The New New Thing: Is it still that new?

Achintya Ashok
Sep 3, 2018 · 2 min read

Let’s face it, by now each and every one of us are inveterate fans of Michael Lewis. It is his passion for story-telling, his ability to roll drama and reality into a relishing read, and his unique capability to turn the driest (sometimes) stories into thrilling page-turners. Having read a number of his more recent works: Flash Boys & The Big Short, I was happily surprised to find The New New Thing neatly tucked into the bookshelves of my local bookstore. When I flipped the cover to find out when it had been published, I was surprised to find out that The New New Thing was, in fact, quite old — it had been published in 2000. Nonetheless, it married two things that I was deeply interested in: the almost mythical tech-boom of the late 90s and Michael Lewis’ take on it.

The latest cover of The New New Thing

What you will almost immediately find, when you open the pages of this novel, is that it reads in exactly the same pattern as Lewis’ later novels. It is composed of a number of intertwined story lines that indelibly lead to a single story. That story is about the life of Jim Clark, the original prince of princes in Silicon Valley.

If you have not heard of Jim Clark, do not despair — I had little knowledge of him myself despite working in the same industry. Jim Clark is most notably known as the founder of Netscape (remember Netscape Navigator?). Let’s not forget that Netscape’s IPO captured the essence of the internet boom; it was one of the most successful IPOs of any company and it turned Jim Clark into a billionaire. This was the first of Jim Clark’s billion dollar enterprises — yes, he made more than one.

What you will find in The New New Thing is the story of Jim Clark and his journey to Silicon Valley royalty through a story of dogged determination, a severe disdain for others opinions, and a greed & lust for money that captured the essence of the Valley in late 90s. You will find that not every founder is driven by a need to change the world for the sake of adding utility to our world; sometimes it is rather the baser nature of greed and ambition that drives people to change the world.

The New New Thing reads as The Big Short of Silicon Valley — about how an industry was turned on its head and how a new elite came to rise to power. If you are a fan of Michael Lewis, curious about Silicon Valley, or simply enjoy a thrilling novel, do not miss out this book.

9/10

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