Name: Mert's review of We Are the Nerds by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin
Item: We Are the Nerds
Rating: 3
Author: Mert

Christine Lagorio-Chafkin

'Fast-paced, packed with insight, and, above all, wonderfully entertaining, this is a must read for anyone hoping to make sense of the century ahead.' -- Ashlee Vance, bestselling author of Elon Musk 'A gripping read, and it's full of lessons for building startups and organizing communities.' -- Adam Grant, bestselling author of Originals, Give and Take, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg Reddit hails itself as 'the front page of the Internet'. It's the sixth most-visited website in the world -- and yet, millions have no idea what it is. They should be paying attention. We Are the Nerds takes readers inside this captivating, maddening enterprise, whose army of obsessed users have been credited with everything from solving crimes and spurring millions in charitable donations to seeding alt-right fury and even landing Donald Trump in the White House. Reddit has become a mirror of the Internet itself: It has dark trenches, shiny memes, malicious trolls, and a heart-warming ability to connect people across cultures, oceans, and ideological divides. This is the gripping story of how Reddit's founders, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, transformed themselves from student video-gamers into Silicon Valley millionaires as they turned their creation into an icon of the digital age. But the journey was often fraught. Reporting on Reddit for more than six years, conducting hundreds of interviews and gaining exclusive access to its founders, Christine Lagorio-Chafkin has written the definitive account of the birth and life of Reddit. Packed with revelatory details about its biggest triumphs and controversies, this inside look at Reddit includes fresh insights on the relationship between Huffman and Ohanian, staff turmoil, the tragic life of Aaron Swartz, and Reddit's struggle to become profitable. In a time when we are increasingly concerned about privacy and manipulation on social platforms, We Are the Nerds reveals Reddit's central role in the dissemination of culture and information in history's first fully digital century. Rigorously reported and highly entertaining, We Are the Nerds explores how this unique platform has changed the way we all communicate today. PRAISE FOR THE BOOK: 'Incisive, witty and brilliantly written.' - Emily Chang, bestselling author of Brotopia 'A triumph-a business book that reads like a page-turning novel' - James Ledbetter, author of One Nation Under Gold 'The best, grittiest, most accurate book yet about what it's like to build a startup and a community from scratch' -- John Zeratsky, bestselling author of Sprint and Make Time 'A gripping, entertaining book that is a must-read for every entrepreneur.' -- Daymond John, bestselling author of Rise and Grind

We Are the Nerds

Bob Wassermann

'A gripping read' Adam Grant, bestselling author of Originals Reddit hails itself as 'the front page of the Internet'. It's the sixth most-visited website in the world - and yet, millions have no idea what it is. They should be paying attention. This definitive account of the birth and life of Reddit is perfect for readers of The Everything Store, Googled and The Facebook Effect. We Are the Nerds takes readers inside this captivating, maddening enterprise, whose army of obsessed users have been credited with everything from solving crimes and spurring millions in charitable donations to seeding alt-right fury and even landing Donald Trump in the White House. Reddit has become a mirror of the Internet itself: It has dark trenches, shiny memes, malicious trolls, and a heart-warming ability to connect people across cultures, oceans, and ideological divides. This is the gripping story of how Reddit's founders, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, transformed themselves from student video-gamers into Silicon Valley millionaires as they turned their creation into an icon of the digital age. But the journey was often fraught. Reporting on Reddit for more than six years, conducting hundreds of interviews and gaining exclusive access to its founders, Christine Lagorio-Chafkin has written the definitive account of the birth and life of Reddit. Packed with revelatory details about its biggest triumphs and controversies, this inside look at Reddit includes fresh insights on the relationship between Huffman and Ohanian, staff turmoil, the tragic life of Aaron Swartz, and Reddit's struggle to become profitable. In a time when we are increasingly concerned about privacy and manipulation on social platforms, We Are the Nerds reveals Reddit's central role in the dissemination of culture and information in history's first fully digital century. Rigorously reported and highly entertaining, We Are the Nerds explores how this unique platform has changed the way we all communicate today. PRAISE FOR THE BOOK: 'Incisive, witty and brilliantly written' - Emily Chang, bestselling author of Brotopia 'A triumph - a business book that reads like a page-turning novel' - James Ledbetter, author of One Nation Under Gold 'The best, grittiest, most accurate book yet about what it's like to build a startup and a community from scratch' - John Zeratsky, bestselling author of Sprint and Make Time 'A gripping, entertaining book that is a must-read for every entrepreneur' - Daymond John, bestselling author of Rise and Grind 'Too many books on tech feel like they have been Googled together; Lagorio-Chafkin's is rich in original reportage' - TLS

The Birth and Tumultuous Life of REDDIT, the Internet’s Culture Laboratory

Mert

The book is mostly about the founders of Reddit and their private lives, not about Reddit.

Named a Best Book of 2018 by Fast Company, this is a "sharply written and brilliantly reported" (Shelf Awareness) look inside Reddit, the wildly popular, often misunderstood website that has changed the culture of the Internet. Reddit hails itself as "the front page of the Internet." It's the third most-visited website in the United States -- and yet, millions of Americans have no idea what it is. We Are the Nerds is an engrossing look deep inside this captivating, maddening enterprise, whose army of obsessed users have been credited with everything from solving cold case crimes and spurring tens of millions of dollars in charitable donations to seeding alt-right fury and landing Donald Trump in the White House. We Are the Nerds is a gripping start-up narrative: the story of how Reddit's founders, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, rose up from their suburban childhoods to become millionaires and create an icon of the digital age -- before seeing the site engulfed in controversies and nearly losing control of it for good. Based on Christine Lagorio-Chafkin's exclusive access to founders Ohanian and Huffman, We Are the Nerds is also a compelling exploration of the way we all communicate today -- and how we got here. Reddit and its users have become a mirror of the Internet: it has dingy corners, shiny memes, malicious trolls, and a sometimes heart-melting ability to connect people across cultures, oceans, and ideological divides.

The Birth and Tumultuous Life of Reddit, the Internet's Culture Laboratory

Jowanza Joseph

An entertaining and detailed account of the founding and success of Reddit.

Andy Sporring

Interesting insights of an internet startup, Reddit

A riveting look inside Reddit, the wildly popular, often misunderstood website, whose intensely-engaged users have changed the culture of the Internet--"a must-read for anyone hoping to make sense of the century ahead" (Ashlee Vance, bestselling author of Elon Musk). Reddit hails itself as "the front page of the Internet." It's the third most-visited website in the United States--and yet, millions of Americans have no idea what it is. We Are the Nerds is an engrossing look deep inside this captivating, maddening enterprise, whose army of obsessed users have been credited with everything from solving cold case crimes and spurring tens of millions of dollars in charitable donations to seeding alt-right fury and landing Donald Trump in the White House. We Are the Nerds is a gripping start-up narrative: the story of how Reddit's founders, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, rose up from their suburban childhoods to become millionaires and create an icon of the digital age--before seeing the site engulfed in controversies and nearly losing control of it for good. Based on Christine Lagorio-Chafkin's exclusive access to founders Ohanian and Huffman, We Are the Nerds is also a compelling exploration of the way we all communicate today--and how we got here. Reddit and its users have become a mirror of the Internet: it has dingy corners, shiny memes, malicious trolls, and a sometimes heart-melting ability to connect people across cultures, oceans, and ideological divides.

Sven Schmidt

The book starts with a detailed back-story of the founding of Reddit and the people behind it: Ohanian, Huffman, Slowe, Swartz, and Paul Graham. It continues to describe how Reddit and its staff evolved. There are dozens of anecdotes, both heartwarming and horrible, about stuff that happened on the platform.
The book was interesting from two angles. First, it is a fascinating founding story, and second, it provides background information to Reddit, a platform I have frequented for more than ten years, and all the events that have happened in those years.
As a bonus, it also touched on a topic that is relevant today. Are social platforms responsible for false information and the radicalization of their users?

Bob Wassermann &
We Are the Nerds by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin

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Bob Wassermann &We Are the Nerds by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin

Reviews

Join the club

Bob Wassermann &
We Are the Nerds by Christine Lagorio-Chafkin