Troublemakers: Silicon Valley’s Coming of Age

Silicon Valley is a place of dreams. The bulk of the literature regarding the pioneers of this magical place herald Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Troublemakers touches on some illuminating personages. Robert Taylor previously worked with the Pentagon assisting with the construction of the Arpanet in 1969, and he would eventually work at Xerox working on a personal computer. Al Alcorn would make a mark developing the video game market at Atari. Niels Reimers labored at Stanford where he oversaw licensing inventions. Mike Markkula made a fortune to retire on at Intel, but his name would be made at Apple, urging on the work of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Sandra Kurtzig would make her mark in the software world, becoming head of a multi-million dollar company. Fawn Alvarez would work from the ground up at her mother’s company, ROLM Corporation, all the while crashing through glass ceilings. The paths of all the subjects would meet hurdles, whether cultural, personal, or financial, but the trip would be rewarding and important.

Troublemakers is a historical biography telling multiple stories that intrigue and entertain. The lives written about all carry their own endearing traits–some are stubborn, some are brave. The inventions and innovations resonate to this very day. The Silicon Valley story is as much about the people as about their creations. A solid effort worth picking up.