How do you know whether a hot technology will succeed or fail? Or where the next big idea will come from? The best answers come not from the popular myths we tell about innovation, but instead from time-tested truths that explain how we've made it this far. This book shows the way. In The Myths of Innovation, bestselling author Scott Berkun takes a careful look at innovation history, including the software and Internet Age, to reveal how ideas truly become successful innovations-truths that people can apply to today's challenges. Using dozens of examples from the history of technology, business, and the arts, you'll learn how to convert the knowledge you have into ideas that can change the world. Why all innovation is a collaborative process How innovation depends on persuasion Why problems are more important than solutions How the good innovation is the enemy of the great Why the biggest challenge is knowing when it's good enough "For centuries before Google, MIT, and IDEO, modern hotbeds of innovation, we struggled to explain any kind of creation, from the universe itself to the multitudes of ideas around us. While we can make atomic bombs, and dry-clean silk ties, we still don't have satisfying answers for simple questions like: Where do songs come from? Are there an infinite variety of possible kinds of cheese? How did Shakespeare and Stephen King invent so much, while we're satisfied watching sitcom reruns? Our popular answers have been unconvincing, enabling misleading, fantasy-laden myths to grow strong." -- Scott Berkun, from the text. "Insightful, inspiring, evocative, and just plain fun to read it's totally great." -- John Seely Brown, former Chief Scientist of Xerox, andDirector, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARe; current Chief of Confusion "Small, simple, powerful: an innovative book about innovation." -- Don Norman, Nielsen Norman Group, Northwestern University; author of Emotional Design and Design of Everyday Things "The naked truth about innovation is ugly, funny, and eye-opening, but it sure isn't what most of us have come to believe. With this book, Berkun sets us free to try to change the world unencumbered with misconceptions about how innovation happens." -- Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start "Brimming with insights and historical examples, Berkun's book not only debunks widely held myths about innovation but also points the ways toward making your new ideas stick. Even in today's ultra-busy commercial world, reading this book will be time well spent." -- Tom Kelley, GM, IDEO; author of The Ten Faces of Innovation "This book cuts through the hype, analyzes what is essential, and more importantly, what is not. You will leave with a thorough understanding of what really drives innovation." -- Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon.com "I loved this book. It's an easy-to-read playbook for anyone wanting to lead and manage positive change in their business." -- Frank McDermott, Marketing Manager, EMI Music Scott Berkun knows innovation. A member of the Internet Explorer team at Microsoft from 1994-1999, he is a full-time author at www.scottberkun.com and wrote the 2005 bestseller, The Art of Project Management (O'Reilly). He also teaches creative thinking at the University of Washington.

An enlightening look at how peaceful communication can create compassionate connections with family, friends, and other acquaintances. The book uses stories, examples, and sample dialogues to provide solutions to communication problems both at home and in the workplace. Guidance is provided on identifying and articulating feelings and needs, expressing anger fully, and exploring the power of empathy in order to speak honestly without creating hostility, break patterns of thinking that lead to anger and depression, and communicate compassionately. These non-violent communication skills are fully explained and can be applied to personal, professional, and political differences. Included in this new edition is information on how to compassionately connect with oneself.

Dropbox, Facebook, AirBnb, Twitter. A new generation of multibillion dollar brands built without spending a dime on “traditional marketing.” No press releases, no PR firms, and no billboards in Times Square. It wasn’t luck that took them from tiny start-ups to millions of users and massive valuations. They have a new strategy, called Growth Hacking. And it works. In this e-special, bestselling author Ryan Holiday shows how the marketing game has changed forever. He explains the growth hacker mindset and provides a new set of rules—critical information whether you’re an aspiring marketer, an entrepreneur, or a Fortune 500 executive. "Growth hackers are the new VPs of marketing, and this book tells you how to make the transformation." —Andrew Chen, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, essayist and advisor "This book is a wake up call for every marketing exec in the business. And a tutorial for engineers, IT, founders and designers. Read it." —Porter Gale, Former VP of Marketing at Virgin America and author of Your Network is Your Net Worth “Holiday is part Machiavelli, part Ogilvy, and all results…this whiz kid is the secret weapon you’ve never heard of.” —Tim Ferriss, #1 bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, investor in Twitter, Uber and TaskRabbit "Ryan captures the power of the growth hacker mindset and makes it accessible to marketers at companies of all types and sizes. If you don't see a boost in results after reading this book, something is wrong with your product.” —Sean Ellis, former growth hacker at Dropbox, and founder of Qualaroo "Finally, a crystallization and explanation of growth hacking in easy to understand terms—and better yet, real strategies and tactics for application." —Alex Korchinski, Director of Growth, Soma "Ryan's book will help every lean entrepreneur trying to grow their business and master the art of marketing and growth." —Patrick Vlaskovits, author of The Lean Entrepreneur

When Peter Thiel and Max Levchin launched an online payment website in 1999, they hoped their service could improve the lives of millions around the globe. But when their start-up, PayPal, survived the dot.com crash only to find itself besieged by unimaginable challenges, that dream threatened to become a nightmare. PayPal's history – as told by former insider Eric Jackson – is an engrossing study of human struggle and perseverance against overwhelming odds. The entrepreneurs that Thiel and Levchin recruited to overhaul world currency markets first had to face some of the greatest trials ever thrown at a Silicon Valley company before they could make internet history. Business guru Tom Peters, author of "In Search of Excellence," called the hardcover edition of The PayPal Wars "a real page turner" that featured what he called "the best description of business strategy unfolding in a world changing at warp speed." This new paperback edition features updated material and even more insights on the state of internet commerce.

一款新产品，一种新服务，一家新公司，一项新决定，一个新机构，任何一件新事物——有志者可以在本书中发现成功的道路。 它始于一个不可割舍的梦想，始于一生中难得一现的灵感。人们从最初的困惑，逐步走向觉悟，最终成就一番事业。每位想让这个世界变得更加美好的人，都会为一个伟大的创意而着迷。但你靠什么把自己的创意付诸行动呢？ 早在20世纪80年代，盖伊就开始为世界闻名的苹果公司提供咨询，并使该公司的一些普通顾客成为福音传道者。而今作为车库科技创投公司的创立者与执行总监，盖伊把它的创意在多个领域的起步工作中进行检验；而且作为最畅销的商业书籍和广受好评的商业文章的作者，盖一位那些正在努力实现创业之梦的人们提出了中肯的建议。

在互联网创业成本日益降低、融资却越来越难的今天，硅谷的Y Combinator因何成为全世界创业者趋之若鹜的创业圣地？为什么25岁左右的青年最适合创业？创业者如何才能在遴选面试中脱颖而出？为什么YC特别看好那些主要由黑客组成的创业团队? YC真的歧视女性吗？如何想出能够赢得投资的新点子？创业者应该如何寻找联合创始人？ 获准进入Y Combinator及其创业公司全程跟踪批量投资项目的第一人，兰德尔·斯特罗斯首度探访硅谷最神秘的创业营Y Combinator，全面揭秘硅谷创业教父保罗·格雷厄姆撼动互联网创业模式的幕后故事。《YC创业营》详细记录了YC 2011年夏季批量投资项目64家初创企业孵化全过程、保罗· 格雷厄姆指导创业公司融资技巧、创业者吸引投资演讲诀窍、高度私密的YC演示日全记录……