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  • Build

  • An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making
  • Written by: Tony Fadell
  • Narrated by: Tony Fadell, Roger Wayne
  • Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (97 ratings)

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Build

Written by: Tony Fadell
Narrated by: Tony Fadell, Roger Wayne
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Publisher's Summary

**New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USAToday Bestseller for May 2022**

Tony Fadell led the teams that created the iPod, iPhone and Nest Learning Thermostat and learned enough in 30+ years in Silicon Valley about leadership, design, startups, Apple, Google, decision-making, mentorship, devastating failure and unbelievable success to fill an encyclopedia.

So that’s what this book is. An advice encyclopedia. A mentor in a box.

Written for anyone who wants to grow at work—from young grads navigating their first jobs to CEOs deciding whether to sell their company—Build is full of personal stories, practical advice and fascinating insights into some of the most impactful products and people of the 20th century. The audiobook also includes a brief introduction written and read by Tony.

Each quick 5-20 page entry builds on the previous one, charting Tony’s personal journey from a product designer to a leader, from a startup founder to an executive to a mentor. Tony uses examples that are instantly captivating, like the process of building the very first iPod and iPhone. Every chapter is designed to help listeners with a problem they’re facing right now—how to get funding for their startup, whether to quit their job or not, or just how to deal with the jerk in the next cubicle.

Tony forged his path to success alongside mentors like Steve Jobs and Bill Campbell, icons of Silicon Valley who succeeded time and time again. But Tony doesn’t follow the Silicon Valley credo that you have to reinvent everything from scratch to make something great. His advice is unorthodox because it’s old school. Because Tony’s learned that human nature doesn’t change. You don’t have to reinvent how you lead and manage—just what you make.

And Tony’s ready to help everyone make things worth making.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Tony Fadell (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

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What listeners say about Build

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Great Book

Great read. Inspiring and informative. Will use its teaching and apply it to my current project.

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Excellent book!

Lots of sound no-bs/no-fluff and friendly advice from a great builder of great products. Hope to use it as a practical guide.

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Must read for startups

Found this book while in the middle of a tech startup and it was so helpful I'm on my 3rd read. The way Build breaks down the process makes it worth its weight in gold. Tony brings so much experience and highlights the failures as much as the wins to help everyone learn from his journey. Can't thank him enough for writing this book.

Do, Fail, Learn.

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One of the best books on the subject

I have read a lot of books on the subject of building companies, leadership, and innovation. So, when I first started listening to Tony Fadell's book I was prepared for the usual. At first, I was somewhat underwhelmed. Maybe I was not in the right frame of mind. But then, I am not exactly sure when, it clicked. I realized that I was getting invaluable advice, unfiltered and undiluted, from the guy who has earned the right to dispense this advice. I was surprised just how much it resonated with me, how much it aligned with my own experiences. At times, I felt he was describing my own journey. By the time I reached the conclusion and heard "in the end, there are two things that matter: products and people" I was completely sold on this being one of the best books on the subject. It true to its billing of "An advice encyclopedia. A mentor in a box." A must-read for anyone aspiring to be a leader.

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Tony Fadell's build earns its reputation

I read & listen to a lot of entrepreneurial books and Tony Fadell's Build is in my top 10. it came to me recommended by a friend. What makes it so good is that it covers the unique perspective of someone who worked as both employee and CEO (at Apple and Nest respectively) so it really captures a unique and raw perspective that will be helpful to others who love technology but need to embrace the importance of fostering relationships that drive the success of a tech ventures. The people who make tech ventures thrive: customers, employees, mentors and board members. Tony covers it all and Roger Wayne's performance makes it a savorable listen.

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Informative and entertaining

An excellent read. I highly recommend it for anyone in business serious about building something great.

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Something for everyone.

There’s something to relate to, and take away from each chapter, if you take the time to reflect. Loved this audio book and will take the time to scrub the hard copy version to really solidify these gold nuggets of information.

A+

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so much here

This book covers so many aspects of building a product and a business around it. I learned the many roles and teams in the business that are involved. But the book covers so much more than that, people issues, common scenarios that come up. It’s very diverse yet remains centred around building a product based business. Not all the chapters will likely be relevant to you at wherever you’re at in your business journey but i still found of interest (also i’m not even in a product based business, mine is service based, but this was still a decently applicable read.)

There’s also a lot of references to Steve Jobs that i found interesting and added some story telling to the business lessons. This is great, otherwise i think the book would have been a dry read but it maintained my attention throughout.

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  • Mat
  • 2022-08-15

A must read!

No bs in this book, simply a great book for aspiring entrepreneurs and those that are early in their careers.

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Inspiring team leadership book


A genuine top choice for anyone wanting to lead and build anything worth building. Down to earth, real life insight and advice from a true expert.

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