You Only Have to Be Right Once

The Unprecedented Rise of the Instant Tech Billionaires

By: Randall Lane

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

The ultimate insider's look at the newest titans of tech, from the editorial team at Forbes.

Silicon Valley's new billionaires are an unconventional breed, turning ideas into money at a rate never before seen in human history. Their ascension proves a turning point in how great fortunes are made and how technology disseminates.

Among these golden boys are: Elon Musk, billionaire bachelor and founder of Paypal, electric carmaker Tesla, and private space company Space X; Evan Spiegel, 23-year-old founder of Snapchat, who recently turned down a $3 billion offer from Facebook; and Alex Karp, the eccentric philosopher with almost no tech background who turned Palantir into a data-mining champion. Over the last three years, Forbes has published in depth profiles of this new batch of billionaires, including the founders of Spotify, Dropbox, Tumblr, and Twitter. Now, in a compilation introduced and updated by Forbes editor Randall Lane, fans and critics alike will get a comprehensive look at who these super-entrepreneurs are and what they say about their own success and their plans for the future.

©2014 Randall Lane (P)2014 Gildan Media LLC

Cool summaries on tech leaders.

Things in the tech world continue to move at a wild pace. I enjoyed the book for the behind the scenes take on how some of the ideas and deals occurred.

Very Interesting

Fascinating look at the people who founded various apps and became rich in the process.

True stories are the most motivating.

It's nice hearing stories about real people working hard in their gifted areas. I am super motivated after listening and plan on listening to this at least a couple times per year. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for their vocation.

new and a great narrative...and real

it's a new story on new business that is super relative to any big thinker with an idea

Very decent story

The story is very decent but not a surprise after seeing the contents. It is just an exploration of the founders. Many short stories, so no in-depth insights, no exclusive information from interviews. But that is ok as expected.

Meanwhile, the performance has room to improve. It should be louder and a little slower so I could listen more comfortably while driving.

A nice recap of last decades entrepreneurs

Good summary of new tech billionaires. I wish the book could have revealed more details about the transition process they endured in their firms.

Awesome book!

This book is a must read for all would be entrepreneurs. The next version of this book will have MY story in it.

I love this book

High school and college kids making billions of dollars and going from rags to riches. A perfect example is the guy who used to collect food stamps after his parents died when he was a kid: He signed a deal that made him a multi-billionaire in front of the welfare office where he used to get food stamps.

These kids think differently. Their products are different. And, they are being hugely rewarded.

I highly recommend this book!

Case histories of successful entrepreneurs

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes. The book provides insight into the world of start-up entrepreneurs and how billions are spent in this world.

If you’ve listened to books by Randall Lane before, how does this one compare?

It's my first Randall Lane book and it is mostly a compilation of magazine article profiles with no overarching themes or analysis.

What three words best describe Walter Dixon’s performance?

Sharp, transparent, flowing

Was You Only Have to Be Right Once worth the listening time?

For me yes, but if not interested in the individual stories you could easily skip around as the profiles are independent and free-standing.

15 billionaire entrepreneurs stories

each story was quick and to the point. I really enjoyed that each chapter represented a different founder, and there was no extra fluff