Dot-Bomb

J.David Kuo, (Little, Brown & Co, 2001)

Stories of dotcom excess, rise and fall are commonplace now, perhaps epitomized by BooHoo, the story of the Boo.com debacle.  From my experiences as a supplier to them, NZ’s own Flying Pig could also offer much to amaze.

But Kuo’s book of valueamerica.com, which blew US$200m, offers more because the author, whilst a key player from within, makes no excuses and is sympathetic to the many skilled people he worked with, trapped within a period of super-hype exceeded only by their increasingly irrational boss.  As the book documents the company’s growth from inception to IPO, to its inevitable crash, the book essentially becomes a highly enjoyable thriller.

Jonathan Dodd