Valley Speak: Deciphering the Jargon of Silicon Valley

by Rochelle Kopp, Steven Ganz

Silicon Valley has a lingo of its own -- from unicorns to pivoting to growth hacking -- that while colorful can also be rather opaque. This is the definitive guide to the unique words used in the Bay Area startup scene, helping everyone from people who want to do business here to those who just want to watch HBO's Silicon Valley without being confused. It’s designed to be thorough and accurate while including a touch of humor (because face it, the way people talk in Silicon Valley can often be a bit ridiculous!)

If you’ve wanted a way to break into the exciting conversation that is happening in Silicon Valley, this book is for you. Or if you’re already in Silicon Valley, you may become frustrated when your colleagues in other places just don’t “get” how things are done here and wish you had a handy primer to give them. You may be familiar with some of the terms, but wish that you had a deeper understanding, so that you could use them with more confidence. Valley Speak features the top 100 Silicon Valley words and phrases and will help anyone navigate the Silicon Valley ecosystem like a pro.

Genres: Science, Technology

250 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2016

About the author

My keen interest in language and culture led me to learn Japanese and work in Japan, starting me on my path as a cross-cultural business consultant. I've written extensively in both English and Japanese on intercultural and global business topics. More recently I have turned to the area where I live and work, Silicon Valley, to help people better understand the language and culture here as well.

For more information on my work as Managing Principal of Japan Intercultural Consulting, please visit www.japanintercultural.com.

For more information on my quest to help decipher the jargon of Silicon Valley, please visit www.siliconvalleyspeak.com.

Reviews

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entered and was a BRONZE MEDAL WINNER in The 2016 Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:

Title: Valley Speak
Author: Rochelle Kopp, Steven Ganz
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 23
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 9/10
Of the 23 readers:
21 would read another book by this author.
10 thought the cover was good or excellent.
21 felt it was easy to follow.
21 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
16 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘knowledge of the subject’. The other 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
23 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
‘This is rather interesting, even from a UK POV. Fascinating reading. I’m now ready to be Silicon Valley entrepreneur!’ Male reader, aged 44
‘I would think anybody working in American industry would find this interesting and helpful. A very well-organized structure and easy to follow, even for me!’ Female reader, aged 32
‘This, I think, would work well as a reference book, not a ‘sit down and read it cover to cover’ sort of book. For example, if there’s a report that is full of ‘valley speak’, having this book by your elbow would help a lot. Well-researched and surprisingly interesting to follow, the readership might be limited, but if you work in this business world, it might end up being your bible.’ Male reader, aged 26

‘Perfect for a deeper understanding of Silicon Valley. A BRONZE MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[kayla** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty useful handbook - nicely executed.