking news。 While covering the explosion of the digital sector in the early 1990s， she developed a long track record of digging up and reporting the facts about this new world order。 Her consistent scoops drove one CEO to accuse her of “listening in the heating ducts” and prompted Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg to once observe: “It is a constant joke in the Valley when people write memos for them to say， ‘I hope Kara never sees this。’”
While still in college， Swisher got her start at The Washington Post， where she became one of the few people in journalism interested in covering the nascent Internet。 She went on to work for The Wall Street Journal， joining with Walt Mossberg to start the groundbreaking D: All Things Digital conference， as well as pioneering tech news sites。
Swisher has interviewed everyone who matters in tech over three decades， right when they presided over an explosion of world-changing innovation that has both helped and hurt our world。 Steve Jobs， Jeff Bezos， Elon Musk， Bill Gates， Sheryl Sandberg， Bob Iger， Larry Page and Sergey Brin， Meg Whitman， Peter Thiel， Sam Altman， and Mark Zuckerberg are just a few whom Swisher made sweat—figuratively and， in Zuckerberg’s case， literally。
Despite the damage she chronicles， Swisher remains optimistic about tech’s potential to help solve problems and not just create them。 She calls upon the industry to make better， more thoughtful choices， even as a new set of powerful AI tools are poised to change the world yet again。 At its heart， this book is a love story to， for， and about tech from someone who knows it better than anyone。
Reviews
Peter Moreira
，
I really enjoyed this book。 I'd never listened to Swisher's podcasts （I'm not a podcast guy） but her insights into tech and tech titans are fascinating。 I really enjoyed this book。 I'd never listened to Swisher's podcasts （I'm not a podcast guy） but her insights into tech and tech titans are fascinating。 。。。more
Haleh
，
Kara Swisher has covered the tech industry for decades。 She left a secure job as a Washington Post political reporter to cover tech in Silicon Valley early on。 While I expected this book to be a combination memoir and deep dive into the leaders in the tech industry， it's more of a disjointed cobbling together of articles about industry tech leaders and a lot about Kara Swisher herself without any new insightsSwisher describes most of the tech founders as unlikeable jerks who have no concern for Kara Swisher has covered the tech industry for decades。 She left a secure job as a Washington Post political reporter to cover tech in Silicon Valley early on。 While I expected this book to be a combination memoir and deep dive into the leaders in the tech industry， it's more of a disjointed cobbling together of articles about industry tech leaders and a lot about Kara Swisher herself without any new insightsSwisher describes most of the tech founders as unlikeable jerks who have no concern for the negative impact of their creations， but she spends no time explaining why the destructive aspects of the founders' companies haven't been reigned in。 We read a lot about how Swisher could have been enormously wealthy if she had joined company x or y， and the enormous amounts of money she was paid for tech conferences she organized， but we learn nothing about the internal cultures of the companies she covers。 There's a lot of patting herself on the back for taking the tech leaders to task when she interviews them。There are a couple of interesting passages where Swisher discusses the career risk she took as a reporter jumping into tech in the 1990s when few people were covering it， and a section on how impossible it still is for women to rise to senior positions in tech and venture capital。 But even the chapter on women just skims the surface。 Swisher's writing style is chatty and entertaining， but the sarcasm and self-aggrandizing tone of the book make for a tedious read。 。。。more
Rajiv Sanwal
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Twenty years ago， Kara likely already knew what my rating would be。
Nina Leung
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Fun， insightful， historical look into Silicon Valley and it's leaders。 Having lived through it， I remember many of these events， but I forgot how impactful some of them ended up being。 It's so easy to only think of what it's like now and forget about the past， but the past history has so much to reveal about the actions of today。 Ms。 Swisher writes in a succinct and sardonic voice with a touch of humor。 It's a fun listen。 Fun， insightful， historical look into Silicon Valley and it's leaders。 Having lived through it， I remember many of these events， but I forgot how impactful some of them ended up being。 It's so easy to only think of what it's like now and forget about the past， but the past history has so much to reveal about the actions of today。 Ms。 Swisher writes in a succinct and sardonic voice with a touch of humor。 It's a fun listen。 。。。more
Victoria
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I saw Kara at a conference this year and thought it might be fun to read her book。 The style is witty and funny， but shallow for someone who is already well versed in the tech industry。
Aileen
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The last chapter was a bit extra。 There wasn’t much new information （for followers of her work） but I enjoyed her candor， learning more of her trajectory and some hoodie gossip。
Mary
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DNF。 The author seems like an interesting person。 Too bad this book isn’t。
Wade
，
3。5 stars。 An interesting glimpse into the omnipresent industry of the Bay Area。 A good read as I continue the move from Oakland to SF。 Kara Swisher seems like the perfect tech reporter as she was genuinely herself， I apologetic， & aware that she could be just as rude & crass at the tech billionaires themselves。 The advice she often claims to have given turns out to be correct。 A San Francisco lesbian being the wise tech journalist of our times makes my heart sing。 Even if her ways have become a 3。5 stars。 An interesting glimpse into the omnipresent industry of the Bay Area。 A good read as I continue the move from Oakland to SF。 Kara Swisher seems like the perfect tech reporter as she was genuinely herself， I apologetic， & aware that she could be just as rude & crass at the tech billionaires themselves。 The advice she often claims to have given turns out to be correct。 A San Francisco lesbian being the wise tech journalist of our times makes my heart sing。 Even if her ways have become a bit MSNBC at times。 。。。more
Chandra
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4。25 stars。 What really surprised me about this book was how readable it was。 It’s really obvious that Swisher has been writing for decades and is really good at it。 I don’t often feel this way about non-fiction。 As a Gen X-er， I lived through all of this and enjoyed walking through it with her。 Her perspective and history makes hers a really important voice to listen to as we come face to face with the potential dangers of this current moment in tech。 I admired her truth-telling and not selling 4。25 stars。 What really surprised me about this book was how readable it was。 It’s really obvious that Swisher has been writing for decades and is really good at it。 I don’t often feel this way about non-fiction。 As a Gen X-er， I lived through all of this and enjoyed walking through it with her。 Her perspective and history makes hers a really important voice to listen to as we come face to face with the potential dangers of this current moment in tech。 I admired her truth-telling and not selling out， but her ego did start to bother me by the end。 Recommended for all。 。。。more
Han Le
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Love the idea of a love story with tech， however， as love stories go， not many people are big fans of how love stories end。 This book’s ending is as dreadful and scary as how tech feels like/is now in our live。 Kudos to Kara and her efforts of being positive yet blunt about the future we’re facing。
Richard FitzGerald
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Way too much ego You are not the story
Barbara
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I had heard bits of Kara Swisher on a couple podcasts and wasn't really a fan。 But I thought I might like her better in a written format？ Nope。 She still rubs me the wrong way。 In theory， I *want* to like her for her career。。。 being one of the sole powerful women in the world of tech bros。 It's cool that she's been so successful as a working journalist。 But in all her stories from the early days in Silicon Valley， she always positions herself as the ultimate badass， and it gets really tiring。 Sh I had heard bits of Kara Swisher on a couple podcasts and wasn't really a fan。 But I thought I might like her better in a written format？ Nope。 She still rubs me the wrong way。 In theory， I *want* to like her for her career。。。 being one of the sole powerful women in the world of tech bros。 It's cool that she's been so successful as a working journalist。 But in all her stories from the early days in Silicon Valley， she always positions herself as the ultimate badass， and it gets really tiring。 She has zero humility。 And since I'm solidly Gen-X， I feel like I already knew a lot of the basics about the different tech leaders。I skimmed a lot of it， just to see if anything interesting would jump out。 And nothing really did。 。。。more
Ron Ackerman
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Great to understand our lives from someone who is really at the table with these tech gurus？
Tali
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Audiobook， read by author。 Fun， pointed， righteously indignant。
Naomi
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I truly admire her courage， and am in awe at what seems to me like prescience of the tech world but what must really be a whole lot of smarts。I read this for book club， no preconceived notions about Swisher。 It was too acerbic for me in early 2024， because I was still too raw from the collapse of my personal and professional social network after the sale of Twitter， so put the book down。 I did finally finish now in the fall of 2024 and appreciated her style more。 I certainly appreciate what she I truly admire her courage， and am in awe at what seems to me like prescience of the tech world but what must really be a whole lot of smarts。I read this for book club， no preconceived notions about Swisher。 It was too acerbic for me in early 2024， because I was still too raw from the collapse of my personal and professional social network after the sale of Twitter， so put the book down。 I did finally finish now in the fall of 2024 and appreciated her style more。 I certainly appreciate what she has to say！ I think I would recommend it， it's a lot of social voyeurism with really famous and powerful people， and Swisher has had an interesting career。 。。。more
The Mad Mad Madeline
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I think Kara is brilliant and her thoughts and writing are fantastic。 I loved the format of this memoir， and all of her takes are piping hot。 My only complaint is that she can be aloof （not that I know her！） as a writer and person and that comes through in Burn Book a little bit。
Colleendearborn
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Listened to it via Libby。 Excellent writing and interesting stories about the evolution of Internet， social media， and the significant players in the tech fields。 Brings up so many memories: AOL， AIM， dial up， My Space… （Reminder to self: Kara Swisher doesn’t pull punches， with her opinions or language。 Not for my library patrons seeking Rated G memoirs。 lol。）
Jennifer
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3。7
Melissa Lehman
，
Great book that speaks truth to the tech titans that run so much of the way this country works。 Spares no punches。
Jason
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Quick fun audiobook listen for a long car ride
Gayla Bassham
，
There are moments of genuine insight and moments where you really begin to weary of Swisher tell you how impressive she is。 She does have her blind spots -- Elon Musk leaps to mind -- but still worth a read if you're interested in tech。 There are moments of genuine insight and moments where you really begin to weary of Swisher tell you how impressive she is。 She does have her blind spots -- Elon Musk leaps to mind -- but still worth a read if you're interested in tech。 。。。more
Stephanie
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Equal parts educational and entertaining， the Author has a distinct voice and view on all things tech over the last 25（！） years。3。5/5 stars
PG
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Very good。
reading is my hustle
，
ugh。 so many nihilists & this just can't end well。 ugh。 so many nihilists & this just can't end well。 。。。more
Blair
，
The format of this book obviously makes it one-sided （one of the reasons I’m not usually a fan of memoirs）， but Kara Swisher seems like a bad-ass and I enjoyed hearing her perspective。 As someone who grew up surrounded by the tech industry and previously worked in tech， I might have been predisposed to enjoy this book because I was familiar with the people， places， companies， and tech culture。 I like how the book humanized many of the big names in tech。 There wasn’t as much “burning” as one migh The format of this book obviously makes it one-sided （one of the reasons I’m not usually a fan of memoirs）， but Kara Swisher seems like a bad-ass and I enjoyed hearing her perspective。 As someone who grew up surrounded by the tech industry and previously worked in tech， I might have been predisposed to enjoy this book because I was familiar with the people， places， companies， and tech culture。 I like how the book humanized many of the big names in tech。 There wasn’t as much “burning” as one might expect in a Burn Book but with her audiobook narration it felt like she was telling you her unfiltered thoughts， which was cool！ 。。。more
Sara
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Interesting behind the scenes look at Silicon Valley over the past 30+ years。 Witty and acerbic but also pretty self congratulatory。
Lynn Kear
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I have had a longtime interest in technology since I first worked on a Kaypro back in the day。 Anyone remember “Swapping…？”Kara Swisher， who’s been covering technology for decades， provides a kind of history of technology over the last few decades and also provides a deep dive into some of the personalities in the industry， including Bill Gates， Elon Musk， Mark Zuckerberg， and others。Kara， a strong personality， is a mixed bag。 Perhaps her greatest strength is her excellent interviewing skills。 H I have had a longtime interest in technology since I first worked on a Kaypro back in the day。 Anyone remember “Swapping…？”Kara Swisher， who’s been covering technology for decades， provides a kind of history of technology over the last few decades and also provides a deep dive into some of the personalities in the industry， including Bill Gates， Elon Musk， Mark Zuckerberg， and others。Kara， a strong personality， is a mixed bag。 Perhaps her greatest strength is her excellent interviewing skills。 Highly intelligent， she asks great questions and throws very few softballs。 The interviews illuminate scientists and business leaders in sometimes surprising and revealing ways。Perhaps her greatest weakness is that she is often self-congratulatory which coincides with flashes of immaturity。 She believes， like some of the people she interviews， that she is right about everything。 For example， she proudly says that she told Bill Maher he shouldn’t make fun of Mark Zuckerberg for his appearance。 I sometimes have problems with Bill Maher， but he’s brilliant， and he doesn’t need me， Kara， or anyone else to give him notes on telling jokes。Kara Swisher has two podcasts， and they show the two sides of her。 One， “On With Kara Swisher，” is a solo show where her interviewing skills are on display。 It’s an interesting show with great guests， and the shows are fascinating and filled with interesting insights。Then there’s the other show， “Pivot，” which she does with co-host， Scott Galloway。 Strange that she complains a lot in her book—and rightfully so from her accounts—about the immaturity of males in tech because Galloway， who apparently thinks he’s funny， jokes in a cringey boastful toddler voice about his penis， how powerful women want him， and so on。 I listen to their show for insights about tech， politics， and business， but the two of them have a difficult time staying on the grownup track when he goes into his clown act。 He’s a married man with teenage sons， but somehow thinks his humor is appropriate and desired。 Even weirder， she laughs along with him as they engage in a weird mommy/baby dynamic。 By the way， recently on “Pivot，” she talked about the latest Zuckerberg public announcement…and made fun of his appearance。Did I enjoy the book？ Yes。 It’s a good book with interesting anecdotes。 But Kara can be a lot。 Near the end I was ready for a break from what seemed like a long day spent with an obnoxious brat who I was eager to return to her parents。 。。。more
Dana Mitchell
，
A quick read - she’s the Rachel Maddow of tech journalism。 If you are interested in tech， then my rating for you would be 4 stars。 Kara definitely likes herself， but this book is her book about her and her career。 There were some interesting tidbits about some of the biggest names in the tech orbit， but my biggest takeaway is about the amount of power/control over our lives that these tech titans wield with little to no guardrails （rules， legislation， governance）。 It’s scary what has/is happenin A quick read - she’s the Rachel Maddow of tech journalism。 If you are interested in tech， then my rating for you would be 4 stars。 Kara definitely likes herself， but this book is her book about her and her career。 There were some interesting tidbits about some of the biggest names in the tech orbit， but my biggest takeaway is about the amount of power/control over our lives that these tech titans wield with little to no guardrails （rules， legislation， governance）。 It’s scary what has/is happening to us in the battle for tech supremacy and profits。 Clearly the public’s best interest is not the goal。 。。。more
Kbeckermann
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I've listened to Swisher's podcasts for about 7 years and heard a number of book launch interviews， so wasn't sure this was 'worth' reading。 I enjoyed learning her back story and her reflections on the tech industry。 I read the hard copy and it is clearly Swisher's voice so it felt like she was reading aloud to me。 I've listened to Swisher's podcasts for about 7 years and heard a number of book launch interviews， so wasn't sure this was 'worth' reading。 I enjoyed learning her back story and her reflections on the tech industry。 I read the hard copy and it is clearly Swisher's voice so it felt like she was reading aloud to me。 。。。more
Ann Marie
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I didn’t care for the gossip or he-said-she-said， but it was valuable to understand more about how tech companies are driven。 Swisher paints a mostly clear picture of past trends and warnings for the future， with some personal reflections thrown in。 Whether we like it or not， we are at the whim of a few insanely rich people。 It’s better to know the beast than to be surprised by it later。
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