Book Review: The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest

I finally found a copy of this book – I’d been looking for it (albeit not that hard) for some time now – ever since I had read Po Bronson‘s other book, The Nudist on the Late Shift. The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest, is a great read for anyone who wants to try to understand why Silicon Valley is what it is, and to try to get a an idea of the motivation behind the countless entrepreneurs coming out of there. Having only lived in the Bay Area for about 10 months in 1999-2000, I found a lot of the descriptions insightful and at times nostalgic. Since the exuberance of the Internet Bubble, the atmosphere for startups in the Bay Area has changed greatly, but this book gives an idea of why the phenomenon is unlikely to be replicated elsewhere. Similar bursts may occur, but the motivations behind those in the Valley make it unique. If you can find this book, definitely snap it up.