Burn Book

A Tech Love Story

By: Kara Swisher

Narrated by: Kara Swisher

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times Bestseller

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.

“Swisher, the bad-ass journalist and OG chronicler of Silicon Valley…takes no prisoners in this highly readable look at the evolution of the digital world…Bawdy, brash, and compulsively thought-provoking, just like its author, Burn Book sizzles” (Booklist, starred review).

Part memoir, part history, Burn Book is a necessary chronicle of tech’s most powerful players. From “the queen of all media” (Walt Mossberg, The Wall Street Journal), 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.

©2024 Kara Swisher (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Urgency to regulate tech

As bright as these innovators are, they seem to care little what their tech has done or will do to our world. Kara’s historical and detailed description of those innovators and their narrow, self-centered views gives the listener real urgency to the to an issue that will affect us all if not sorted out by our government. It will take bravery because the tech bros will be vengeful. Great listen!

History of tech told from a front row seat

An absolute masterpiece by the GOAT of tech reporting. A must read and a triumphant story of a writer who made her own way. A true trailblazer.

Great history of tech boom

I loved Kara’s wit and sarcasm! Her knowledge and insights were fantastic and very entertaining. Her timeline really puts the growth of this sector in perspective and I loved her personal stories and positive outlook on what could be learned from this and what could be coming.

compelling story, almost fiction!

Kara details her views but doesn't expose tittle tattle. Only regret is that it's not a lot longer, I could listen to Kara for ever.

Kara at our most fabulous

There's only one thing better than listening to Kara on her two podcasts and that is having her read a book to you. this is a wonderful peek inside the development of the tech industry as we know it. Kara this insightful, self-deprecating, humble, and completely self-aware of her role in reporting on the tech industry which is more than you can say for every tech bro she reports about. Her credibility is enhanced by her point of view as a woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Check out her weekly podcast On with Kara Swisher and Pivot with her sometimes tiresome partner but always a worthy foil Scott Galloway

Great writer, Great stories

Swisher has zero f's to give and lays everything out with clear eyed honesty. She knows how to turn phrase and structure a story.

So much history I knew nothing about.

I liked it very much. I’m inclined to seek out more writing by this author.

Oh so very Kara

A great reminder of the tech space, and how far we’ve come… Or not! In true, Kara fashion, we get her take on all things, tech, and digital and more. Loved every second of it!

Amazing insights and the highly entertaining read

I had been ignorant of Kara Swisher work, but got interested after hearing her promote the book on a podcast so decided to give this a try. The audiobook was full of incredible insights and knowledge into the industry and very much aligned with my thoughts and concerns. At the same time it was highly fun and entertaining audiobook to listen to. Her tone and writing style is unique and refreshing. I am now a committed fan.

Kara on fire 🔥

The era of the internet, mobile, and AI entrepreneurs, is well described from an insider who never wore .gloves.