From garages and kitchen tables across America, courageous men and women have built the great technology companies that define modern life. Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Steve Wozniak -- the names are as familiar as movie stars; their every move captures headlines and their decisions affect the lives of millions. But behind the well-crafted personae these men and women present to the world, what are they really like? What makes them tick? What enabled them to make, often in a few short years, the leap from everyday person to industry titan? What drives them to stay at the top? What keeps them from walking away with their riches to a long and easy life?
Betting It All has the revealing answers. Based on the popular PBS series, and containing added material never shown, this book takes a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the lives of sixteen legendary American entrepreneurs. It offers new insights into the hearts and minds of Gates, Ellison, Wozniak, Gordon Moore of Intel, Carol Bartz of Autodesk, Tom Siebel of Siebel Systems, T. J. Rodgers of Cypress Semiconductor, and others. In intimate interviews, Michael S. Malone, Editor at Large of Forbes ASAP magazine and long-time Silicon Valley chronicler, strips away the myth and exposes the human side of business, digging deep to find the individual beneath the entrepreneur. You’ll hear, in their own words, how these brave people weathered their personal tragedies and savored their triumphs ... why they take such daring risks ... and how their deep levels of commitment drove them to reach such lofty goals. Provocative, personal, and, above all, inspirational, Betting It All reveals surprising and compelling details about each industry giant with every turn of the page. (copyright www.bn.com)