by Steve Case
First published 2016
Steve Case built America Online from a startup into the dominant internet service of the 1990s, connecting millions of Americans to the web for the first time. He engineered the massive AOL-Time Warner merger that created the world's largest media empire. Now Case argues that the internet enters its third major phase. The first wave connected people online through services like AOL. The second wave produced Google, Facebook, and smartphone apps that built digital experiences on top of basic connectivity. The third wave will transform traditional industries like healthcare, education, transportation, energy, and food through internet integration. Case combines memoir with business strategy, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from his entrepreneurial career while outlining what this new era demands. Success in the third wave requires different skills than previous internet booms. Companies must navigate complex relationships with established industries, regulators, and customers resistant to change. Case provides a roadmap for entrepreneurs entering this landscape and explains how emerging tech companies will reshape daily life outside Silicon Valley's traditional boundaries.
Genres: business, memoir, non-fiction, 21st-century, entrepreneurship, internet
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: entrepreneurial-journey, memoir
Setting: Silicon Valley
Period: 1990s, 21st-century
240 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster