In Disrupted, you could find yourself with a job that no longer exists and the skills to do something else. Technology is disrupting entire sectors of work–and taking many jobs in the process–but it’s also creating new ones.
Are you seeking for a synopsis of Dan Lyons’ book Disrupted? You’ve arrived to the correct location.
After reading Dan Lyons’ book, I wrote down a few significant takeaways.
If you don’t have time, you don’t have to read the whole book. This book synopsis summarizes all you can take away from it.
Let’s get this party started right now.
I’ll go through the following points in my synopsis of Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble:
What is Dan Lyons’ Disrupted about?
To help explain digital start-up culture, Disrupted takes a deep, behind-the-scenes look at Boston’s HubSpot software startup.
Dan Lyons, a 25-year veteran of the technology press, was sacked from Newsweek and taken a position at a startup.
Lyons’ rocky and amusing voyage through a weird new world complete with candy walls and other bizarre HubSpottiness is told in this novel.
Who is Dan Lyons, the author of Disrupted?
Lyons is a journalist, author, and screenwriter. He was a technology editor at Newsweek before joining HBO’s Silicon Valley series as a staff member.
His blog, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, was quite popular.
Dan Lyons Disrupts Whom and Why?
Dan Lyons’ Disrupted is not for everyone. If you are one of the following folks, you may like the book:
- Anyone interested in learning more about how technology startups work
- Any startup’s investors
- Those who work for a tiny or startup company
Summary of Dan Lyons’ book Disrupted
Introduction
High-tech businesses such as Google, Apple, and Facebook are investing their futures on Silicon Valley, where ideas and technologies sprout like mushrooms. However, there are some gloomy facts hidden beneath this magnificent public front.
Dan Lyons, an inbound marketing and sales expert and author of this book, joined HubSpot while he was unemployed in his fifties. He saw weird business methods and horrible working conditions while there, and discovered the truth.
Lesson 1: It is critical for conventional journalists in the contemporary media environment to reinvent themselves.
Dan Lyons, a journalist who had previously served as the technology editor at Newsweek magazine, was in his fifties and looking for work in 2012. His work market had changed dramatically since he had been sacked.
He was accompanied by others. Following the internet-technology boom of the 2000s, media executives of a particular age were reevaluating their roles in the sector.
In the early 2000s, internet-based tech businesses such as Google, Facebook, Zynga, and Groupon appeared. Newspapers and magazines, among other traditional media, were trying to adapt to the new climate.
These newly emergent corporations’ products and services were transforming essential parts of human life, such as how we buy and interact, and how we get news and information.
Readers were no longer reliant on newspapers and magazines for information when the internet was introduced. As advertisers shifted to internet channels, people started canceling their subscriptions to periodicals like Newsweek.
Lyons was fired when an essay titled “The Beached White Male” was published by Newsweek, the business where he worked. The topic of the essay was a generation of seasoned, senior professionals who were abruptly laid off due to business cutbacks.
Lyons ended himself in the world of start-ups as a consequence of his effort at transformation to find a new employment.
Because Lyons was married, had two small children, and was the primary provider, he needed a solid job and decent health insurance.
He got his first position at ReadWrite, a San Francisco-based tech news site.
It was OK, but it wasn’t perfect since his family resided in Boston on the opposite side of the nation. Nonetheless, while in San Francisco, he got the chance to witness the flourishing start-up enterprises of Silicon Valley.
As a result, he began to consider recreating himself as a writer for a startup’s marketing department.
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Lesson 2: Although Lyons was new to start-ups, he was ready to learn.
Lyons has a deep grasp of businesses like Twitter and Facebook as a technology correspondent for Newsweek. After speaking with several of these firms’ CEOs, he discovered that those who were engaged from the start enjoyed enormous benefits.
Despite knowing the goods, Lyons found the business processes of start-ups strange.
Lyons was granted an interview with HubSpot, a software business located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after responding to a LinkedIn post. Despite the fact that Lyons’ interview went well, he was astonished to hear the ambiguous title of “marketing fellow,” which didn’t seem like much.
When he spoke with Shah and Halligan, the two HubSpot founders, about their aims, he proceeded on this foggy road.
Despite their long chat, Lyons was never told what position he would serve at HubSpot.
Lyons’ email made it obvious that they wanted to hire a writer who could help HubSpot become a “thought leader” in the marketing world. He was never told how they planned for him to do such a job.
When Halligan said he’d give Lyons “missions,” it seemed like he meant he’d focus on upgrading their blog to enhance brand recognition.
The initial HubSpot meetings were perplexing, but Lyons quickly adjusted and stayed open to new ideas.
His enthusiasm for the company’s prospects was real, and he was eager to learn about the marketing department, something he had never done before.
Even though he was paid a low salary at HubSpot, he recognized that the stock options would be a wonderful investment if the firm succeeded.
Lesson 3: HubSpot has an unique terminology as well as a peculiar, cult-like culture.
Lyons observed weird, cult-like rituals as well as an universe of missions, cultural norms, and spiritual leaders when he joined HubSpot as an official employee in April 2013.
HubSpot set out on a goal to change the marketing business by developing a unique marketing platform that wasn’t only about making money. In addition, several workers and customers referred to Dharmesh Shah’s co-founder, HubSpot’s Dharmesh Shah, as a “spiritual leader.”
During Lyons’ first days at Hubspot, he received a manifesto titled The Hubspot Culture Code: Creating a Company We Love, which had 128 slides.
The team was marketed as more essential than individuals in HubSpot’s presentation, and work-life balance was non-existent since working equals living.
It was weird, yet not completely bizarre. Many workers at Apple and Google in Silicon Valley have become devout believers in the principles they share and the “world-changing” objectives they seek.
To build a feeling of solidarity among HubSpot workers, the team was urged to adopt an odd jargon and dress code.
In order to generate “magic,” a HubSpotty employee would adopt HEART principles. Humble, effective, adaptable, amazing, and transparent is the abbreviation HEART.
Employees at HubSpot’s most HubSpotty firms do something they’re frightened of that has nothing to do with their profession, in addition to wearing orange and participating in brave Fridays.
HubSpot has produced a Wiki page to assist newbies in decoding the lingo.
Instead of discussing how to solve for the customer in meetings, individuals may inquire about KPIs, SFTCs, or service-level agreements. Employees in GSD mode “get shit done.” Employees who aren’t in GSD mode risk “graduation,” which occurs when they depart HubSpot, whether they’re fired or quit.
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Lesson 4: HubSpot’s atmosphere was startling to an older employee like Lyons.
Despite their oddness, HubSpot’s procedures are intended to promote collaboration and harmony. Lyons, on the other hand, quickly started to feel like an outcast.
Since he was an elderly guy, Lyons disliked working in open-plan workplaces with little privacy.
Lyons remembered the sweatshop conditions of Bangladesh as he went by the long tables of HubSpot workers, but the individuals at HubSpot were slumped over computers instead of sewing machines.
Furthermore, Lyons had never worked at a firm where employee enjoyment was valued so strongly.
It was absolutely the case at HubSpot, which offered a number of play places around the workplace.
For impromptu jam sessions, a hammock and musical instruments were accessible; the conference room also doubled as a gaming area, with ping-pong, foosball, pool tables, and video games.
Lyons was astonished by how proud HubSpot was of its “candy wall” — a glass wall in the cafeteria filled with candy bars and junk food – and by how many candy bars and junk foods were offered.
This wasn’t as odd as HubSpot’s workers conversing with a teddy bear.
The manager claimed to have achieved a huge managerial breakthrough, which Lyons found particularly perplexing. Molly was intended to symbolize the consumer they were continuously attempting to please in meetings, but she was merely a stuffed animal.
This was particularly disappointing given Lyons’ past work with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham. He was hired by a guy who was amazed by his ability to communicate with stuffed animals.
Lesson 5: After suggesting changes, Lyons encountered opposition.
Lyons had been in his new work for three months and was still figuring out what a marketing fellow’s job involved.
When he sought to convey his fresh ideas, he was dismayed to discover that the corporation was uninterested.
Lyons had the notion that he had been recruited to enhance HubSpot’s blog. He published blog entries to appeal to venture capitalists, CEOs, and other prospective investors.
Lyons quickly discovered that his blog entries were being viewed by imaginary characters called “Mary the Marketer,” “Enterprise Erin,” and “Ollie the Owner.”
HubSpot not only searched for blog articles with useful marketing advice, such as “15 Free Stock Photos You Can Use” and “How to Create a Facebook Brand Page,” but they also required readers to give out personal information at the conclusion of each piece.
Lyons was especially disappointed by the suggestion to dumb down the blog.
Lyons had the idea for a private blog with high-quality material after becoming dissatisfied with having to produce a mediocre blog for the firm.
Middle management originally dismissed the proposal, but Lyons brought it to the company’s founders.
Even though HubSpot’s CEO has given his approval to the concept, it does not ensure that it will be implemented. His concept was shot down by HubSpot’s middle management.
Lyons was granted the option of operating a tiny “sub-blog” where he could publish more advanced pieces after some debate.
However, he was assigned to work in the company’s noisiest chamber, which colleagues called “the spider-monkey room.”
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Lesson 6: In their haste to grow, start-ups might produce a mediocre workplace.
In the end, Lyons discovered that HubSpot lacked competent management. When he was sent to the telemarketing room, his working circumstances deteriorated.
Due to a phenomena known as “the bozo explosion,” Lyons noted that start-up organizations often suffer with management challenges.
This statement was invented by Steve Jobs to emphasize that although the first workers of a start-up may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, they will progress through the ranks owing to their seniority.
These jerks then have the option of hiring others, and they’ll almost always employ other mediocre jerks who can make them feel superior. This is how a firm like HubSpot can have such a bad management team.
Furthermore, if mediocrity is rewarded, you may find yourself in a difficult situation. Lyons, for example, was once asked to participate in a 24-hour “hackathon” to generate a slew of poor blog articles.
While Lyons’ previous job had lousy management, his new working environment in the telemarketing room presented him with a whole new set of obstacles.
Many college grads, called “spider monkeys,” were making old-fashioned cold calls to prospective consumers when Lyons entered the room. They worked hard because they were in danger of losing their jobs if they didn’t fulfill their sales targets.
To ease some of these stressful situations, the spider monkeys were given free beer on a regular basis.
HubSpot’s shares would be issued at the same time as the company’s first public offering (IPO). As a result, these telemarketers were critical to HubSpot at the time.
Early investors are solely interested in how quickly a firm is expanding, not how much money it has earned. HubSpot was committed to expand as much as possible as rapidly as possible.
Lesson 7: Employees at HubSpot overlooked their lack of benefits and job security because they felt valued at work.
Lyons wasn’t the only one who thought the corporation treated employees unfairly, including those working in the spider-monkey room must fulfill a monthly target in order to maintain their employment. Lyons was taken aback by the amount of individuals willing to put up with such conditions.
Firms like HubSpot are following Google’s lead by removing employees’ job security and treating them as temporary workers as a result of Google’s recent shift in how companies handle their employees.
Startups are notorious for not providing long-term contracts, pension plans, or union benefits, as well as displaying little devotion to its workers.
Low salary and perks at HubSpot were another indications of this mentality.
HubSpot, in reality, advertised “unlimited vacation” time to hide the fact that they had no vacation policy at all. As a consequence, HubSpot would not be required to explain terminating an employee and would owe no severance compensation to the person.
Lyons was aware of the reason behind these measures, which were implemented to save expenses.
Growth, not profit, was the most critical factor before to an IPO, therefore utilizing a low-paid telemarketing workforce was more vital than caring about pensions.
He also realized that workers were willing to put up with it since HubSpot gave them a feeling of belonging.
Workers didn’t appear to mind poor earnings, job uncertainty, or difficult quotas, and they were ready to tell him they were on a HubSpot mission, which shocked him. Furthermore, the corporation made employees feel like part of a team by supplying free beer and sweets, as well as making them feel like part of a team despite the fact that they may be dismissed at any moment.
Lesson 8: Even if their product is horrible and their prediction is bad, IT businesses like HubSpot can prosper.
You may be wondering how HubSpot was able to attain such success. Buzz is important, and it has the ability to captivate both personnel and investors.
A firm that produces a substandard product and loses money might be profitable if it has a favorable reputation.
HubSpot’s product was really rather bad.
HubSpot was, in an ironic twist, attempting to offer small company marketing software. HubSpot didn’t utilize it; instead, they relied on old-fashioned telemarketing and cold-calling tactics.
It didn’t matter, however, as long as the IPO created enough interest to attract investors.
Producing a business buzz is similar to making a film.
The narrative they tell about their company becomes legendary. HubSpot’s narrative was a software industry revolution that changed lives. Their film starred one of their co-founders as the starring guy and turned the tale into a hero’s journey, as though he had surmounted apparently insurmountable challenges.
Investors lined up like it was a hit film on the first night of the IPO.
A strong prospectus will not deter good buzz. According to HubSpot’s IPO prospectus, there was a strong likelihood that the firm would never be profitable.
HubSpot, on the other hand, had created such a buzz and told such an engaging tale that its IPO was a success, making the co-founders billionaires.
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Lesson 9: Thanks to his effectiveness in creating buzz, Lyons was able to find a new position despite dealing with HubSpot’s ageist culture.
Lyons was instrumental in generating publicity for HubSpot before to its IPO.
Since he was formerly the tech editor at Newsweek, the announcement of his shift to HubSpot sparked interest on numerous tech sites.
During his tenure at HubSpot, Lyons also worked as a writer for HBO’s Silicon Valley series.
Lyons was able to stay his work as a consequence of the publicity, since HubSpot’s ageist culture prevented him from leaving.
He never seemed to fit in with the HubSpot team, which was mostly made up of twenty-somethings with a frat-culture mindset. His health insurance, on the other hand, was critical.
In an interview with the New York Times, one HubSpot co-founder asserted emphatically that experience and gray hair in the IT sector were overrated, and the business wanted to build a culture that would attract millennials.
Lyons’ words from the interview were uploaded on his own Facebook page, where he received a torrent of support from his fans.
Many people’s tales turned out to be really intriguing. Ageism had been an issue for them in the IT industry as well, and they were surprised that similar statements were accepted in other fields.
After HBO’s Silicon Valley grew so popular that Gawker Media recruited Lyons to write for Valleywag, he quit Hubspot.
The HubSpot letter intended to portray Lyons’ departure in an unfavorable light, creating the idea that he had been fired.
After an attempt to steal the manuscript resulted in the FBI Cyber Division being called in, a senior HubSpot management resigned and a supervisor was dismissed after the book was published.
Final Thoughts
In a tech startup, there isn’t as much openness as you would expect. Almost every business wants to go public in order to generate money and provide a quality product.
However, only a small percentage of entrepreneurs and investors profit when their businesses flourish. Meanwhile, the ordinary worker has a precarious employment and an uneven work-life balance.
Additional Reading
If you enjoyed reading Disrupted, you may also like the following book summaries:
Disrupted is available for purchase.
If you’re interested in purchasing Disrupted, click on the following links:
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