• Becoming Facebook

  • The 10 Challenges That Defined the Company That's Disrupting the World
  • By: Mike Hoefflinger
  • Narrated by: Nicholas Techosky
  • Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (88 ratings)

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Becoming Facebook  By  cover art

Becoming Facebook

By: Mike Hoefflinger
Narrated by: Nicholas Techosky
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Publisher's summary

Facebook's founding is legend: In a Harvard dorm, wunderkind Mark Zuckerberg invented a new way to connect with friends...and the rest is history. But for the people who actually molded this great idea into a game-changing $300 billion company, the experience was far more tumultuous and uncertain than we might expect.

Mike Hoefflinger was one of those Facebook insiders. As a computer engineer turned marketing innovator who worked with COO Sheryl Sandberg, Hoefflinger had a front-row seat to the company's growing pains, stumbles, and reinventions.

Becoming Facebook tells the coming-of-age story of the now venerable giant. Filled with insights and anecdotes from crises averted and challenges solved, the book tracks the company's development, uncovering lessons learned on its way to greatness:

  • How Facebook recovered from its "disastrous" IPO
  • How the growth team achieved the impossible
  • Why Facebook's News Feed ads were the company's most important business decision ever
  • How Google+ attacked and lost
  • Why - and how - Instagram and WhatsApp were added to the mix
  • What the company does to win the talent wars
  • What makes Zuckerberg, Sandberg, Cox, and other A-teamers tick
  • Which products and technical advancements are on the horizon and why
  • And much more

Intimate, fast paced, and deeply informative, Becoming Facebook shares the true story of how Zuckerberg joined the ranks of iconic CEOs like Steve Jobs, Larry Page, and Jeff Bezos - as Facebook grows up, overcomes setbacks, and works to connect the world.

©2017 Mike Hoefflinger (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Becoming Facebook

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

mainly a tribute to the success of FB

didn't really like it compared to similar books, too much of just complementing facebook on its achievements and not really managing to extract true insights about the rise of the company.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great insight on Facebook

Great if you want to learn about Facebook but not if you want insight about Mark Zuckerberg life

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Shallow disgusting worshiping of Mark Zuckerberg

Some interesting bits, but overall this book made me cringe with its shamess flatterring and worshiping of Facebook leaders with no reasons. Sounds like an over excited promoter. I'd suggest the author go read "The everything store" about Amazon for an example of how to tell a compelling truthful story. Sad!!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great history

Very inspirational history for entrepeneurs and tech lovers. strongly suggest it to anyone. Thanks to the author.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Facebook pitch, instead of an insightful material.

Too bad that this could have been an inspiring material that could have painted the objective picture from the inside out and outside in.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Facebook PR

I struggled to finish. If I could have returned it after 30 minutes of listening for a new book I would have.

Touts facts and figures about why Facebook is so great. No narrative. Minimal honest analysis or real struggle. The focus is on FB, not how the reader can learn from or be inspired in his or her own pursuits by the FB story. Yawn.

Outside authors can be critical and honest, and inside authors at the very top can reveal unique perspectives. This book did neither. It felt like the author feared compromising his FB relationships.

I've just read How Google Works, an Elon Musk bio, an Ali Baba book, and the Everything Store about Jeff Bezos-- all were much better.

If you are interviewing with FB, competing with FB, or doing business with FB, read this book for insights about what FB might want others to think about FB. Otherwise, there are much better uses of your finite time on earth.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A lot of good history and strategy!

Some of the story did not transfer well to audio. Got the kindle version too to help me navigate!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Promo book

Most of material are promotional opinion and no much facts. Opinion is very bias and no negative points.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read for any entrepreneur that believes in continuous improvement.

Highly, highly recommend. The ground floor insights shared were extremely refreshing to hear, for me, as an entrepreneur who faces the daily complexities of a growth driven business. It made me feel 'not alone'. Also, the deep rooted and behind the scenes business perspectives are fascinating. There personal accounts of those that drove the business forward and how addressed them are fascinating. Also, the book is a laser beam into the business decisions they believed mattered most in order to achieve their goals; addressing the fragile and complex topic of gaining and keeping customers in the new economy of business; being razor sharp clear on what they believed were the right products and services to deliver to their target market.

Personally, the most value for me was to read about how Facebook was rooted in purposeful tenacity to go after the vision.

Pick up the book, you won't regret it 😃

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