Despite Case's stated desire at the start of the book, this is mostly a memoir, or at least the best parts are the parts that are memoir.

The whole thing, including memoir, is more surface than substance. A reminder of where we've all been as the internet grew into what it is today, but no insider's insights. ( )

Interesting anecdotes, stories and quips peppered throughout the book but overall not a worthwhile read for me. I disagree with much of Case's views on government involvement and policy and in places it's like he's lecturing the reader to just let the government do what it wants in order to bring about change for a better future. I read. He didn't persuade me. I didn't take away any new or exciting thoughts from the book. And I wasn't entertained either. Not even the interesting bits could pull this one above a 2 star for me ( )

Interesting read. ( )

The book is only partially about the internet; the other half is the story of AOL. Steve weaves his personal stories about his career and the history of America Online with his vision of how the internet evolved and where it is headed in the future. As someone who was involved from the beginning of the internet, he has good insight for both start-ups and existing companies on how to position themselves to succeed.

Steve was influenced by Alvin Toffler’s book of the same title which was written back 1980, well-before the internet existed. In the book, Toffler divides the stages of human development into three waves: agricultural, industrial, and information. We are now in the information age which Steve divides into his own three waves: early internet, ie AOL and dial-up; the app economy, ie Apple and Google; and the third wave, “The Internet of Things.”

While I was expecting this short book to be mostly about the internet, I didn’t mind the inclusion of the inside view of AOL and found it to be interesting listening. I remember when the Time-Warner merger happened, in retrospect a huge mistake and clash of corporate culture, and this appears to be Steve’s explanation of how and why it went wrong.

Audio production:
The narration is performed by the author, and while he does an adequate job, his voice is not as smooth or melodic as a professional reader, and the book suffers from sounding like a speech or lecture after an hour or so. Since the book was only five and a half hours long, I stuck with it because I was enjoying the content. Listen to the sample below to decide for yourself. ( )

Part business memoir, part tech forecast AOL co-founder Steve Case takes the ideas behind Alvin Toffler’s landmark book; and one of Case’s personal favorites, and gives his ideas on how entrepreneurs can bring the world into the future. Case is pretty frank on his successes and his failures and is a great speaker that is able to tell his tale with a warm and encouraging voice.

Free review copy. ( )