Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start Up Bubble

Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble is a book written by American author and journalist Daniel Lyons. The book describes the author's experiences working at the software company HubSpot and offers a sharp critique of the company's management and culture.[1]

Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start Up Bubble
AuthorDaniel Lyons
SubjectHubSpot
PublisherHachette Book Group
Publication date
2016
Pages272
ISBN9780316306072

Shortly after the book was published, Lyons wrote in The New York Times that HubSpot had a "frat house" atmosphere. He also called the company a "digital sweatshop" in which workers had little job security.[2] Later that month, HubSpot's founders gave an official response to the book, in which they addressed several, but not all, of Lyons' claims.[3]

Disrupted was first published on April 5, 2016, by the Hachette Book Group.[4]

Attempted suppression

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FBI documents accessed by journalists via a freedom of information request revealed that HubSpot attempted "multiple failed attempts to manipulate and extort people” with the intention of stopping the book's publication. Trade journalist and marketing speaker Samuel Scott has a PDF version of the full, redacted FBI report available for download on his website.[5]

HubSpot executives considered the book "a financial threat to HubSpot, its share price, and the company’s future potential."[6][7][8][9][10]

Reception

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The book was favorably received with the Los Angeles Times saying that it was "the best book on the Silicon Valley".[11] Ashlee Vance, American journalist and author, said that the book was "wildly entertaining" and that it "injected a dose of sanity into a world gone mad".[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ Primack, Dan (April 16, 2016) "Why Tech Workers and Investors Should Read 'Disrupted." Forbes. (Retrieved 8-16-2016).
  2. ^ Lyons, Dan (9 April 2016). "Congratulations! You've Been Fired". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Shah, Dharmesh (12 April 2016). "Undisrupted: HubSpot's Reflections on "Disrupted"". LinkedIn.
  4. ^ "Disrupted - Hachette Book Group". www.hachettebookgroup.com. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  5. ^ Samuel Scott
  6. ^ Extortion, hacking claims sparked HubSpot investigation, FBI records show, Boston Globe, 24 March 2016.
  7. ^ beta Boston
  8. ^ My Year in Startup Hell, Dan Lyons in Fortune, April 2016
  9. ^ Woodward, Curt (2016-03-24). "Extortion, hacking claims sparked HubSpot investigation, FBI records show". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-04-12. Chief executive Brian Halligan was fined for failing to promptly alert the company's board of directors after finding out about the incident.
  10. ^ Kirsner, Scott (2015-07-30). "HubSpot CEO and CTO discuss firing of company's 'third founder' over attempts to obtain book manuscript". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-03-16. I did the math on how many days I've been a working professional. It's something like 6,250, and yesterday was the worst.
  11. ^ "'Disrupted' by Dan Lyons is the best book about Silicon Valley today. We talk to the author". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  12. ^ Chawla, Pavan R (2016-03-26). "Dan Lyons' Disrupted is 'wildly entertaining': Ashlee Vance". Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  13. ^ "Why Tech Workers and Investors Should Read 'Disrupted'". Fortune. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
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