Review: More like Gutenberg the Tech Entrepreneur
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 28, 2012
Okay, so it wouldn't have quite the same punch as a title, but this Kindle Single isn't really about what made Gutenberg a geek; it's about what made him a great start-up founder. Jarvis gives the facts (as much as we can know them) of Gutenberg's story and writes that "In all, Gutenberg -- just like a modern-day startup -- depended on exploiting new efficiencies, achieving scale, reusing assets, dividing specialized labor, and setting standards." I had always pictured Gutenberg working alone and tinkering with the design of his printing press, but the author describes the business side of the story (which is quite compelling) and makes frequent comparisons to modern-day companies and entrepreneurs. At the very end, he pivots to a frequent (for Jeff Jarvis) theme of advocating for Internet freedom, which felt a little awkwardly tacked on. And speaking of awkwardly tacked on, here are two quotes I highlighted:"This was a time of change and disruption -- which is like planting season for entrepreneurs.""Don't today's entrepreneurs dream for a fraction of Gutenberg's impact? He was the inventor of history's greatest platform."A good quick read, stylistically somewhere between a Wikipedia entry and an article in WIRED.