Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal

· Sold by Penguin
4.1
131 reviews
Ebook
320
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

The dramatic, unlikely story behind the founding of Twitter, by New York Times bestselling author and Vanity Fair special correspondent

The San Francisco-based technology company Twitter has become a powerful force in less than ten years. Today it’s everything from a tool for fighting political oppression in the Middle East to a marketing must-have to the world’s living room during live TV events to President Trump’s preferred method of communication. It has hundreds of millions of active users all over the world.
But few people know that it nearly fell to pieces early on.

In this rousing history that reads like a novel, Hatching Twitter takes readers behind the scenes of Twitter’s early exponential growth, following the four hackers—Ev Williams, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass, who created the cultural juggernaut practically by accident.  It’s a drama of betrayed friendships and high-stakes power struggles over money, influence, and control over a company that was growing faster than they could ever imagine.

Drawing on hundreds of sources, documents, and internal e-mails, Bilton offers a rarely-seen glimpse of the inner workings of technology startups, venture capital, and Silicon Valley culture.

Ratings and reviews

4.1
131 reviews
Michael Galpin
November 16, 2013
The author clearly takes a side in this chronicle of the conflicts between the founders of Twitter. Still a good read, especially if you've ever wondered what Silicon Valley startups are like.
2 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Caren Kelleher
October 15, 2014
Fantastic narrative and incredibly interesting. Read like a Harvard case study, except with the human elements (and backstabbing) you can't write about in a business publication.
4 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Lucas Brendel
December 26, 2014
If it wasn't for holiday events I may have read this in one sitting. Great story, with detailed information about the history and start of twitter.
1 person found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Nick Bilton is a columnist and reporter for The New York Times, where he explores the disruptive aspects of technology on business, culture and society. His columns span everything from the future of technology and privacy to the impact of social media on the Web. He is a regular guest on national TV and radio and is the author of I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works. He lives in Los Angeles.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.