The Silicon Lathe

by Steve Jackowski

Bold and fearless, Jack charges into his Silicon Valley career with the confidence he demonstrates in his extreme sports. Like catching a thermal hang gliding, for Jack, there is no where to go but up. But confidence leads to carelessness and Jack is unprepared for the greed and betrayal, the temptation of wealth and drugs, and the amorality of those who would do anything to succeed.

This is a story of the evolution of the Silicon Valley and the companies that rule the world today. Fortunes are made and lost as brilliant, talented people come up against forces they never imagined. Their lives are forever changed as they are turned and shaped by The Silicon Lathe.

388 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2013

About the author

Writer, extreme sports enthusiast, serial entrepreneur, technologist (en français ci-dessous).

Born into a military family, Steve traveled extensively throughout the US and overseas, attending fifteen schools before graduating from High School. After studying mathematics, computer science, comparative literature and French at the University of California, Steve began his career with IBM as a software engineer. He later founded three successful high-tech startups.

A former competition hang glider pilot, Steve continues to surf, ski, kayak whitewater, and dance Salsa with his wife Karen whenever possible.

Steve divides his time between Santa Cruz, California and the Basque Region of France.

En français:

Ecrivain, amateur de sports extrêmes, multi-entrepreneur, technologue.

Né d’une famille militaire, Steve a beaucoup voyagé à travers les Etats-Unis et à l’étranger, fréquentant une quinzaine d’écoles avant d’avoir son bac. Après avoir étudié les mathématiques, l’informatique, la littérature comparée et le Français à l’Université de Californie, Steve commença sa carrière chez IBM comme ingénieur informaticien. Il créa plus tard, avec succès, trois start-ups de haute technologie.

Ancien compétiteur de deltaplane, Steve continue à surfer, skier, faire du kayak en eau vive et danser la salsa avec sa femme Karen, dès qu’il le peut.

Steve partage son temps entre Santa Cruz (Californie) et le Pays Basque en France.

Reviews

[Valorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was given 5 stars because of all the different levels The Silicon Lathe has. It took me awhile to read it, because for me it was not a book I could sit and read in a few settings. In some areas it was detailed about the different companies, and how they all worked together, or how ruthless some of them were. I did learn quite a bit from this book. In the 80's, I was raising small children in Ohio. Never dreamt so much was going on in California. The computer for me, to use in my life time, was something I swore I would never use. How fast everything came to be is amazing. I did laugh at my own naivety. Thank God there are people like Steve. His vision and his morals has made me a #1 fan.

[Steve Jackowski]

This is the ebook version of The Silicon Lathe. I had an interesting ride in the Silicon Valley. Founding, growing, and selling three startup companies, I saw some of my friends and associates achieve huge success while others suffered repeated failures. Wherever there is money to be made, you'll find stories of passion, greed, luck, and calculated destruction of others. The Silicon Lathe is largely autobiographical and follows a young entrepreneur and those he encounters as they are turned and shaped by the Silicon Lathe.

[Raymond A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone (?) once wrote as a guide to would-be writers to write about what they know. Steve Jackowski has been there, done it and knows. Since I know next to nothing about hang-gliding, surfing, white water kayaking, reading about these in "The Silicon Lathe" was a treat. And then there are the mysteries and intrigues of Silicon Valley, the troubled, ambitious, high flying and amorous lives of characters who populate this book and valley. This is my favorite of his trio: "The Misogynist" and "The Shadow of God".

[Steve Jackowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had an interesting ride in the Silicon Valley. Founding, growing, and selling three startup companies, I saw some of my friends and associates achieve huge success while others suffered repeated failures. Wherever there is money to be made, you'll find stories of passion, greed, luck, and calculated destruction of others. The Silicon Lathe is largely autobiographical and follows a young entrepreneur and those he encounters as they are turned and shaped by the Silicon Lathe.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve asked me to give an honest review in exchange for a copy of his book. Steve, on a personal note, thank you for writing your story. I was riveted! It took me a long time to get through as I'm going to school full time and farming. I have to say I throughly enjoyed the book. This is NOT a genre I would have ever chose for the heck of it but the short chapters and ever evolving story line kept me wanting more the entire time!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not a boring business tale! Murder, romance and sports round out this great fictionalized overview of how the Silicon Valley grew into the technology giant it is today.

[Kaylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a giveaway here on Goodreads, but that does not take away from how much I liked this book. Thank you!

[Cin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. I actually told my brothers about this book which I believe they would be interested to read. The story is very interesting and compelling.

[Steve Jackowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started as a memoir of my experiences in the Silicon Valley. When my attorney read the book, he told me I couldn't publish it without major risk of lawsuits from significant players in the industry, so I decided to rewrite it as a novel. I changed the names of the characters, descriptions of the companies, and what happened to whom. But, everything described in the novel actually happened. I like to think this book accurately reflects the type of experiences entrepreneurs face in the Silicon Valley.