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Founders at Work proved to be a seminal piece of work for startup founders - a lot of things have happened since it's publication such as the "supposed" demise of Web 2.0, the rise of Twitter and the advent of "augmented reality"/"web squared". If there was a volume 2, what companies do you think should be included? And who among the founder/co-founders/first employees should be covered? And why?

One company and one suggested founder/co-founder/first employee and one explanation per post please.

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You'll have to update your question to be Founders At Work 3 as 2 has likely already been sent to the publisher. Jessica Livingston said she was working on 2 at a conference over a year ago. – Rob Allen Oct 21 '09 at 1:10

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I don't know if he would be in Vol 2, but Foggy Creek and Joel would be good, not so much for what he has done with Foggy Creek, but the impact of sites such as this one, Stackoverflow and how often people seem to reference his writings. His ripple effect is much larger than just the impact from his company.

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I would hardly characterize that work as "seminal".

I am not sure we need another set of biographies of this sort. While it was interesting reading there really is not much in the way of lessons or studies that can be put in to practical use. It is just an entertaining set of interviews.

I don't think I took away any advice other than:

  • be persistent
  • expect roller coaster emotional ride
  • expect setbacks and mistakes

Some of those guys were extremely bright. Some were just plain dumb lucky. A few don't deserve to be mentioned in the same book as the others.

So I guess my answer is it really doesn't matter - I just enjoy the entertainment and hearing about other people who started companies.

Trying to follow the advice of a particular personality or company (especially after the fact) is just a waste of time in my opinion. Make your own start, make your own decisions. See the book(s) for what it is - entertainment.

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Mark Pincus from Zynga. The dude is a legend in every sense: totally passionate, down to earth, has failed and had to work hard for where he is today and meant to be a great guy. I'd love to grab beers with him.

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