Disrupt or Die: What the World Needs to Learn from Silicon Valley to Survive the Digital Era Paperback – September 29, 2017

This book answers a few questions: How do you predict innovation? How can you tell if it's worthwhile? What do you do with an idea once you have a good one?The book starts out by pointing out how ordinary many of the ideas were that started great companies, using examples like Snap and Google. It then goes on to catalog all the different ways that innovation has been predictable and repeatable. There are a lot of them. For instance, it shows the huge branch of companies that followed Salesforce.com into the SaaS space. And it shows another branch of how China is copying US apps. And now the US is copying China's apps. It shows how companies transfer a technology concept from one area and copy it across multiple other areas. And it definitely shows why Silicon Valley is creating so many great technology companies.This book gives way more insight into innovation than books like The Innovator's Dilemma, which only provides a general suggestion to create a separate organization with "independent resource allocation." The book argues that CEOs need to be responsible for innovation and be the "defacto" CTO, PM and head of UXD for their companies, following the example of technology leaders like Job, Musk, Zuckerberg, etc.Since I have an engineering background, I wish the book was a bit more technical. It only covers technology at a surface, layman level. I know that a technical deep dive might be a little dry for some readers, but I wanted more out of sections that covered systems design and AI algorithms. There's also less academic research in the book than say, a Jim Collins book. But in a way, it makes the book more honest. Instead of having a viewpoint supported by confirming data, the book just puts forward its ideas on their own merit. At least the author has actually invented "billion dollar" software products.Overall, it's an inspiring book for innovators at small or large companies and worth reading to understand how software is changing the world around us.

A Silicon Valley Insider's perspective/review - having done enterprise technology deals with virtually all the technology companies mentioned in Jedidiah Yueh's new book "Disrupt or Die: What the World Needs to Learn from Silicon Valley to Survive the Digital Era" probably makes me more vested than the average reader. Having said that, the stories contained in the book regarding the origins of some of the most dominant companies in the digital era would stand alone as a riveting history of these technology giants (or Appzillas as Jedidiah calls them). It is both entertaining and educational when Jedidiah recalls the history of such companies such as Facebook. He is very purposeful in why he highlights the founding of Facebook and gives the reader a clear view into Jedidiah's mind, integrity and value system as a leader.As I was reading the book, it dawned on me that Jedidah was disrupting the "business management" book genre. Jim Collins' classic leadership book "Good to Great" and other genre defining books for their time such as Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point" and books and articles by Peter Drucker were seminal for their time but Jedidiah writes a very compelling argument that while the "Good to Great" generation was defined by a "Level 5 - humble servant leader" the current technology titans have anything but the qualities outlined in Collin's book.The disruptive aspect that Jedidiah brings to the genre is that he is has woven practical and actionable advice in addition to his leadership insights all throughout the book. He gives the reader all of the frameworks he used for success and personalizes in such a way that you are with him as he recalls building Avamar (sold to EMC for $165 million in cash) and Delphix (where he is founder and Chairman). He takes you through the journeys of founders and their companies (Bezos-Amazon, Brin/Page-Alphabet, Jobs-Apple to name a few). Jedidiah explains his views on the transition from the "humble servant leader" of the "Good to Great" era to what three traits are a requirement for the technology innovation leader of today and tomorrow. (you will need to read the book to see what the three traits are). The books is well written and concise with a logical layout which can be used to actually build real products (any product not just technology).Jedidiah has an authentic voice in his writing style and pulls no punches. Readers make be taken aback that he actually contradicts many of the popular innovation methodologies that have been embraced in recent years. He skewers "the Lean Startup Method" as well as the "Innovator's Dilemma" but he takes the time to explain why those methods have limited utility but also why relying them alone often ends in failure giving example after example along the way.True to form, after giving you all of his frameworks and insights, he ends the book with his own altruistic call to action. Seeking hope for the next generation of innovation leaders.

A very insightful book on the need to define a clear approach to digital strategies in order to and thrive in the digital era.

What a great read! “Disrupt or Die” provides practical advice for aspiring tech entrepreneurs and seasoned leaders alike within a dialogue that delivers so much more. Yueh, a serial tech entrepreneur with a non-tech background, takes complex and challenging concepts and distills them into easily digestible frameworks. This book helps frame what we have seen with technology disruption in Silicon Valley, especially over the last decade.Yueh mixes personal stories with those of tech titans lore to deliver an engaging, page-turning experience. He challenges perspectives of renowned authors, including James Collins (“Good to Great”) and Nassib Taleb (“The Black Swan”), while also challenging the reader to rethink accepting traditional business advice in a world where that is not sufficient. He uses some of the biggest companies in the world (Apple, Alphabet, Apple) to repeatedly illustrate the important of products and ideas in building great companies.This book is highly recommended, is an easy read and will change the way you view the digital era.

This book provides a great insight into the cyclone of innovation that is centred on Silicon Valley. Jed Yueh - quite a clever lad who has been there, done it and sports the digital T-shirt to prove it (as well as a bob or two), provides a sometimes scathing insight into the characters of the Valley who have helped to feed the vortex of digital creativity. I found the book an easy read, with some very interesting anecdotes but then having worked for some of the companies owned by the characters he mentions, I might be pre-disposed with an eagerness hear the "insider" stories. He nicely weaves the story of the two companies that he created (Avamar and Delphix) into his entreaty to his readers to find the value seam and leverage the easiest time ever to build a billion dollar enterprise and warning to ageing dinosaur businesses that they need to pull their finger out, stop dancing around their management meetings and get on and go digital. Perhaps, preferably, leveraging some of the technology that he helped to create to get that particular job done quickly. In the age of enlightenment innovation happened at a snails pace, with slow hunches incubating over years before colliding in coffeehouses or in commonplace books (see Steven Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From). Even Tim Berners-Lee's idea took ten years to mature, before precipitating the current digital era, where hunches collide at lightning speed as innovation accelerates towards an out of control artificial intelligence, as Yueh warns at the end of his book. The glossary of what appear to be Jed-isms is genius.Note: I'm slightly biased as I work for Delphix but would find this an interesting read all the same.

Mr Jed, Thanks for sharing your insights in the book, would surely use as guiding light in whatever I do. One thing I enjoyed the most the personal touch, it seems as If someone is talking to you rather you reading it. It is an absolute privilege to go through line-by-line; page-by-page and beat-by-beat the valuable experiences that you have brought in this book. It would be my top pick of recommended references for anyone and everyone who want to thrive or even for that matter survive in DIGITAL ERA. A Must READ for anyone who wants to know the profound realties of digital era explained in much simpler way in a truly artistic fashion, Great one Mr Jed, more power to you & best wishes.

A fantastic read of how the innovator and the surrounding factors combine for success, once you know where to look! Take notes. This is a text book to innovative thinking!

I really enjoyed reading 'Disrupt or Die' by Jedidiah Yueh. As a technology industry expert myself, I am familiar with the world of technology and this book gave me a fresh perspective. This book really articulates the dynamics, trends and shifts happening in technology right now; it makes it super easy to understand what is changing in tech and what organisations should do to prepare. The style is equally enjoyable and makes it easy to read the entire book with ease. Thanks Jedidiah for this great book! Perrine

If you want to have perspective about the ever changing technology world from an entrepreneur, this book is must read.