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The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley Hardcover – February 22, 2022

by Jimmy Soni (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 807 ratings
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NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2022 BY THE NEW YORKER
National Bestseller * New York Times Editors’ Choice * Financial Times “Books to Read in 2022”
A SABEW BEST IN BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS FINALIST

“A gripping account of PayPal’s origins and a vivid portrait of the geeks and contrarians who made its meteoric rise possible” (The Wall Street Journal)—including Elon Musk, Amy Rowe Klement, Peter Thiel, Julie Anderson, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman, and many others whose stories have never been shared.

Today, PayPal’s founders and earliest employees are considered the technology industry’s most powerful network. Since leaving PayPal, they have formed, funded, and advised the leading companies of our era, including Tesla, Facebook, YouTube, SpaceX, Yelp, Palantir, and LinkedIn, among many others. As a group, they have driven twenty-first-century innovation and entrepreneurship. Their names stir passions; they’re as controversial as they are admired.

Yet for all their influence, the story of where they first started has gone largely untold. Before igniting the commercial space race or jumpstarting social media’s rise, they were the unknown creators of a scrappy online payments start-up called PayPal. In building what became one of the world’s foremost companies, they faced bruising competition, internal strife, the emergence of widespread online fraud, and the devastating dot-com bust of the 2000s. Their success was anything but certain.

In The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley, award-winning author and biographer Jimmy Soni explores PayPal’s turbulent early days. With hundreds of interviews and unprecedented access to thousands of pages of internal material, he shows how the seeds of so much of what shapes our world today—fast-scaling digital start-ups, cashless currency concepts, mobile money transfer—were planted two decades ago. He also reveals the stories of countless individuals who were left out of the front-page features and banner headlines but who were central to PayPal’s success.

Described as “an intensely magnetic chronicle” (The New York Times) and “engrossing” (Business Insider), The Founders is a story of iteration and inventiveness—the products of which have cast a long and powerful shadow over modern life. This narrative illustrates how this rare assemblage of talent came to work together and how their collaboration changed our world forever.
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  1. Print length
    496 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  4. Publication date
    February 22, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1501197266
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1501197260
  8. See all details
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  1. “A good rule of thumb is that diversity of opinion is essential anytime you don’t know anything about something important. But if there’s a strong sense of what’s right already, don’t argue about it.”
    Highlighted by 348 Kindle readers
  2. “This was one of the lessons we had about PR early on,” Nosek remembered. “It was much more important for recruiting and for perception among investors than it is about actual product adoption.”
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  3. “A lot of times,” Musk explained, “the question is harder than the answer, and if you can properly phrase the question, then the answer is the easy part.”
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From the Publisher

The Founders

The Founders

The Founders

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An intensely magnetic chronicle...[Soni] is balanced and fluid in this solo outing, making mundane projects like the creation of an online 'button,' or the dawn of CAPTCHA, somehow literary...[he] also has a knack for the wry or lovely phrase...[and] appends a coda about the power of PayPal’s 'mafia' to inspire that left this reader, at least, in sobs."
—New York Times

"A gripping account of PayPal’s origins and a vivid portrait of the geeks and contrarians who made its meteoric rise possible. His richly reported narrative includes corporate intrigue, workplace hijinks, breakthrough innovation and first-class nerdiness."
—Wall Street Journal

"Illuminating."
—Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

"Engrossing."
—Business Insider

"Spellbinding...What an achievement by Jimmy Soni in telling the essential story of PayPal, and the amazing people who made it happen."
—Forbes

“A dramatic business story about the payment’s company rise… also a human tale about [Elon] Musk, Peter Thiel, and Max Levchin before they went on to greater fame and fortune. In The Founders, Jimmy Soni captures the heady days of the dot-com bubble.”
—Reuters

"Gripping... [A]n engrossing glimpse of the PayPal mafia’s riotous early days."
—The Economist

"[An] entertaining history...Soni’s account memorably renders the personalities involved and engages with ideas about financial sovereignty, open-source technology, and the place of politics in Silicon Valley."
—The New Yorker

“A masterpiece of reporting and storytelling by a deeply intuitive writer who gained access to the most important—and elusive—minds of our generation. In The Founders, Soni has produced more than just a bona fide business thriller. He has written a book with the power to change how we see the world, and one that reminds us that America’s most beautiful instinct is to embrace original thinkers who are willing to risk everything in the name of innovation. The best book I have read in ages.”
—Robert Kurson, author of Shadow Divers and Rocket Men

“Anyone who has used the internet in the last decade will find The Founders a revealing and sometimes shocking look inside today’s tech revolution and the very human wizards who have transformed our lives—for good and ill.”
—Kati Marton, author ofThe Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel

“This is a fascinating page-turner about the brilliant and competitive innovators who created PayPal and went on to shape our digital world. The colorful cast of characters—including Thiel, Musk, Hoffman, Levchin—is amazing. Deeply reported and bracingly written, this book is an indispensable guide to modern innovation and entrepreneurship.”
—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs

“The real secrets of Silicon Valley are the tight networks of friendship and business that propel new ideas, companies, and personalities into the world. The most consequential of these networks in recent decades is the one that began at PayPal. Here Jimmy Soni delivers a startup-hustle story for the ages, revealing why their wild entrepreneurial ride did so much to build Silicon Valley’s supersized present.”
—Margaret O’Mara, author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America

“You may think you know something about the early careers of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Max Levchin, but until you read this extraordinary and meticulously reported book, you really don't. The Founders not only explains the veiled histories and inner workings of Silicon Valley’s influential ‘PayPal Mafia’—it explores the profound questions of how world-changing networks of technology, talent, and innovation come together.”
—Jon Gertner, author of The Idea Factory and The Ice at the End of the Worlda

“With this book, Soni joins the ranks of Eric Ries and Ben Horowitz as the author of a canonical must-read for all startup founders. Readers will discover not only rich characters, but unflinching and trend-proof insights into what it takes to start a company that changes history.”
—Amanda Cassatt, founder of Serotonin and former CMO of ConsenSys

"Short of getting into a time machine, it's hard to imagine how you'd get closer to capturing PayPal's rise—and understanding the lives of its creators. A brilliant book chock full of wisdom and lessons for business and life."
—Nir Eyal, bestselling author ofHooked and Indistractable

“This book is stunning in its depth and clarity, especially given the complexity of its subject matter: the intertwined early lives of some of the greatest innovators of the twenty-first century. I thought I knew most of the characters—particularly given how much they are covered in the news—but I was wrong. Jimmy Soni’s immense effort, which involved combing through 150,000 pages of emails and hundreds of interviews, unearthed not only new facts but also new layers of humanity that lie at the heart of the story. This is the rare book that combines deep research, powerful storytelling, and wit. Anyone who wants to understand how great things get built will benefit from reading it—and so will anyone who wants an inside look at brilliance.”
—Luke Burgis, author of Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life

"Soni has written a brilliant origin story—the kind you want to read. He returns to the opaque beginnings, to the time before archetypes had formed around Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. He excavates the layers of technological history, human grit, and visionary genius that converged to form a world historical company."
—Natalie Elliot, science writer and professor at St. John's College

"The only business adventure I’ve ever read that made me feel like I saw into all the main characters' brains—along with seeing what they did. An absolutely addictive read."
—Brandon Kleinman, founder of Time Capsule and Showroom

"[A] punchy origin story full of wheeling, dealing, and political machinations... Soni tells the story with novelistic verve."
—Publishers Weekly

“This deep dive into PayPal’s history will intrigue readers from the beginning. Soni, an award-winning author, had unprecedented access to Elon Musk and internal PayPal documents. Readers will be surprised by how much personalities, company culture, and people shape revolutionary innovation. Those with entrepreneurial spirits will want to add this to their reading list."
—Booklist

"A modern technology success story about the Silicon Valley innovators who developed one of the world’s largest payments companies. Combining historical detail with biographical perspective, Soni sifts through PayPal alumni to reveal the company’s origins and the risks it took to surpass both its predecessors and contemporary competition… A captivating examination of a significant consortium of tech pioneers.”
—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His newest book, The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley, was a national bestseller and received critical acclaim from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, The Economist, Financial Times, and more. His previous book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize, awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics for the best book on the history of mathematics for a general audience, and the 2019 Middleton Prize by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his daughter, Venice.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (February 22, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501197266
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501197260
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.53 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 807 ratings

About the author

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Jimmy Soni

Jimmy Soni

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Jimmy Soni is an award-winning author. His last book, A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age, won the 2017 Neumann Prize, awarded by the British Society for the History of Mathematics for the best book on the history of mathematics for a general audience, and the Middleton Prize by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). His most recent work, Jane’s Carousel, completed with the late Jane Walentas, captured one woman’s remarkable twenty-five-year journey to restore a beloved carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his daughter, Venice.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
807 global ratings
The Founders - My favorite book of the year!
5 Stars
The Founders - My favorite book of the year!
I rarely find myself compelled to write reviews, but "The Founders" by Jimmy Soni undoubtedly warrants one. This book ensnared my attention from the moment I first picked it up, and it held me captive for a week until I had devoured every page. As an individual who once nurtured aspirations of working in the tech industry, to the extent of leaving my homeland to seek a career in the heart of Silicon Valley, encountering this literary gem was nothing short of serendipitous."The Founders" masterfully unveils the curtain on the enigmatic PayPal Mafia. Within its pages, readers gain unparalleled insights into the disparate trajectories of tech titans such as Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman during their formative years. What emerges is a vivid tapestry of divergent personalities and approaches to innovation.One revelation that truly astonished me was the astute talent-spotting prowess of Peter Thiel, who, despite his inclination towards an investor's role, exhibited remarkable acumen as a CEO. The book subtly highlights the intricacies of Thiel's multifaceted character, rendering him an even more intriguing figure in the tech world's pantheon.Furthermore, "The Founders" delves into the captivating saga of how this audacious group waged an uphill battle against the formidable eBay behemoth, even as the lion's share of PayPal's revenue flowed from eBay's transactions. The book paints a compelling picture of their strategic maneuvering, highlighting the tenacity that characterized their rise.In short, "The Founders" is a literary masterpiece that chronicles the PayPal Mafia's ascent. It offers a captivating exploration of entrepreneurial ambition, individuality, and the relentless pursuit of innovation. If you're remotely interested in the dynamic world of Silicon Valley or the tales of visionaries who dare to disrupt the status quo, this book is a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration.P/S: Attached a couple of screenshots where my friends and I, geeking out over this riveting page-turner.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
Verified Purchase
I couldn’t put the book down! Jimmy Soni’s well-researched and well-written epic tale of PayPal is fascinating! Soni delves into the minutia of what it takes to get a new company off the ground from technical snafus to the ubiquitous Russian hackers. It is a must read for anyone starting a new company and anyone in banking (hint: brick and mortar banks are even more incompetent than you thought). Throughout the ups and downs and endless drama the story is riveting and deserves to become a movie. Thank you Mr. Soni! Your research and writing skills are exceptional!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
I couldn’t put the book down! Jimmy Soni’s well-researched and well-written epic tale of PayPal is fascinating! Soni delves into the minutia of what it takes to get a new company off the ground from technical snafus to the ubiquitous Russian hackers. It is a must read for anyone starting a new company and anyone in banking (hint: brick and mortar banks are even more incompetent than you thought). Throughout the ups and downs and endless drama the story is riveting and deserves to become a movie. Thank you Mr. Soni! Your research and writing skills are exceptional!
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2 people found this helpful
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Brand Neeew
4.0 out of 5 stars A Rocket Ship of A Story!
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
By the time you put this book down, your adrenaline will be pumping. You’ll be looking to raise funds the following day to start your business 😀.

This is probably the most in-depth story on PayPal that exists so far. And man isn’t it detailed. Jimmy goes through the broader company story and looks at the nuances that go into building something new as a team for the first time.

Max, Thiel, Musk & the team are scrappy folks. And their success is absolutely well earned. You get a first-hand seat in learning critical lessons in:

•Product management
•Product/market fit
•Repeated pivoting
•Fundraising
•Team dynamics
•Board room machinations
•Facing off the competition
•Brand management
•Staying lean and avoiding organizational bloat

It is a highly recommended reading for entrepreneurs looking to learn significant lessons from a scrappy team that made it big in a cutthroat world.
7 people found this helpful
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Chinhau
5.0 out of 5 stars The Founders - My favorite book of the year!
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2023
Verified Purchase
I rarely find myself compelled to write reviews, but "The Founders" by Jimmy Soni undoubtedly warrants one. This book ensnared my attention from the moment I first picked it up, and it held me captive for a week until I had devoured every page. As an individual who once nurtured aspirations of working in the tech industry, to the extent of leaving my homeland to seek a career in the heart of Silicon Valley, encountering this literary gem was nothing short of serendipitous.

"The Founders" masterfully unveils the curtain on the enigmatic PayPal Mafia. Within its pages, readers gain unparalleled insights into the disparate trajectories of tech titans such as Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman during their formative years. What emerges is a vivid tapestry of divergent personalities and approaches to innovation.

One revelation that truly astonished me was the astute talent-spotting prowess of Peter Thiel, who, despite his inclination towards an investor's role, exhibited remarkable acumen as a CEO. The book subtly highlights the intricacies of Thiel's multifaceted character, rendering him an even more intriguing figure in the tech world's pantheon.

Furthermore, "The Founders" delves into the captivating saga of how this audacious group waged an uphill battle against the formidable eBay behemoth, even as the lion's share of PayPal's revenue flowed from eBay's transactions. The book paints a compelling picture of their strategic maneuvering, highlighting the tenacity that characterized their rise.

In short, "The Founders" is a literary masterpiece that chronicles the PayPal Mafia's ascent. It offers a captivating exploration of entrepreneurial ambition, individuality, and the relentless pursuit of innovation. If you're remotely interested in the dynamic world of Silicon Valley or the tales of visionaries who dare to disrupt the status quo, this book is a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration.

P/S: Attached a couple of screenshots where my friends and I, geeking out over this riveting page-turner.
Customer image
Chinhau
5.0 out of 5 stars The Founders - My favorite book of the year!
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2023
I rarely find myself compelled to write reviews, but "The Founders" by Jimmy Soni undoubtedly warrants one. This book ensnared my attention from the moment I first picked it up, and it held me captive for a week until I had devoured every page. As an individual who once nurtured aspirations of working in the tech industry, to the extent of leaving my homeland to seek a career in the heart of Silicon Valley, encountering this literary gem was nothing short of serendipitous.

"The Founders" masterfully unveils the curtain on the enigmatic PayPal Mafia. Within its pages, readers gain unparalleled insights into the disparate trajectories of tech titans such as Elon Musk, Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman during their formative years. What emerges is a vivid tapestry of divergent personalities and approaches to innovation.

One revelation that truly astonished me was the astute talent-spotting prowess of Peter Thiel, who, despite his inclination towards an investor's role, exhibited remarkable acumen as a CEO. The book subtly highlights the intricacies of Thiel's multifaceted character, rendering him an even more intriguing figure in the tech world's pantheon.

Furthermore, "The Founders" delves into the captivating saga of how this audacious group waged an uphill battle against the formidable eBay behemoth, even as the lion's share of PayPal's revenue flowed from eBay's transactions. The book paints a compelling picture of their strategic maneuvering, highlighting the tenacity that characterized their rise.

In short, "The Founders" is a literary masterpiece that chronicles the PayPal Mafia's ascent. It offers a captivating exploration of entrepreneurial ambition, individuality, and the relentless pursuit of innovation. If you're remotely interested in the dynamic world of Silicon Valley or the tales of visionaries who dare to disrupt the status quo, this book is a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration.

P/S: Attached a couple of screenshots where my friends and I, geeking out over this riveting page-turner.
Images in this review
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2 people found this helpful
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CR
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a book to read more than once!
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book has grit, depth, insight and even some humor; I could nor put it down and I could write an essay describing how captivating, illustrative and engaging it is. With prose that is elegant and stimulating Mr. Soni brings to the reader the phenomenal history of PayPal. I highly recommend this book to all readers and specially to high schoolers and college students. To Mr. Soni I say thank you, congratulations and can’t wait for the next one!
2 people found this helpful
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Kevin Currie
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and important read about the Paypal mafia
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is one of the best books I have read in recent years. It is impressively researched--the author was given interviews by all the big Paypal mafia names you've heard before (Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, Reid Hoffman) and many more you probably haven't, but who played vital roles in the early days of the company. The author also had access to old emails, documents, and other sources which reveal tons of little-known and even previously unknown stories and anecdotes.

If you're an entrepreneur, business student, or anyone interested in the topic of internet history, early internet services companies, what tech startups were really like around the dot com bubble, or even just interested in the characters involved, I highly recommend you read this book.
10 people found this helpful
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Kevin H
4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable history of PayPal
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
A good read to find out about the history of PayPal. Liked the book as it's quite well researched across many actors (this does mean female and male...) in the story that brought the worlds first internet based payments company to life. Quite a wild story full of ups an drowns and lots of players who made this the company it was.
One person found this helpful
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Bryan Wish
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent piece of art
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
Jimmy really outdid himself on this book. 5+ years, hundreds of interviews, and an incredibly inspiring story. As a founder, it reinforced recruiting and the importance in the early days of silicon valley and the relentless nature it takes to build a special company. The impact and value of this book is very real and it's polished with incredible writing to not only make it enjoyable, but educational as well.
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Top reviews from other countries

D
5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched and inspirational
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
It’s obvious from the first pages that the author put a lot of work into research for this book. It’s likely the best book that will ever be written about the history of PayPal.
I found the while story truly inspiring and found myself many times reaching for my phone to read one more chapter instead of scrolling on other apps.
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Ado
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book with so many insights
Reviewed in Germany on July 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book is so fun to read. It tells you the story of the "paypal mafia" and how they are the foundation for everything what came after. A must read if you are a tech founder!
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Henric Storm
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read so far
Reviewed in Sweden on January 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
Have just started reading. But only a few pages in I can tell this is going to be a really good book
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Ankur Jindal
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down
Reviewed in India on September 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
The time, the people, the issues have all been captured brilliantly making it a great read. Every page and chapter unfolds a fascinating series of events culminating in the creation of a groundbreaking product. Truly inspiring and awe-striking.
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Ankur Jindal
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down
Reviewed in India on September 18, 2022
The time, the people, the issues have all been captured brilliantly making it a great read. Every page and chapter unfolds a fascinating series of events culminating in the creation of a groundbreaking product. Truly inspiring and awe-striking.
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Antonio
5.0 out of 5 stars A page turner
Reviewed in Spain on April 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
Great story telling and a fabulous insight into Paypal’s early years and up to the merger with eBay. Soni turns the book into an absolute page-turner and gives a clear picture of the work ethic (or work obsession) at the company.
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