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Grumby: a novel
It’s a Silicon Valley ‘Bonfire of the Vanities.’
What's it like inside the next Google? Or Facebook? Or Apple? No, even better, what’s it like to launch the next Google, Facebook, or Apple? And then have the guys who launched the original Google, Facebook, and Apple decide you are public enemy number one.
In this laugh-out-loud funny novel, a band of coders/hackers load beyond-state-of-the-art code, including working eyes, ears, GPS, spy software, and a wise-ass personality into a bunch of old Furby toys, re-christened Grumbys, network them together, sell millions, go public, become rich and famous, change the world (for better or worse) and make sometime allies, sometime enemies of not only the biggest names in tech (though the Woz seems to actually want to help) but Congress, Goldman Sachs, the CIA, Microsoft, Oakley and Mossad, not to mention the NCAA, the NBA, and the NFL. (Grumbies are shrewd handicappers.)
Andy Kessler morphed from super-successful, millionaire, hi-tech hedge fund honcho (cashing out moments before the tech wreck) into a New York Times bestselling author with non-fiction triumphs such Running Money and Wall Street Meat. The Wall Street Journal said “He gets it all down with Jack Kerouac-like authenticity.”
Now Kessler goes beyond yesterday’s news to a novel of tomorrow (or maybe 10 minutes from now) that, via funny stories and true to life dialog, tells more than any news hound could about the new true global elite, the newborn aristocracy of tech: brilliant, bold and leading us where no man has gone before, but also spoiled, petulant, cutthroat conspiratorial and willing to do just about anything to preserve their precarious position before being replaced by the next big thing.
Underlying a hilarious adventure that rockets from Silicon Valley to the Concrete Canyons of New York, from the new industrial heartland of Shanghai to the ancient fortunes of Europe’s greatest and most secretive families are some serious questions about democracy, capitalism, privacy, rivalries and what happens when we decide our machines are smarter than we are and that’s OK.
Like a modern Jules Verne, ultimately Kessler is throwing down a challenge to all the hero-in-their-own-minds hackers, the proto-Jobs and would-be-Gates and wannabe Zuckerbergs: Can it be done? How do you grab a tiger by the tail and not get bit? Is Grumby the future? And who will get us there first?
What's it like inside the next Google? Or Facebook? Or Apple? No, even better, what’s it like to launch the next Google, Facebook, or Apple? And then have the guys who launched the original Google, Facebook, and Apple decide you are public enemy number one.
In this laugh-out-loud funny novel, a band of coders/hackers load beyond-state-of-the-art code, including working eyes, ears, GPS, spy software, and a wise-ass personality into a bunch of old Furby toys, re-christened Grumbys, network them together, sell millions, go public, become rich and famous, change the world (for better or worse) and make sometime allies, sometime enemies of not only the biggest names in tech (though the Woz seems to actually want to help) but Congress, Goldman Sachs, the CIA, Microsoft, Oakley and Mossad, not to mention the NCAA, the NBA, and the NFL. (Grumbies are shrewd handicappers.)
Andy Kessler morphed from super-successful, millionaire, hi-tech hedge fund honcho (cashing out moments before the tech wreck) into a New York Times bestselling author with non-fiction triumphs such Running Money and Wall Street Meat. The Wall Street Journal said “He gets it all down with Jack Kerouac-like authenticity.”
Now Kessler goes beyond yesterday’s news to a novel of tomorrow (or maybe 10 minutes from now) that, via funny stories and true to life dialog, tells more than any news hound could about the new true global elite, the newborn aristocracy of tech: brilliant, bold and leading us where no man has gone before, but also spoiled, petulant, cutthroat conspiratorial and willing to do just about anything to preserve their precarious position before being replaced by the next big thing.
Underlying a hilarious adventure that rockets from Silicon Valley to the Concrete Canyons of New York, from the new industrial heartland of Shanghai to the ancient fortunes of Europe’s greatest and most secretive families are some serious questions about democracy, capitalism, privacy, rivalries and what happens when we decide our machines are smarter than we are and that’s OK.
Like a modern Jules Verne, ultimately Kessler is throwing down a challenge to all the hero-in-their-own-minds hackers, the proto-Jobs and would-be-Gates and wannabe Zuckerbergs: Can it be done? How do you grab a tiger by the tail and not get bit? Is Grumby the future? And who will get us there first?
- GenresFiction
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 10, 2010
7 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Andy Kessler
17 books21 followersAndy Kessler is an investor, author and businessman.
Andy Kessler has worked for about 20 years as a research analyst, investment banker, venture capitalist, and hedge fund manager. He was also the Co-founder and President of Velocity Capital Management, an investment firm based in Palo Alto, California, United States.
He has written forThe Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Wired, Forbes, The Weekly Standard, the Los Angeles Times and The American Spectator.
Andy Kessler has worked for about 20 years as a research analyst, investment banker, venture capitalist, and hedge fund manager. He was also the Co-founder and President of Velocity Capital Management, an investment firm based in Palo Alto, California, United States.
He has written forThe Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Wired, Forbes, The Weekly Standard, the Los Angeles Times and The American Spectator.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 26, 2010
Mildly funny, quick read, highly realistic startup economics, highly unrealistic product development, even less realistic on the recruitment of developers. An indian friend does not magically cause 1,000 great devs to appear. But a fun time, and I liked the spy angle, more books need random spy angles.
February 11, 2011
Fast paced story about a start-up company in silicon valley. A couple intelligent coders start from nothing and eventually go public with a furby type computer/toy that can pretty much do anything they want it to do. Sounds weird but definitely worth reading. Although fictional and some of the technology seems a little far-fetched, I found it highly entertaining and some of it seems to be based on some real facts relating to other tech companies.
August 29, 2010
I really like Andy Kessler's work. And his previous works have been very revealing of the inner workings of technology and the capital markets. And Grumby is no different. I only hope he misses with this story because if he's right again look out. Great piece of work, definitely worth the time to read
July 23, 2011
Humorous romp through the life of a manic startup this. Mostly interesting because of the all intelligent networked, distributed, supercomputer driven world it describes evolving with unbelievable speed, and without stretching credibility too much..... there are no time machines or teleporters here.
November 9, 2010
Tremendous read on ideas, technology, start ups, raising talent, going public, spending money, hiring and retaining talent.
January 11, 2011
I liked this book a lot and found it hard to put down. The story is engaging. As somebody in the Silicon Valley tech scene, I found the plot and details to be spot on (and funny).
April 27, 2011
Great book if you have any aspirations of doing a tech startup. This book is the new Microserfs :)
September 4, 2011
A Plot similar the Cory Doctorow's "Makers" but with a stronger emphasis on the investment/financial side. I enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews