Reading a lot about tech and startups, I long ago realized who was to blame for the abysmal state of the field: venture capitalists. This book confirms my diagnosis and provides strong evidence of the flaws in this institution. Here is just one example:

„Because so much money is chasing so few real opportunities that have the potential to deliver venture-scale returns, venture capitalists adopt a level of credulity that shameless pitch people like Adam Neumann and Sam Bankman-Fried are more than happy to exploit”.

Although the style can be a bit dry and academic, in this book you will find not only the theoretical explanations, but also many colorful examples. There is also an interesting chapter that offers some solutions, but I am afraid that due to the current political climate they may not be very realistic. Still, a lot depends on us - customers, consumers, investors - so I hope that exposing the mechanisms of the VC market can in itself help bring about some positive change.

Thanks to the publisher, Penguin Group Dutton, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

As someone who used to work in VC, very spot on, but also revealed some things even I didn't know while working in that industry. Truly a remarkable book, and one that hopefully gets seen by those outside the VC/Tech world for some time.