Now in paperback, this bestseller by the author of "Liar's Poker" sets out on a Silicon Valley safari to find the true representative of the coming...
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Aug 30, 2008
Mattaca
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The New New Thing chronicles a few years in the life of Jim Clark, billionaire founder of Netscape and Healtheon. Part biography, part internet success story, The New New Thing doesn't have the same focus as Moneyball or The Blind Side, meandering from Clark's various business successes to his obsession with building a computerized sailboat. The book would have benefited from a stronger narrative thread. Lewis's efforts to coin a phrase ("the new new thing") also fall flat.
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Oct 30, 2011
Jane
rated it:
2 stars for entertainment. 3 stars for dry biographical information about a guy and the computer industry in the 1990s.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I read three other nonfiction books by this author and was fascinated. But this book was not as entertaining. It was dry. It felt like newspaper journalism about one guy and his computer industry activities during the 1990s. It felt obsolete. His 1990s companies are no longer around or in the public eye. The author’s other books were e More...
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I read three other nonfiction books by this author and was fascinated. But this book was not as entertaining. It was dry. It felt like newspaper journalism about one guy and his computer industry activities during the 1990s. It felt obsolete. His 1990s companies are no longer around or in the public eye. The author’s other books were e More...
Jun 12, 2011
Amber
rated it: 
My least favorite of the in-depth Lewis books, but that's not saying much. Unlike Liar's Poker, which Lewis thought would bring sweeping change by bringing some sketchy practices to light but still rings true, The New New Thing feels dated now, 10 years later. Nonetheless, as someone who understood the late 1990s tech boom only peripherally, this book was insightful, both in terms of those companies' business models (or lack thereof, as the case may be) and some of the relevant personalities. (S
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May 03, 2011
Melanie
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Ugh. The only good thing about this book was that it was short.
I listened to the audio book during my commute. The reader sounds like he is on the verge of panic.
The book reads (sounds) like Jim Clark must have paid for it, either that or the author has a seriously terminal case of hero worship. And you'd think that nothing else ever happened in the silicon valley except things Jim Clark did. Plus it completely ignores the internet bubble phenomenon, apparently greatly inflat More...
I listened to the audio book during my commute. The reader sounds like he is on the verge of panic.
The book reads (sounds) like Jim Clark must have paid for it, either that or the author has a seriously terminal case of hero worship. And you'd think that nothing else ever happened in the silicon valley except things Jim Clark did. Plus it completely ignores the internet bubble phenomenon, apparently greatly inflat More...
Mar 29, 2011
Mark
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It is hard to fathom Jim Clark, whom this book is really about, lead three different Billion Dollar companies: Silicon Graphics, Netscape, and Healtheon (WebMD). He and his companies are the focus of this book. The author also gives a heck of a review of the crazy times that were the late 1990s in technology but as well as the stock market. I think Biff Tannen (you know Biff from Back to the Future) would have been better off with this book than his Sports Almanac. Imagine knowing the exact comp
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Jun 11, 2010
Jim
rated it:
another well-written and well told story from michael lewis - this time about the founder of silicon graphics, netscape and healtheon jim clark. the focus of lewis's attention is on how clark's unique personality, vision and talents turned him into the prototypical internet billionaire.
of course, the decade that followed the book completely changes the story. clark looks nothing like a visionary genius, but instead a guy who happened be be just crazily believable enough and in the ri More...
of course, the decade that followed the book completely changes the story. clark looks nothing like a visionary genius, but instead a guy who happened be be just crazily believable enough and in the ri More...
Sep 01, 2010
Rick
rated it:
Not Michael Lewis' best work, and I've pretty much read them all. He sticks to his usual formula of picking one person who personifies a specific part of American culture at a specific time. In this case, the time is the late-90's Internet boom and the culture is the weird computer-geek millionaires (and billionaires) that were created by the irrational exuberance in the US capital markets at the time. James Clark, the focus of the book, was himself the NEW NEW THING of American business at t
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Mar 08, 2011
Daniel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jun 05, 2009
Mandana
rated it:
A close-up on dot.com bubble from a very unique perspective. I have learned A LOT about how companies develop or used to develop in Silicon Valley, and how collaboration and belief lead to creation of multi-billion dollar companies from scratch.
In short, the book is centered around the personal character of an innovator, Jim Clark. It is about the spirit of team-work, the status of venture capitalists, risk takers and future believers in the cycle of innovation. Also, I have learned More...
In short, the book is centered around the personal character of an innovator, Jim Clark. It is about the spirit of team-work, the status of venture capitalists, risk takers and future believers in the cycle of innovation. Also, I have learned More...
Apr 21, 2011
Linnae
rated it:
In the "greatest legal creation of wealth in history" that was Silicon Valley, all roads lead to Jim Clark. A man with an unremarkable past, who is an inventor--not of objects, but of ideas. Ideas that tend to become multi-billion dollar companies rather quickly. A man who thinks best when tinkering on his yacht, the biggest ever built up to that time. A man whose ideas turned the business world, and its accepted models and means of making money, on its head. Lewis attempts to unravel
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Jun 09, 2011
Riley
rated it:
The New New Thing is an account of the overnight success of Silicon Valley startups as told through the biography of Netscape founder Jim Clark. The book is well written and well researched, but I felt Michael Lewis searched for profundity in areas where it may not have existed. For instance, Clark learning how to fly a helicopter is a telling look into his drive and iconoclastic character -- and not, Lewis insists, a typical example of the noveau riche playing with their latest toys. It might h
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Feb 07, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Michael Lewis tells a great story, but its subject - internet entrepreneur and searcher for the New New thing, Jim Clark - resolutely refuses to provide Lewis with either an ending, or any kind of reason why he was the one guy that managed to start three, $1Bn companies in the space of a few years. It leaves Lewis with some structural issues which he works around pretty neatly, but it left me headed for Google to find out what happened next.
And that last sentence, combined with a co More...
And that last sentence, combined with a co More...
Sep 06, 2010
Damon
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I really like Michael Lewis' books but reading this one I realised that he seems to always write books about stories that are as yet unfinished. For example, The Blind Side is a good book about football in general and specifically Michael Oher, who last year was just a rookie in the NFL. A significant part of Oher's story was over - his adoption from a Memphis slum by a conservative white upper class family and stardom in high school football - but even now there is a lot of his biography still
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Feb 10, 2010
Joseph
rated it:
Fascinating book about the technology, greed, and volatility surrounding the internet boom in Silicon Valley, focusing primarily on Jim Clark, the founder of Netscape.
Really interesting to read, considering I barely remember the days before internet (my family had the prodigy online service in the early 90s). Even so, even more has happened since this book was written in 1999.
Michael Lewis does an especially good job on making technology and economics understandable. I' More...
Really interesting to read, considering I barely remember the days before internet (my family had the prodigy online service in the early 90s). Even so, even more has happened since this book was written in 1999.
Michael Lewis does an especially good job on making technology and economics understandable. I' More...
Aug 04, 2009
Nicholas
rated it:
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Mar 01, 2010
Ty
rated it: 
i bought this book a long time ago and never got around to reading it till this past week. i'm actually glad that i waited as the book now serves as a poignant reminder of good old days gone by..."The New New Thing" is a look at Silicon Valley in the 90's. Michael Lewis chose to profile Jim Clark as his paragon of the era, and a mighty wise choice he made. Clark is one of the biggest characters in a Valley of big characters. the story of Clark's rise from a hick from Plainview, Tex
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Jan 05, 2011
Jonathan
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Lewis is a great writer and this book is an absorbing narrative of Silicon Valley during the peak of the bubble. It is not a particularly useful guide to the current state of the tech sector, but it provides a telling look not only at the personalities and ambitions of highly-driven entrepreneurs, but also those of the big financiers who bankroll them. Essentially, Lewis provides a great portrait of the ethos that drives Sillicon Valley beyond all the hyperbole about changing business and the wo
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Jul 04, 2010
Michael
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Feb 17, 2010
Ceylan Pelin
rated it:
It was a very different read for me. I would never think that I’m going to read a book about business, technology, engineers and innovation. Thanks to my aunt who gave this book to me as a gift; I really enjoyed when I was reading it and discovering the ClarkWorld. The author narrated all of these above-mentioned subjects combining with the innovations of Jim Clark without annoying a reader like me who has no real interest in the technology, business or IPOs. I’m really glad that I read such a d
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Feb 08, 2012
Ryan
rated it:
Insight into the bubble and a man that recreated Silicon Valley. It's amazing how much remains relevant but, at the same time, how much has changed. You have to laugh at the passage describing Healtheon's offices as drab and uninviting, with Lewis stating that Silicon Valley companies don't make investments in creature comforts since all will change. In the era of raw bars and dueling chefs at Google or Facebook, it's an amusing (and telling) shift in the culture(s), the players, the expectation
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Nov 19, 2011
Chris
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Another excellent and thought-provoking book from Lewis. Has he ever written a dull one? This book was published in the late 1990s and my favourite moment of many interesting moments was where Lewis expresses surprise and incredulity when Kleiner Perkins (the technology Venture Capitalists) paid a whopping $25 million for a third share in a completely unheard of company who had never made a dime, and didn't yet have a clear idea of how they were going to monetize their services, called Google!
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May 07, 2011
Valerie
rated it:
I wouldn't have chosen to read a book about Netscape, but I like Michael Lewis a lot. And there were some funny parts regarding the computer run boat. I was a bit disturbed to think of the technology bubble as being caused by the whim of a rich man to build a bigger boat...but looking back at most of history, I think that is as good a driving force as any.
Oct 23, 2010
James
rated it:
I enjoyed reading the book, Lewis always has a sharp wit and often asks insightful questions.
Basically Clark was an inventor of companies.
He'd come up with an idea of something that might sell and Lewis takes us through the process of creating a new company that would sell that idea.
Basically Clark was an inventor of companies.
He'd come up with an idea of something that might sell and Lewis takes us through the process of creating a new company that would sell that idea.
Oct 02, 2011
Jesse
rated it:
I'm a Michael Lewis fan. I like his writing, and I like his choice of subject matter. All in all his books are good. The New New Thing, however, his look at Jim Clark, founder of Netscape, Healtheon, and other huge companies, was just dull. The first 20% and last 10% were interesting. The rest ... meh.
I sort of enjoyed the early parts of the book because I don’t live very far north of Silicon Valley and it was fun to read because Beth and I are enjoying the area so much. That couldn’t More...
I sort of enjoyed the early parts of the book because I don’t live very far north of Silicon Valley and it was fun to read because Beth and I are enjoying the area so much. That couldn’t More...
Feb 27, 2009
Noah
rated it:
This book is about Clark, but it isn't. This is Michael Lewis doing for Silicon Valley and the tech bubble what he did for 1980's Wall Street in Liar's Poker. It's a book about mania and obsession and a strange subculture of American business. The fact that Clark is a fascinating individual is just a bonus.
Sep 09, 2010
Trey
rated it:
Feels horribly outdated now - needs an epilogue dealing with the aftermath of the internet bubble. Not nearly as compelling or amusing as other Lewis books.
Apr 30, 2011
Rene
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Another great book from Michael Lewis. The story is basically Michael going through a period of time with Jim Clark. If you don't know who he is, Google him. He's brilliant! From his humble roots, to starting the biggest companies in the US, to his uncanny ability to come with ideas that were ahead of their time and his obsession with his remote controlled sailboat. Michael gives us an insight into what makes Jim tick and how he sees life. Never a dull moment! Affordable computers for more than
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Nov 20, 2011
Tom
rated it:
I still think Lewis is an exceptional writer, however, this book is not particularly good. Mostly I just don't care enough about Jim Clark.
Sep 15, 2011
grundoon
rated it:
3.5 Reasonably engaging treatment of not particularly engaging subject matter Jim Clark. I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time...
Jun 07, 2010
Nick
rated it:
strays in the middle, but altogether a one-man band that starts with a bleedin' mouf organ and ends with a big bass drum. i cried through the last six pages. great stuff.
