It spread almost entirely by word of mouth. More than a year after its publication, in November 1999, the early news coverage about the book appeared in Fortune Magazine, and in January 2000 in The Washington Post and New York Magazine.
Later articles deal more with change in people's personal lives.
The book first appeared as a bestseller in business publications like Business Week and The Wall Street Journal. Later, word reached the general public and became a general nonfiction bestseller.