Chaos Monkeys

An NPR Best Book of the Year and a New York Times bestseller, this irreverent exposé offers a glimpse into the chaotic world of Silicon Valley from industry provocateur Antonio García Martínez, a former Twitter advisor and Facebook product manager. The narrative reveals the stark reality of Silicon Valley capitalism: investors possess more money than time, while employees have the opposite. Entrepreneurs act as the alluring intermediaries, and marketing is likened to sex—losers pay for it. García Martínez, likening tech entrepreneurs to "chaos monkeys," illustrates how they disrupt and reshape various sectors, from transportation (Uber) to dating (Tinder). After a career spanning Wall Street and his own startup, he joined Facebook's advertising team, monetizing user data for executives like Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerberg. Following a tumultuous exit amidst internal conflicts, he moved to Twitter. His colorful life included fathering two children with a stranger, committing lewd acts, and brewing illegal beer on Facebook's campus. Through humor and sharp observations, García Martínez dissects the evolution of social media, online marketing, and their pervasive influence on our lives. Chaos Monkeys exposes the antics and power dynamics of the tech industry's visionaries and opportunists, leaving readers to ponder the implications of this digital revolution.