Betting It All The Technology Entrepreneurs

"I realized I was willing to die for Java."
— KIM POLESE, MARIMBA

"I was the opposite of a party animal. I had this thing where if I was signed up for a [college] class, I wouldn't go to the class, ever."
— BILL GATES, MICROSOFT

"I don't know what made me decide that my life should always be about making love standing up in a hammock, but this is the way that my life has worked out."
— JERRY SANDERS, ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES

Beyond the media hype and mystique, the high-tech entrepreneurs of our time are just as human as the rest of us-even though they carefully guard their words and maintain their corporate images, making it almost impossible to get a real glimpse of the people behind the legends. Now, Betting It All takes you inside the minds of sixteen of the most famous industry titans-Scott McNealy, Bob Metcalfe, Carol Bartz, Philippe Kahn, and more-through a series of intimate and remarkably candid interviews. You'll be the fly on the wall as these business leaders explore memories from childhood, their dreams, their inspirations, and their unwavering ambition to achieve their goals-no matter the risks involved.

MICHAEL S. MALONE is an award-winning writer and Editor at Large of Forbes ASAP, the world's largest circulation business and technology magazine. He also has a weekly column on ABC.com called "The Silicon Insider" and is the author of a number of books on business theory and history. As the nation's first daily high-technology reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, Malone covered the rise of Silicon Valley. He is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and has also been a columnist for the New York Times and a contributing editor for Upside and Fast Company.