Alpha Girls: The Women Upstarts Who Took on Silicon Valley's Male Culture and Made the Deals of a Lifetime

Description

'ALPHA GIRLS will be a story to make you laugh and cry. It will inspire and infuriate you. It will be a must-read for women of all ages.' - Arianna Huffington For all its trailblazing, world-shaping innovation, Silicon Valley has long been a mysterious, male-dominated world and, at its worst, a toxic environment in which to be a woman. Recent exposes have revealed sexist 'bro-cultures' at top tech companies, ranging from sexual harassment lawsuits in which women are routinely excluded from all-male ski trips to the partner at a leading VC firm who, when asked by a reporter whether there were talented females candidates on the job market, replied 'we're not prepared to lower our standards.' How is it possible that a community with such forward-looking technology, could take such a backward approach to gender relations? ALPHA GIRLS dives into this enigmatic world, going behind the scenes at Facebook, Microsoft, McAfee, Google, Tesla and more to reveal the history of Silicon Valley from the point of view of the women who have witnessed and participated in its rise to global domination of the business landscape. Julian Guthrie focuses on a small group of self-made women who, outnumbered and underestimated, helped launch the modern computer industry, and are today renowned figures in the VC world of the Valley. ALPHA GIRLS is an inspiring, groundbreaking, true story about women taking enormous risks, playing by the men's rules, juggling work and family, all the while refusing to be limited by the expectations of others. These alpha girls - as well as men in the industry - have granted Julian incredible, unprecedented access to an otherwise closed community.

JULIAN GUTHRIE spent 20 years writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, where she won numerous awards, including the Society of Professional Journalists Public Service Award and the Best of the West Award. Her writing has been nominated multiple times for the Pulitzer Prize. She is the author of three nonfiction books: The Grace of Everyday Saints, The Billionaire and the Mechanic, and How to Make a Spaceship.

A revelatory, riveting journey into a part of Silicon Valley's history that has been overshadowed for far too long. Through vivid prose and artful story-telling, Julian Guthrie brings to life the nuanced tales of the struggles and successes of women in the technology industry Julian Guthrie is a mesmerizing storyteller, weaving the life stories of four dynamic women into a page-turning yarn. We don't just read of but feel the outrageous and often clueless male slights and insults, the double standards and blatant sexism endured by women in the blustery, male-dominated world of Silicon Valley. Yet Alpha Girls leaves you awed by their resilience and their professional feats. A stirring tale of triumph An extremely important addition to the literary canon of Silicon Valley, told through the honest and specific stories of a handful of individual women. Beautifully done The women of Alpha Girls had to grow some thick skin to survive and succeed. And succeed they did. Alpha Girls will reshape how you look at women in finance. A must read for women and girls interested in changing the world The story of four women who entered the tech industry to follow their dreams and managed through hard work and creativity to make those dreams come true. I'm glad Julian has written this book; we need to tell the success stories of women in tech If you read one book about women in business, Alpha Girls should be the one. Julian Guthrie has written another dazzler Julian Guthrie is the best author writing about Silicon Valley today, and Alpha Girls is the book that the world needs right now. It's the real story behind the largest legal creation of wealth in the history of the planet. If you are a woman who works, or simply work with women, Alpha Girls is essential reading An intimate and addictive homage to the fearless female pioneers who made Silicon Valley blossom. Julian's vivid portrayals of once-hidden risk takers and mavericks will leave you heartbroken, hopeful and hungering for more