Rating: 
Summary: Expected so much more, but still an ok history of Intel
Review: This book is ok. Good, but I was disappointed. Why? Because I feel it could have been just so much more and rich in history and anecdotes with less dry (and uninteresting) technical background. Intel's the world's largest processor company. Exceptionally dynamic and with high tech, cutting edge resources (people). More important, it's a look into the future. I thought reading this work would provide a privileged insight into this modern day paradigm of manufacturing and management. It was just ok. Good, but for all that we hear of Intel and see of its present day market dominance, I couldn't help but feel that so many pages just didn't do it justice. Bottom line: author Jackson could've provided much more content in the pages he used.
Rating:
Summary: a so-so book about an extraordinary company
Review: This book provides some interesting and many uninteresting details about Intel's history. Though well-researched, it is of little educational value and reads more like a soap opera. Worst of all, unlike what the title would suggest, the book discusses Andy Grove very little and provides few insights into the reasons for success of Intel. In fact, much of the book is dedicated to Intel's petty & vindictive spats with former employees.
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging, with a nice sharp edge
Review: This is a highly engaging book. As a former Intel customer, now in recovery, I feel that this book can give the general audience an authentic taste both of the history of ingenuity and energy inside Intel, and of their sometimes incredible and insufferable arrogance. I especially appreciated the enlightening and lively accounts of Dov Frohman's discovery and exploitation of floating gate technology for EPROMs, and of Tim May's discovery of alpha particle-induced errors. It is unfortunate that Jackson did not relate the Intel / Nippon Steel flash memory production fiasco. This might easily rank #2 (behind Pentium FDIV) on the arrogance-toward-customers list, and is a pile of muck very ripe for a good raking. The book seems nearly deserving of a 10, but some history, particularly from the 8008 and 8080 eras, did not quite match my recollection, and might have benefitted from more extensive fact-checking.
Rating:
Summary: For Chip Heads Only
Review: This is an insightful book about the beginnings of the chip industry, and Intel's rise to dominate it. Jackson seems fair in his asessments about the company and its personalities, maybe a little too fair. I had expected a bit more muckraking. That Andy Grove is a workaholic slavedriver is no great revelation. Its a good book for people like me, who love hearing how the Z80 chip came about, but theres nothing much here for general readers. Unless you love technology and the computer business, you'd be advised to skip this one. If you are a tech-lover, this is a solid, but unspectacular effort.
Rating:
Summary: Ok.
Review: This isn't the best Silicon Valley book I've read, but it does explain the company quite well. It's a little too technical for my feeble mind in certain chapters. I would have preferred a little more on the factors leading to the "mellowing" of Andy Grove, besides the cancer scare. Interesting reading about AMD, they still can't seem to get it together.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliantly clear chronicle of founding of Intel Corporation
Review: Tim Jackson has pieced together a masterfully clear and educational story of Intel's evolution. In the early chapters, Jackson discusses the early leadership decisions (e.g., to assign Grove to Operations and Noyce & Moore to strategy, marketing, and R&D). Jackson follows the evolution of these early decisions through to the present while highlighting critical trajectory changing events. For example, when Noyce initially invited Roger Borovoy to join Intel as legal counsel, Borovoy declined joking that Intel wouldn't need a lawyer of his caliber for some time. Borovoy eventually accepted the offer three years after the company had its IPO and stayed with the company for eight years. The excellence in Jackson writing is seen later when he attributes Borovoy's departure to a Grove's decision to have only four people report to him and assigning Borovoy to report to Larry Hootnick instead of directly to him. Disgruntled (and rightly so, considering how much money the legal dept made for the company) Borovoy left to pursue other opportunities. In regards to other customer comments to the effect that Jackson does not try to be objective!? Inside Intel is not a technical specifications manual - Inside Intel chronicles the history of the PC CPU chip, how Intel almost single handedly shaped that history and the inside story of how it all came to be... An excellent work by Jackson!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly clear rendition of the Intel Corporation
Review: Tim Jackson has produced a masterfully clearly and actionable rendition of Intel's evolution. In the early chapters, Jackson paints a tangible picture of the early leadership decisions (e.g., decision to assign Grove to Operations and Noyce & Moore to strategy, marketing, and R&D). Jackson effectively follows the evolution of these early decisions through to present while highlighting critical trajectory changing events along the way. For example, when Bob Noyce initially invited Roger Borovoy to join Intel as legal counsel, Borovoy declined joking that Intel wouldn't need a lawyer of his horsepower for some time. Borovoy eventually accepted the offer three years after the company went IPO and stayed with Intel for eight years. The excellence in Jackson writing is seen later when he attributes Borovoy's departure to a Grove's decision to have three or four people reporting to him. Borovoy was asked to report to Larry Hootnick instead of directly to Grove. Borovoy left as the result. Excellent development of critical decision threads over Intel's evolution! In regards other Amazonian comments to the effect that Jackson does not try to be objective!!!? What book WOULD be interesting if it was objective! We are not reading technical specifications. This book is about history and how Intel shaped it! I think Jackson did this Tim Jackson has produced a masterfully clearly and actionable rendition of Intel's evolution. In the early chapters, Jackson paints a tangible picture of the early leadership decisions (e.g., decision to assign Grove to Operations and Noyce & Moore to strategy, marketing, and R&D). Jackson effectively follows the evolution of these early decisions through to present while highlighting critical trajectory changing events along the way. For example, when Bob Noyce initially invited Roger Borovoy to join Intel as legal counsel, Borovoy declined joking that Intel wouldn't need a lawyer of his horsepower for some time. Borovoy eventually accepted the offer three years after the company went IPO and stayed with Intel for eight years. The excellence in Jackson writing is seen later when he attributes Borovoy's departure to a Grove's decision to have three or four people reporting to him. Borovoy was asked to report to Larry Hootnick instead of directly to Grove. Borovoy left as the result. Excellent development of critical decision threads over Intel's evolution! In regards other Amazonian comments to the effect that Jackson does not try to be objective!!!? What book WOULD be interesting if it was objective! We are not reading technical specifications. This book is about history and how Intel shaped it! I think Jackson did this brilliantly clearly!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly clear rendition of the Intel Corporation
Review: Tim Jackson has produced a masterfully clearly and actionable rendition of Intel's evolution. In the early chapters, Jackson paints a tangible picture of the early leadership decisions (e.g., decision to assign Grove to Operations and Noyce & Moore to strategy, marketing, and R&D). Jackson effectively follows the evolution of these early decisions through to present while highlighting critical trajectory changing events along the way. For example, when Bob Noyce initially invited Roger Borovoy to join Intel as legal counsel, Borovoy declined joking that Intel wouldn't need a lawyer of his horsepower for some time. Borovoy eventually accepted the offer three years after the company went IPO and stayed with Intel for eight years. The excellence in Jackson writing is seen later when he attributes Borovoy's departure to a Grove's decision to have three or four people reporting to him. Borovoy was asked to report to Larry Hootnick instead of directly to Grove. Borovoy left as the result. Excellent development of critical decision threads over Intel's evolution! In regards other Amazonian comments to the effect that Jackson does not try to be objective!!!? What book WOULD be interesting if it was objective! We are not reading technical specifications. This book is about history and how Intel shaped it! I think Jackson did this Tim Jackson has produced a masterfully clearly and actionable rendition of Intel's evolution. In the early chapters, Jackson paints a tangible picture of the early leadership decisions (e.g., decision to assign Grove to Operations and Noyce & Moore to strategy, marketing, and R&D). Jackson effectively follows the evolution of these early decisions through to present while highlighting critical trajectory changing events along the way. For example, when Bob Noyce initially invited Roger Borovoy to join Intel as legal counsel, Borovoy declined joking that Intel wouldn't need a lawyer of his horsepower for some time. Borovoy eventually accepted the offer three years after the company went IPO and stayed with Intel for eight years. The excellence in Jackson writing is seen later when he attributes Borovoy's departure to a Grove's decision to have three or four people reporting to him. Borovoy was asked to report to Larry Hootnick instead of directly to Grove. Borovoy left as the result. Excellent development of critical decision threads over Intel's evolution! In regards other Amazonian comments to the effect that Jackson does not try to be objective!!!? What book WOULD be interesting if it was objective! We are not reading technical specifications. This book is about history and how Intel shaped it! I think Jackson did this brilliantly clearly!
Rating:
Summary: Fair and Balance reporting. Great Motivational stories!
Review: unlike most books on corporate america or stories about how exceptional american, against all odds, achieved exceptional things, this book did not do the typical left wing liberal spin to curse corporate america or give the same old same old "capitalism is evil" speech. the narratives detailed how a group of americans, in particular Noyce, Moore and Grove, took risk and boldly "go out and do something" (to quote Noyce) which eventually created wealth for himself/herself, for the employees and for many many people around the world (intel's employees and investors locate all over the world). these are people who in Anthony Robbins' definition as people who made positive difference in a lot of peoples' life. great book, extremely motivating. five star.
Rating:
Summary: Nice book!
Review: Very nice book about the semiconductor industry.
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