Haha undercover kindle, I like it!
do keep us posted!
So I bought the Kindle version this morning. I have read 60 % already. Sadly, some of the stuff in it is too late for me, but I am really taking it in and a lot of the stuff he says resonates. Some of it I will take onboard, particularly the section on Respond don’t React, which is something I am apt to do. I am facing a situation at the moment when I will find that particularly helpful.
You have to overlook the many references to how well his multi millionaire empire has done (standard for these type of books, and his cockiness, which is understandable given his success at such an early age) but it is very readable and helpful actually. The part on compound interest should be read by those in their 20s and 30s, he explains it well. I wish I had read that when I was younger.
This is not a book about economics I hasten to add, it’s about life. He says he had no ghost writer, and I have no reason to doubt that, and it is concise and to the point, but not dry and boring. This book is really aimed at the Instagram generation - the ones swayed by social media and influencers, and who are comparing themselves to those people hustling on social media and who think that is the way to success. He is very scathing about the hustlers and their stronghold on millennials and the instant gratification junkies.
Some jarring bits, he talks about loneliness and how Silicon Valley has made a whole generation of people lonely, with their lack of contact, the viewing of life through a screen, consumerism, the marketing of services that just bring stuff to you etc. But I think that is perhaps in conflict with his business. I don’t actually know that much about him, but on Dragons he will be looking at pitches that are about consumerism. He has already been vocal on there about using social media to sell. So, some conflicting messages there. He is part of the problem. I have a feeling that he will become a bit of a philanthropist later. I hope so.
So, I would recommend based on the 60% read. I read a lot of self help books, and very often I reach a quarter through and abandon it. I have read a lot of his book today, so at the very least I can say that it has engaged my interest, and I am looking forward to watching Dragons more intensely from now on, to see him more in operation. I still am on the fence about him in person, but I am enjoying the read, and finding some of it very helpful.