Live Work Work Work Die
A Journey into the Savage Heart of Silicon Valley
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Narrated by:
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Corey Pein
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By:
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Corey Pein
About this listen
A scathing, sardonic exploration of Silicon Valley tech culture, laying bare the greed, hubris, and retrograde politics of an industry that aspires to radically transform society for its own benefit. This enlightening audiobook is a must-listen for anyone interested or involved in the tech industry.
At the height of the start-up boom, journalist Corey Pein set out for Silicon Valley with little more than a smartphone and his wits. His goal: to learn how such an overhyped industry could possibly sustain itself as long as it has. Determined to cut through the clichés of big tech - the relentless optimism, the mandatory enthusiasm, and the earnest, incessant repetition of vacuous buzzwords - Pein decided that he would need to take an approach as unorthodox as the companies he would soon be covering. To truly understand the delirious reality of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, he knew, he would have to inhabit that perspective - he would have to become an entrepreneur.
Thus he begins his journey - skulking through gimmicky tech conferences, pitching his over-the-top business ideas to investors, and interviewing a cast of outrageous characters: cyborgs and con artists, Teamsters and transhumanists, jittery hackers and naive upstart programmers whose entire lives are managed by their employers - who work endlessly and obediently, never thinking to question their place in the system.
In showing us this frantic world, Pein challenges the positive, feel-good self-image that the tech tycoons have crafted - as nerdy and benevolent creators of wealth and opportunity - revealing their self-justifying views and their insidious visions for the future. Indeed, as Pein shows, Silicon Valley is awash in disreputable ideas: Google executive and futurist Raymond Kurzweil has a side business peddling dietary supplements and has for years pushed the outlandish notion that human beings are destined to merge with computers and live forever in some kind of digital cosmic hive mind. Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist affiliated with PayPal and Facebook, is now an important advisor to President Trump and has subsidized a prolific blogger known by the pen name Mencius Moldbug who writes approvingly of ideas like eugenics and dictatorship. And Moldbug is not alone. There is, in fact, a small but influential - and growing - group of techies with similarly absurd and extremist beliefs who call themselves the "neoreactionary" vanguard of a "Dark Enlightenment."
Vivid and incisive, Live Work Work Work Die is a troubling portrait of a self-obsessed industry bent on imposing its disturbing visions on the rest of us.
©2018 Corey Pein (P)2018 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Magazine entrepreneur Randall Lane had a prime seat at Wall Street's biggest greed fest. The Zeroes is a memoir about the excesses and bad behavior of an outsider who got pulled into a crazy, self-contained world.
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A very entertaining tale
- By andy on 11-03-13
By: Randall Lane
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What Would Google Do?
- By: Jeff Jarvis
- Narrated by: Jeff Jarvis
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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In a book that's one part prophecy, one part thought experiment, one part manifesto, and one part survival manual, internet impresario and blogging pioneer Jeff Jarvis reverse-engineers Google, the fastest-growing company in history, to discover 40 clear and straightforward rules to manage and live by.
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Shallow and one-sided
- By JimmiJ on 02-04-09
By: Jeff Jarvis
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Ahead of the Curve
- Two Years at Harvard Business School
- By: Philip Delves Broughton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2004 Philip Delves Broughton abandoned a post as Paris bureau chief of the London Daily Telegraph to join 900 other would-be tycoons on the Harvard Business School's plush campus. With acute and often uproarious candor, he assesses the school's success at teaching the traits it extols as most important in business: leadership, decisiveness, ethical behavior, and work/life balance.
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On one breath.
- By Atkins on 05-17-22
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The World Is Flat
- Further Updated and Expanded
- By: Thomas L. Friedman
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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When scholars write the history of the world twenty years from now, what will they say was the most crucial development in the first few years of the twenty-first century? The attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the Iraq war? Or the convergence of technology and events that allowed India, China, and so many other countries to become part of the global supply chain for services and manufacturing, creating an explosion of wealth in the middle classes of the world's two biggest nations?
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If you like cliches...
- By Jonathan Shultz on 09-08-07
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The Starfish and the Spider
- The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations
- By: Ori Brafman, Rod Beckstrom
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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If you cut off a spider's leg, it's crippled; if you cut off its head, it dies. But if you cut off a starfish's leg it grows a new one, and the old leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. The Starfish and the Spider argues that organizations fall into two categories: "spiders", which have a rigid hierarchy, and "starfish", which rely on the power of peer relationships.
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Centralized and decentralized models
- By Chan Meng on 12-07-07
By: Ori Brafman, and others
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All the Rave
- The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning’s Napster
- By: Joseph Menn
- Narrated by: John Rubinstein
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The definitive inside account of the file-sharing revolution that overthrew the music industry, All the Rave reveals the family betrayal, greed, and mismanagement that hijacked one the most fundamental innovations of the Internet era. Named one of the three best books of 2003 by Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc., All the Rave has been out of print until now and unavailable in most formats. Author and veteran technology journalist Joseph Menn also wrote 2010's Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords who are Bringing Down the Internet.
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The Far-reaching Karma of Napster
- By Susie on 04-29-13
By: Joseph Menn
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Losing the Signal
- The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry
- By: Jacquie McNish, Sean Silcoff
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Losing the Signal is a riveting story of a company that toppled global giants before succumbing to the ruthlessly competitive forces of Silicon Valley. This is not a conventional tale of modern business failure by fraud and greed. The rise and fall of BlackBerry reveals the dangerous speed at which innovators race along the information superhighway.
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Fascinating
- By Gerardo A Dada on 09-05-15
By: Jacquie McNish, and others
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Age of Ambition
- Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
- By: Evan Osnos
- Narrated by: Evan Osnos, George Backman
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control.
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Come back when you have a warrant!
- By Neuron on 11-06-15
By: Evan Osnos
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The Filter Bubble
- What the Internet Is Hiding from You
- By: Eli Pariser
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In December 2009, Google began customizing its search results for each user. Instead of giving you the most broadly popular result, Google now tries to predict what you are most likely to click on. According to MoveOn.org board president Eli Pariser, Google's change in policy is symptomatic of the most significant shift to take place on the Web in recent years: the rise of personalization.
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Now in the top 3 best books I've ever read
- By Brian Esserlieu on 05-26-11
By: Eli Pariser
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World Without Mind
- The Existential Threat of Big Tech
- By: Franklin Foer
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Franklin Foer reveals the existential threat posed by big tech, and in his brilliant polemic gives us the toolkit to fight their pervasive influence. Over the past few decades there has been a revolution in terms of who controls knowledge and information. This rapid change has imperiled the way we think. Without pausing to consider the cost, the world has rushed to embrace the products and services of four titanic corporations. We shop with Amazon, socialize on Facebook, turn to Apple for entertainment, and rely on Google for information.
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5-Star Book with a 1-Star Title
- By David Larson on 09-18-17
By: Franklin Foer
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Startup Rising
- The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East
- By: Christopher M. Schroeder
- Narrated by: Christopher M. Schroeder
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Despite the world's elation at the Arab Spring, shockingly little has changed politically in the Middle East; even frontliners Egypt and Tunisia continue to suffer repression, fixed elections, and bombings, while Syria descends into civil war. But in the midst of it all, a quieter revolution has begun to emerge, one that might ultimately do more to change the face of the region: Entrepreneurship.
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Inspiring stories
- By Raafat Zaini on 02-13-15
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Broad Band
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet
- By: Claire L. Evans
- Narrated by: Claire L. Evans
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Women are not ancillary to the history of technology; they turn up at the very beginning of every important wave. But they've often been hidden in plain sight, their inventions and contributions touching our lives in ways we don't even realize. Vice reporter and YACHT lead singer Claire L. Evans finally gives these unsung female heroes their due with her insightful social history of the Broad Band, the women who made the Internet what it is today. Evans shows us how these women built and colored the technologies we can't imagine life without.
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Inspiring
- By Jean on 03-29-18
By: Claire L. Evans
What listeners say about Live Work Work Work Die
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- dylan
- 02-22-19
monotone reader, biased reporting
The first four hours are fine. The last half reads like a political article on a left leaning news organization. The guy is also the most monotone reader I've heard yet.
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- Alan
- 05-01-18
Compelling (and occasionally tedious) critique
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Corey Pein's story of moving to Silicon Valley to seek a fortune and the indignities of trying to live in an absurdly overpriced city were great. His critique of the predatory side of the startup ecosystem was also great. He does a great job pointing out the self-serving legends that Silicon Valley has made for itself (and that many of us used to believe).
But when the book veered away from the authors personal experience and into his general ideas about politics, I really lost interest. Unfortunately, too much of the book was taken up by political rants and "calling out" right-wingers in Silicon Valley. As much as I liked the central story, I can't recommend the entire book to anyone unless they really want to listen to a recitation of marxist bathroom graffiti for a few hours.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Ines
- 08-28-18
Necessary reading
Do not take into account the overall rating of this book - it's the product a volley of undeserved criticisms. I am inclined to blame this on cognitive dissonance and technological fanaticism.
In a world increasingly dominated by "techies" and where the dominant narrative revolves around how they will save the world from calamity, this book offers a refreshing escape. The author is a talented writer (and narrator) and experienced first hand some of the least explored and least spoken about aspects of the rapidly growing behemoth that is Silicon Valley. Pein sheds light on a number of negative consequences of techno-corporate power, consequences that are -for reasons that are all the more obvious after listening to this book- brushed aside, ignored or outright censored by ridiculing those who point them out. We need critical voices that... "disrupt" the optimistic, non-critical and quasi-religious belief in the infallibility and superiority of technocrats.
I'm quite glad I gave this book a chance. Everyone should.
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1 person found this helpful
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- James
- 04-26-18
The bucket of cold water Silicon Valley needs
Would you listen to Live Work Work Work Die again? Why?
Maybe, but it's pretty grim.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
I like the travelogue structure of the book. Also, Pine's humor helps things from getting too depressing.
Which scene was your favorite?
I liked the description of his first AirBnB as his first real introduction to the way life is in this sector of the economy.
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
Peter Thiel is even creepier than I thought. Like way more sinister.
Any additional comments?
I loved the first three chapters, but later the structure sort of broke down and the narrative lost its flow. The mini biographies came to overpower the nice travelogue structure of the first part. Even so, the book more than held my attention.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Nikita Malov
- 05-22-20
Deep dive into a mind of a conspiracy theories fan
Loved the description of personal experience of Silicon Valley life and overall startup culture with disappointing behavior of VCs, overhyped techies not allowed to show any sign of exhaustion and not-exactly-law-abiding tech companies on their way to growth and competition.
But the last third or so of the book ruined it to me, as the author apparently decided to grab some of the hype himself and after found a handful of egalitarian representatives of tech industry decided to extrapolate it on the whole field and increase the degree by calling them and all alike or however connected to them Nazis. Just brilliant example of an outrageously poor "journalism", I beg for forgiveness actual journalists reading this for using the word towards this.
If not the actually interesting first half of the book this thing wouldn't be worth even finishing, let alone a review.
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- Lydia
- 10-24-18
Yikes!
Terrifying and terrifically timely.
I think that Corey and I would be pals IRL.
It is a tiny comfort to know that at least one other person has been gaping, comparably aghast, at the surreal travesty unfolding around us. Dystopia ho!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Austin Pierce
- 10-24-18
“What’s awful here?”
This book is the most cynical thing I’ve ever read. That’s not to say that its facts are inaccurate. Rather, it’s to say that it is as if the author looked at people, situations, and companies with the question “What’s awful here?“
It is a valid counterpoint to the dominant narrative. But it is not a balanced and holistic view. There is no time for any good in this book. That is not it’s purpose.
It seems that the only reason he’d mention a ray of sunshine is because there’s a hole in the ozone layer.
It’s a true story, but not a whole story.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Tim H
- 10-23-18
Riveting, brutal, and darkly hilarious at times.
Considering tech companies' level of power and influence in the world and in our lives, there is a considerable lack of scrutiny regarding their aspirations, the way they operate, and their general ethical values (or lack thereof). Individual convenience through technological progression oftentimes comes at the expense of the environment, our privacy, and the overall wellbeing of humanity--as the further commodification of cheap human labor is the oil on which many of these companies run on. There is a criminal disregard for the price we py for convenience, and it's largely minimized or flatly ignored by the media (spoiler: there's a reason for this), and the sheer pace and distractive nature of these innovations prevent us from taking a step back and really examining their implications. With hundreds of billions of dollars at their disposal and world class lobbyists on their side, the reception of the media and of governments has largely been enthusiastic approval to push forward unrestricted and at an ever accelerating pace. "Disruption", the buzzword that so much of the industry strives for and worships, is often a simple sugarcoating for unfettered capitalism.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Djene Rhys Bajalan
- 07-26-19
Depressing Good
really enjoyable romp through the valley. it ended on a depressing note regarding the future. Jeepers tech capitalism is grim.
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- Matt Lech
- 05-19-18
If you're in tech and haven't read this book...
you're probably a sucker. Pein's work is indispensable for a world finally ready to see Silicon Valley for what it is.
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5 people found this helpful