The Facebook Effect | David Kirkpatrick | Talks at Google

In only six years Facebook has gone from a dorm room novelty to a company that will soon reach 500 million users. It has transformed social life in the United States and elsewhere; become a ubiquitous presence in marketing; and altered politics, businesses, and even our sense of our own identity. Perhaps even more remarkable is that a 19-year-old college student created this phenomenon.
THE FACEBOOK EFFECT: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World (Simon & Schuster; June 15, 2010), tells the complete story of Facebook that can be found nowhere else. Reporter David Kirkpatrick, the former Senior Tech Editor at Fortune magazine, had the full cooperation of the company's key executives in researching this fascinating history of Facebook and its impact on our lives. Kirkpatrick tells us how it was created, why it has flourished, and where it is going next. He chronicles its successes and missteps, and gives readers the most complete assessment anywhere of founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the central figure in the company's remarkable ascent.
With his regular, unprecedented access to Mark Zuckerberg and the key staff at Facebook, Kirkpatrick also reveals never before known details of which companies tried to buy Facebook (and for how much money), and why Facebook might actually disappear within 5 years, and yet the company remain healthier than ever.