Technology start-ups impact our culture

Three new texts dealing with entrepreneurship and technological shifts are worth a look:

A Truck Full of Money by Tracy Kidder is a fascinating portrait of Paul English, founder of the travel website Kayak.com. In this non-fiction narrative, award-winning author Kidder describes the innovative nature and leadership skills of English, particularly his abilities to see problems in a different way and to inspire loyalty. While profiling changes in the computer industry and internet start-ups, Kidder also explains that English was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and conveys its impact on his entrepreneurial work. In addition, readers will learn about Tom White, the mentor who encouraged Paul English in his many philanthropic efforts. One is Summits Education which is focused on Haiti.  A Truck Full of Money is captivating and will likely appear on a list of recommendations for our business students, many of whom already read titles by Kidder (Mountains Beyond Mountains, Strength in What Remains) for other classes.

Another title on that list could be The Start-Up J Curve wherein Howard Love outlines “the six steps to entrepreneurial success.” Consultant, investor and businessman Love shares his philosophy and provides advice critical to each point along the uniquely-shaped curve: create, release, morph, model, scale and harvest.  Solving real problems, listening to customer feedback, knowing when to move forward and take risk – all are discussed frankly and dissected by Love who points out “you always have more tasks to accomplish than time or resources to do them.”

Finally, Artificial Intelligence by Jerry Kaplan is a very recent addition for the “What Everyone Needs to Know” series.  I have written other reviews last April and just a few weeks ago because I believe that this series from Oxford University fits so well with our students’ interest and knowledge level. Kaplan himself is an entrepreneur, author and visiting lecturer at Stanford University, teaching in the Computer Science Department and acting as a fellow in the Stanford Law School. In Artificial Intelligence, he provides basic background and definitions and then explores questions dealing with Philosophy (e.g., can a computer “feel”?), Legal Issues (e.g., can an AI system commit a crime and be held accountable?), and Future Impacts (e.g., is runaway super intelligence a legitimate concern?).  I know that this area is one that sparks students’ curiosity; Kaplan’s text will help answer their questions and focus their research. 

As an aside, I will shortly be publishing a review of Erin Bow’s new young adult novel, The Swan Riders, which deals with a futuristic society run by AIs.