What do you think?
Rate this book
Special Characters: My Adventures with Tech's Titans and Misfits
“Special Characters is a wild ride through a transformative decade that pulls back the curtain on the exclusive world of billionaire founders, entrepreneurs and mainstream media. With wit and candor, Laurie Segall offers an intimate account of a young woman finding her voice in the boys' clubs of Silicon Valley and cable news. Laurie Segall's memoir is funny, charming, and sincere, and a staggeringly good book.” —Sophia Amoruso, New York Times bestselling author of #Girlboss
Sweetbitter meets Brotopia in a story of self-discovery and breaking barriers by award-winning investigative reporter and former CNN Senior Tech Correspondent Laurie Segall.
In 2008, 23-year-old Laurie Segall was a newly minted assistant at CNN and was living in an East Village walk-up apartment. As Wall Street was crashing down, Segall began discovering a group of scrappy misfits who were rising from the ashes of the recession to change the world: the tech entrepreneurs.
A misfit herself, Segall gained entrance to New York’s burgeoning tech scene, with its limitless cash flow and parties populated by geeks-turned-billionaires. Back at the news desk, she rose through the ranks at CNN, while these entrepreneurs went from minnows to sharks, building companies that would become our democracy and our social fabric: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Uber, Tinder.
Over the course of a decade, Laurie Segall became one of the first reporters to give airtime to many of these founders—from Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) to Jack Dorsey (Twitter) to Kevin Systrom (Instagram) to Travis Kalanick (Uber)—while tracking their evolution and society’s cultural shift in the CNN startup beat she created. By the end of her tenure at CNN, she had become its on-air senior technology correspondent and had witnessed the rise of second-wave tech, from the boom to the “complicated years” to the backlash, as her misfits emerged as some of the world’s most influential leaders.
A coming-of-age narrative chronicling an era transformed, Special Characters is, at its core, a young woman’s origin story—in love, in career, and in life—and an account of the humans behind the companies that have shaped our modern society. Filled with emotional heft and razor-sharp observations, Segall’s empowering memoir is a richly rendered backstage pass to the tech bubble that reimagined the ethos of our social, political, and cultural experience.
Sweetbitter meets Brotopia in a story of self-discovery and breaking barriers by award-winning investigative reporter and former CNN Senior Tech Correspondent Laurie Segall.
In 2008, 23-year-old Laurie Segall was a newly minted assistant at CNN and was living in an East Village walk-up apartment. As Wall Street was crashing down, Segall began discovering a group of scrappy misfits who were rising from the ashes of the recession to change the world: the tech entrepreneurs.
A misfit herself, Segall gained entrance to New York’s burgeoning tech scene, with its limitless cash flow and parties populated by geeks-turned-billionaires. Back at the news desk, she rose through the ranks at CNN, while these entrepreneurs went from minnows to sharks, building companies that would become our democracy and our social fabric: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Uber, Tinder.
Over the course of a decade, Laurie Segall became one of the first reporters to give airtime to many of these founders—from Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) to Jack Dorsey (Twitter) to Kevin Systrom (Instagram) to Travis Kalanick (Uber)—while tracking their evolution and society’s cultural shift in the CNN startup beat she created. By the end of her tenure at CNN, she had become its on-air senior technology correspondent and had witnessed the rise of second-wave tech, from the boom to the “complicated years” to the backlash, as her misfits emerged as some of the world’s most influential leaders.
A coming-of-age narrative chronicling an era transformed, Special Characters is, at its core, a young woman’s origin story—in love, in career, and in life—and an account of the humans behind the companies that have shaped our modern society. Filled with emotional heft and razor-sharp observations, Segall’s empowering memoir is a richly rendered backstage pass to the tech bubble that reimagined the ethos of our social, political, and cultural experience.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published March 8, 2022
27 people are currently reading
1611 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 20, 2022
Wow. I can't recall the last time I devoured a book this quickly, let alone something nonfiction! Laurie applies her capabilities as a master storyteller and insightful interviewer to a tandem narration of her own career and the rise of the tech world -- or, what we now just call the services and connection points of our lives. As someone who had a different seat but similar proximity to this modern renaissance of human transformation ...fully of excitement and energy and possibility... it was a nostalgic journey. As the book progressed, that evolved and matured into a thoughtful, critical and compelling document of these powerful elements' own evolutions within our modern lives. Throughout the book, the reader finds a truly special blend of vulnerable & relatable self reflection from the author that progresses alongside historically-important reflection, and is wonderful for that dynamic.
Laurie Segall is arguably one of the most compelling modern women to shape *informed* news, media and beyond. As such, her origin story and rise, in her well-noted narrative, is a retelling that falls somewhere between worth cheering for as a hero while also relatable to any professional who has worked hard to make a difference in or even redefine their domain. "Special Characters" makes it easy to understand the world through Laurie's evolving wisdom and informed eyes and brings additional meaning to us all as users, or active participants in the subject matter she covers. Truly fascinating stuff.
The only disappointment is that it ends with "today," meaning readers have an additional round of life to wait as she collects another volume's worth of experiences to share again someday.
Laurie Segall is arguably one of the most compelling modern women to shape *informed* news, media and beyond. As such, her origin story and rise, in her well-noted narrative, is a retelling that falls somewhere between worth cheering for as a hero while also relatable to any professional who has worked hard to make a difference in or even redefine their domain. "Special Characters" makes it easy to understand the world through Laurie's evolving wisdom and informed eyes and brings additional meaning to us all as users, or active participants in the subject matter she covers. Truly fascinating stuff.
The only disappointment is that it ends with "today," meaning readers have an additional round of life to wait as she collects another volume's worth of experiences to share again someday.
October 26, 2025
Never read memoirs before but this was light and full of humor. An insight into a news room and its works, and the voyage of a young journalist to finally fulfill her dreams.
Lots of insights about the early years of technology, and the individuals who spearheaded it all.
It also talks about the dangers of all this technology, and that is very close to what I feel and our direction.
Very insightful.
Lots of insights about the early years of technology, and the individuals who spearheaded it all.
It also talks about the dangers of all this technology, and that is very close to what I feel and our direction.
Very insightful.
July 27, 2022
Summary: A gossipy, but thoughtful look at Silicon Valley through the memoir of a tech journalist.
This was a delightful memoir from one of the first reporters to pay attention to companies that are big names in tech now. After all the reading I've been doing about war journalists, this felt like a nice break, even though it does touch on some tough topics. The bulk of the story is about the author's career. It also includes a lot about her personal life and a close-up view of the way perception of Silicon Valley has changed over time.
I'm not sure this will be for everyone, but I enjoyed the blend of the author's personal and professional life in this one. The focus is clearly her career, but this did remind me of the "people with jobs" romance subgenre (name courtesy of Jenny at Reading the End). Both the author's career successes and her break-ups are big milestones in the story. I loved seeing her grow both personally and professionally. She really let us in and was open about her self-doubt. She also did a great job highlighting the more subtle kind of sexism women often face at work.
Getting her insider perspective on Silicon Valley was fun and informative. I appreciated her ability to give us a personal look at many important founders and CEOs. I also appreciated her overall perspective on how the relationship between society and technology changed over time. The author was one of the first people to recognize the importance of tech start-ups, so we follow many companies from their beginning. She also was one of the first people to spot the damage these companies were doing to our social fabric. Seeing the shift in how people viewed these companies from her close perspective was fascinating.
This was a light, enjoyable read with a mix of personal and professional stories. If you're looking for a gossipy but thoughtful account of the changing relationship between society and Silicon Valley, this won't disappoint. Perfect for fans of No Filter.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
This was a delightful memoir from one of the first reporters to pay attention to companies that are big names in tech now. After all the reading I've been doing about war journalists, this felt like a nice break, even though it does touch on some tough topics. The bulk of the story is about the author's career. It also includes a lot about her personal life and a close-up view of the way perception of Silicon Valley has changed over time.
I'm not sure this will be for everyone, but I enjoyed the blend of the author's personal and professional life in this one. The focus is clearly her career, but this did remind me of the "people with jobs" romance subgenre (name courtesy of Jenny at Reading the End). Both the author's career successes and her break-ups are big milestones in the story. I loved seeing her grow both personally and professionally. She really let us in and was open about her self-doubt. She also did a great job highlighting the more subtle kind of sexism women often face at work.
Getting her insider perspective on Silicon Valley was fun and informative. I appreciated her ability to give us a personal look at many important founders and CEOs. I also appreciated her overall perspective on how the relationship between society and technology changed over time. The author was one of the first people to recognize the importance of tech start-ups, so we follow many companies from their beginning. She also was one of the first people to spot the damage these companies were doing to our social fabric. Seeing the shift in how people viewed these companies from her close perspective was fascinating.
This was a light, enjoyable read with a mix of personal and professional stories. If you're looking for a gossipy but thoughtful account of the changing relationship between society and Silicon Valley, this won't disappoint. Perfect for fans of No Filter.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
January 22, 2022
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway, thankful that I did, not a book I would have picked up at a bookstore. I totally enjoyed Laurie’s story. I remember watching some of her news reports and a lot of the events she discussed, very interesting to see it from the reporter side. The book is an eye opener, reporters seem like people that have it all together and live a Hollywood life, interesting to see this isn’t always true. Also cheered her on as she pushed to make with men equal in a male dominated world! I would recommend this to anyone, regardless of what type of books they normally read!
May 6, 2022
A memoir by Laurie Segall. Laurie began her career as a lowly assistant at CNN in 2008, hoping to rise to the top one day. As her career is getting started so is the tech scene with its endless startups. She becomes the first journalist to pay attention to and get to know Mark Zuckerberg and the founders of all kinds of startups including Instagram, Uber & Twitter, as they come of age at the same time. She's working hard to move up the ranks while she is pleading with the seasoned CNN reporters to pay attention to these young entrepreneurs.
A lovely coming of age story, by an interesting woman. Gives great glimpses into the world of TV journalism and the tech world.
A lovely coming of age story, by an interesting woman. Gives great glimpses into the world of TV journalism and the tech world.
March 15, 2022
If you want to read about the hilarious and strange early days of social media and startups - just ten years ago - I highly recommend Laurie Segall’s new memoir, ‘Special Characters.’ It’s a coming of age story as she builds a career as a tech reporter at CNN, while also reflecting on how that time made us who we are. As a bonus, it talks about some of her ride-or-die friends, ridiculous parties, ambitions and faith in changing the world, which by the end grows into more nuanced understanding of tech and life itself. A great read.
June 20, 2022
A fast-paced non-fiction thriller by Laurie Segall about her decade at CNN covering tech. Through grit, determination and scrappiness, she was able to land interviews with Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, Travis Kalanick, Kevin Systrom and other tech founders/CEOs.
Segall does a fabulous job with analogies about lobster moments and the Boardwalk prize on Monopoly. Her authentic storytelling style captures the heart and minds of readers.
This book highlights the roller coaster ride at startups, the news/media industry, and national and world events.
Highly, highly recommend.
Segall does a fabulous job with analogies about lobster moments and the Boardwalk prize on Monopoly. Her authentic storytelling style captures the heart and minds of readers.
This book highlights the roller coaster ride at startups, the news/media industry, and national and world events.
Highly, highly recommend.
January 7, 2022
After reading Laurie Segall's career chronology this reader views tv news in a whole new light.
Surprisingly Segall's professional struggle to the top did not fulfill her and bravely she left CNN to follow her own dreams. Even though she broke barriers professionally, "The old boy network" still exists. A very informative, interesting read.
Surprisingly Segall's professional struggle to the top did not fulfill her and bravely she left CNN to follow her own dreams. Even though she broke barriers professionally, "The old boy network" still exists. A very informative, interesting read.
May 30, 2022
Very good mix of autobiography and tech titan interviews. Excellent story about the challenges and successes of Ms. Segall's career, which was made much more challenging because of being a female.
August 26, 2022
DNF. Based on excerpts/previews that made the rounds on the news blogs, I thought this was going to be an awesomely scandalous book, full of juicy secrets about various tech folks! In reality, it is actually an autobiography about a journalist/reporter. Contrast against Primates of Park Avenue, which delivers exactly the amount of gossip promised in its excerpts.
I feel bamboozled. The author seems nice and I admire her go-getter attitude, but I would never have picked up this book to begin with, had I known what the book really was about.
I feel bamboozled. The author seems nice and I admire her go-getter attitude, but I would never have picked up this book to begin with, had I known what the book really was about.
July 23, 2025
i got this book for free at a conference and was not expecting to like it as much as a did. i really enjoyed it and felt so relevant to my current phase of life. it was a great and inspiring story of a tech reporter beginning her career with startups and following them along showcasing how they reshaped the world in positive and negative ways. 4 stars bc there were some cringe and cliche elements.
her brave personal reflections had some very relatable elements about prioritizing work and struggling to find meaning and develop strong relationships. she spent so much time on her career that she neglected her personal life. i enjoyed the way it made me think about my own life and career ambitions.
her brave personal reflections had some very relatable elements about prioritizing work and struggling to find meaning and develop strong relationships. she spent so much time on her career that she neglected her personal life. i enjoyed the way it made me think about my own life and career ambitions.
March 19, 2022
A delightful and thrilling insight into the life and times of a young journalist as she forges her own path to the top of her profession. A bildungsroman of both the author and the rag tag group (the special characters) of tech innovators that she covered for a decade. You won't want to put it down.
Special Characters: My Adventures with Tech's Titans and Misfits
Special Characters: My Adventures with Tech's Titans and Misfits
January 4, 2023
This book was offered to me and I knew little about what to expect. Got pleasantly surprised with a genuine story of Laurie, where contradicting feeling and thoughts were not put aside. Just like in real life, work and life are balanced in the book.
The rise of tech entrepreneurs and Laurie own journey in witnessing while growing professionally is remarkable.
Easy ready, insightful and bringing important questions facing tech and ethics. Would definitely recommend!
The rise of tech entrepreneurs and Laurie own journey in witnessing while growing professionally is remarkable.
Easy ready, insightful and bringing important questions facing tech and ethics. Would definitely recommend!
February 6, 2023
I was excited to read about Ms. Segall’s take on many of the Silicon Valley CEOs (i hesitate to call them tech entrepreneurs bc many are riding the works of others) but was disappointed to f8nd the book very light on insight into the modern robber barons. Ms. Segall can tell a story, the book is a quick, easy read, but I didn’t know much more than I did before I started.
March 2, 2023
This audiobook was quite interesting. I was not familiar with the author, who had a career with CNN. She faced a lot of hurdles to become successful but was never treated the way the men were. I’m thinking women will never be treated equally. So interesting to meet the big tech guys before they made their fortunes.
August 19, 2023
Fun look into how the tech/journalism world changed throughout the 2010s. Started off slightly slow and I think the author tried too hard to not insert her own political opinions into the book, specifically in the section about the 2016 election, to the point where it took me out of it a bit. Probably more of a 3.5 but rounding up to 4
November 16, 2024
A heroine!!!
A book that is so clearly by a journalist- riveting, personable and at times enviable- but written like a time capsule and a voice memo and like listening to a friend.
Thank you Laurie for paving the way and sharing the story behind the girl who got it all 👩💻
A book that is so clearly by a journalist- riveting, personable and at times enviable- but written like a time capsule and a voice memo and like listening to a friend.
Thank you Laurie for paving the way and sharing the story behind the girl who got it all 👩💻
January 29, 2025
3.5 rounded down because I read this in 2025 and while she speaks to the overreaching power of “tech titans” at times… we’re at an even worse place now. Interesting to see the progression over time she witnessed.
March 11, 2024
Well written, but probably best for someone without much previous exposure to technology news. As someone who follows these topics I didn't encounter much new information.
January 27, 2026
Great Memoir. Takes us back in time to the beginning of big tech.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews