Stealing MySpace
The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America

Name: Stealing MySpace
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3 (1 reviews)
Author: Julia Angwin
ISBN: 9781483051635

Author: Julia Angwin

Narrator: Richard Powers

Unabridged: 11 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 03/17/2009

Categories: Nonfiction, Business & Economics

Synopsis

This is the story of MySpace, a powerhouse Internet company that rose from humble beginnings to become nothing less than one of the centerpieces of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. No one would have predicted that this company—barely funded, technologically inept, conceptually derivative, and driven by rivalries—would morph into the biggest Internet site in the world. This fascinating and surprising story includes all the elements of a great business narrative: obsessive characters, relentless and unlikely innovation, and dizzying backroom deal-making—all centered around an epic battle for control.Acclaimed journalist Julia Angwin delivers a savvy, smart account reminiscent of Kurt Eichenwald and Barbarians at the Gate.

About Julia Angwin

Julia Angwin is an award-winning journalist at the Wall Street Journal, where she has been writing about the convergence of technology and media for six years. She lives in New York City.

About Richard Powers

Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Overstory, and Bewilderment was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ryan on July 05, 2012

A friend who works at YouTube recommended this because he said it was a good example of the differences between the start-up cultures in Los Angeles and the Silicon Valley. He was right and I'm glad I read it. The differences he referred to are going to become important as these kinds of companies b......more

Goodreads review by Roy on December 26, 2009

I’ve read a bunch of corporate biographies, most are informative and surprising, and all have given me a greater understanding of how the modern business world works. Corporations have a life cycle (an origination story, development, maturity, etc) which gives them a narrative similar to a person. T......more

Quotes

“Overall, you needn’t know a portal from a platform to follow this sprawling, rollicking Internet history.” New York Times

“Meticulous and engaging…sparkles as a boardroom page-turner.” Washington Post

“A well-written, entertaining and drama-filled chronicle…This engrossing look at how MySpace became a media powerhouse will find a solid audience of business history, technology, and entrepreneurship readers.” Publishers Weekly

“The first and only business history thus far of MySpace, this outstanding title is highly recommended.” Library Journal