Bit Flip: A Novel

Sam Hughes is the Chief Operating Officer of Ainetu, a tech start-up company in San Francisco, California. But what he would like most is to replace his boss, Rohan, the CEO of the company, a passive-aggressive man with a short attention span when it comes to the day-to-day business of managing a company. Unfortunately, before Sam can get rid of Rohan and take over the coveted job, he finds that he is the one out of work. His less than stellar performance at a vital conference appears to be what cost him his position in the company. Will he find a new job, or will he be able to return to Ainetu when a few things change at the company? And what does it mean to chase a dream of success in the ever-changing tech world?

Bit Flip is a wonderfully written book examining the highs and lows of the modern technological economy. I loved Sam as a character. He starts out as someone who dreams of success but has become a little jaded about the aim of modern business. And as he realizes his age of forty-five may be the upper end for someone in the industry, he wonders whether or not he should throw in the towel and return to the failing family company in Ohio. But when his fortunes turn again, he finds he is back in the game and ready to embrace the “win at all cost” motto he previously railed against. And although I laughed when Sam ends up on Preston’s cycling team, it was only for a moment before I was left thinking about the actual costs of his success.

Mike Trigg is a master of descriptive detail, which is one reason this book is so interesting, as are his characterizations and scene-building, especially those involving wheeling and dealing among the cast of executives. The scenes were well written and made me feel like an insider. I loved the underlying moral and ethical dilemmas the characters faced, especially when things didn’t always pan out the way I expected they would. This was particularly the case when Sam had important decisions to make. There were so many gray areas that created a multitude of conflicts between characters that propelled the story forward.

I found this to be a wonderful tale about modern-day capitalism and what it reveals about those willing to succeed at all costs. In addition, I loved the juxtaposition between the rural and the urban areas and those in the city itself. Overall, this story was engrossing, with all the right elements of drama, memorable characters, back story, and moral and ethical dilemmas.