Twenty super cool science and technology books

God Translation Bureau is a compilation team under 36Kr, focusing on fields such as technology, business, workplace, and life, and mainly introducing new technologies, new ideas, and new trends abroad.

Editor's note: These 20 books in this article tell the stories behind the technology industry and large technology companies. This article is from a compilation, and we hope it will inspire you.

1. The Soul of a New Machine

（The Soul of a New Machine）

Author: Tracy Kidder

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This book won the Pulitzer Prize, and it truly deserves it. Neither technology practitioners nor those who are curious about how technology reshapes our lives should miss it. First published in 1981, this book reveals the internal operations of Data General in the 1970s when the company was struggling to design and launch the next - generation microcomputer. Kidder vividly depicts the conflicts between management and creative personnel and weaves a seemingly boring topic into a fascinating and fluctuating story. He analyzes that engineers are constantly tense under high pressure, new employees are eager to participate in important tasks, and management is bent on promoting grand plans. For those unsung heroes who made great sacrifices to build the new machine, this book is undoubtedly prescient about the danger of burnout.

2. Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World

（Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World）

Author: Naomi Klein

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On the surface, this engaging book tells how people confused Naomi Klein with her namesake, Naomi Wolf. Klein is a left - wing journalist and climate activist, while Wolf was a third - wave feminist. This book is challenging and sometimes frustrating to read, but it is an important work that exposes the absurdity of capitalism and the role of social media in fueling a narcissistic culture with almost brutal honesty.

3. Steve Jobs

（Steve Jobs）

Author: Walter Isaacson

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Nineteen days after the death of Steve Jobs, the co - founder of Apple, this amazing biography delves into his life and, to some extent, explains his immortality. Isaacson was personally selected by Jobs, and Jobs gave him more than 40 interviews. Reportedly, he had no control over the final editing. Jobs' strong passion and ambition enabled him to successfully combine creativity with technological innovation and market it to the public. This is an easy - to - understand book without too much technical jargon. It vividly depicts the rise of Apple and Pixar, as well as the development of the Mac, iTunes, iPhone, and iPad. Although this book can be contradictory at times, Jobs' cold - heartedness is fully exposed in it, and anyone interested in him must read it.

4. So You've Been Publicly Shamed

（So You've Been Publicly Shamed）

Author: Jon Ronson

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Ronson deeply reveals the dark side of online groupthink in this book. He not only analyzes the underlying reasons behind online events but also exposes how online violence can destroy real lives. This engaging book dissects how social media has transformed "shaming" into a powerful new tool for social control and its far - reaching impact.

5. In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives

（In the Plex： How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives）

Author: Steven Levy

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Although Google has a huge influence and its name has become a synonym for search, most of us know little about its internal operations. If you want to change that, this book is the best choice. Author Levy was able to gain in - depth insights into what makes Google tick, what drives the company's successful expansion into new fields, and how the company and its products have changed the world. If you want to know more, the book How Google Works co - written by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg provides some insights into the company's management.

6. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

（Bad Blood Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup）

Author: John Carreyrou

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Noble goals and raw ambition are highly praised in the tech world and often attract honors and investments, but what if a project goes wrong? Based on The Wall Street Journal reporter Carreyrou's shocking expose of the blood - testing company Theranos, this book tells the story of charismatic Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes' attempt to build a blood - testing machine to eliminate the need for hypodermic needles and promise accurate tests with just one or two drops of blood from a finger prick, but it ultimately failed. Although the company raised hundreds of millions of dollars, its technology was very inaccurate. Instead of admitting failure, the company continued, which is why Holmes was tried for fraud and sentenced to 11 years in prison. This book highlights the danger of the popular "fake it till you make it" approach. Before its spectacular collapse, Theranos had a book value of $9 billion and more than 800 employees.

7. You Look Like a Thing and I Love You

（You Look Like a Thing and I Love You）

Author: Janelle Shane

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Anyone with a passing interest in artificial intelligence will enjoy this book as it delves into machine - learning algorithms and their limitations in an accessible, engaging, and humorous way. Shane, the research scientist behind the funny AI Weirdness blog, does a great job of demystifying AI, explaining how machine learning really works, and highlighting its advantages and disadvantages. Despite the many professional knowledge you can learn from the book, it is not boring, thanks to the interesting writing style, which is interspersed with real examples of AI's attempts at creativity, often making people laugh out loud.

8. The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story

（The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story）

Author: Michael Lewis

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The talented Michael Lewis starts with a computerized super - yacht and leads us to explore the mind of billionaire Jim Clark, the co - founder of Netscape and Silicon Graphics. This book depicts the shift of power in Silicon Valley startups from "the rich" to "the thinkers" and engineers. Lewis also tries to reveal what drives Clark's endless pursuit of the next big thing and his seemingly uncontrollable desires. This modern industrial leader is restless, always dissatisfied, and not very likable.

9. The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America

（The Code Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America）

Author: Margaret O'Mara

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If you want to know how such a small suburb came to dominate the tech world, Margaret O'Mara, a history professor at the University of Washington, can provide some answers. This concise and comprehensive book weaves together interviews, biographies, and a lot of other materials to explain how Silicon Valley promotes and dominates technological innovation. O'Mara exposes the foundation built by self - mythologizing founders and enterprises and the important role the government played in their rise. Those who like to hear inside stories may also like Anna Wiener's Uncanny Valley: A Memoir.

10. An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination

（An Ugly Truth Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination）

Authors: Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang

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This book reveals that Zuckerberg, Sandberg, and other Facebook executives were willing to sacrifice users' privacy and shift the blame in their pursuit of growth at all costs. Facebook has been accused of providing unscrupulous merchants, politicians, and anyone willing to pay the ability to change people's minds on everything, from who to vote for to whether to get vaccinated. An Ugly Truth may be the last book Zuckerberg and his team want you to read.

11. Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America

（Meme Wars： The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America）

Authors: Joan Donovan, Emily Dreyfuss, and Brian Friedberg

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Many people think that internet memes (content such as pictures and videos passed from one user to another on the internet) are harmless humor, but they have become a powerful weapon in the cultural war. This engaging book delves into the history of internet memes and explains the role they play in radicalization, misinformation, and even extremism. By distilling complex issues into appealing jokes, memes spread on social media. Well - researched and well - written, this book delves into internet culture and its impact on modern democracy, making for an uncomfortable read.

12. Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Fall of WeWork

（Billion Dollar Loser：The Epic Rise and Fall of WeWork）

Author: Reeves Wiedeman

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Success stories are often inspiring, but failure can also be fascinating. The collapse of WeWork is a warning that there is only a thin line between a visionary genius and a charismatic fraudster. This book depicts the story of a real - estate company that rose in denial. Under the guidance of Adam Neumann, WeWork disrupted the office - space scene, driven by the appealing idealism of building a community. However, while workers spent long hours building glass cubicles for employees, Neumann bought houses and planes, and his wife, Rebekah, tried to launch an unrealistic education program. "Schadenfreude" is one of the reasons this book is appealing, but don't shed tears for Neumann. He left as a billionaire and has already founded another company.

13. Sid Meier's Memoir! : A Life in Computer Games

（Sid Meier's Memoir! : A Life in Computer Games）

Author: Sid Meier

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This heart - warming read will interest players who have ever said "just one more turn" while playing Civilization until the early morning. This is an easy - going memoir of a gaming industry veteran, allowing us to quickly review Sid Meier's amazing career in the computer - game field and catch a glimpse of the behind