Facebook cover art

Facebook

The Inside Story

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

In his sophomore year of college, Mark Zuckerberg created a simple website to serve as a campus social network. The site caught on like wildfire, and soon students nationwide were on Facebook.

Today, Facebook is nearly unrecognizable from Zuckerberg's first, modest iteration. It has grown into a tech giant, the largest social media platform and one of the most gargantuan companies in the world, with a valuation of more than $576 billion and almost 3 billion users. There is no denying the power and omnipresence of Facebook in American daily life. And in light of recent controversies surrounding election-influencing "fake news" accounts, the handling of its users' personal data, and growing discontent with the actions of its founder and CEO, never has the company been more central to the national conversation.

Based on years of exclusive reporting and interviews with Facebook's key executives and employees, including Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, Steven Levy's sweeping narrative digs deep into the whole story of the company that has changed the world and reaped the consequences.

© Steven Levy 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 E-Commerce Elections & Political Process Politics & Government Professionals & Academics Science & Technology Business Employment

Critic reviews

This absorbing book will inspire important conversations about big tech and privacy in the twenty-first century
This fascinating book reveals the imperial ambitions of Facebook's founder
A tour de force of access journalism
Steven Levy is the founding guru of technology journalism

Levy's narrative is richly detailed, thanks to interviews with Facebookers past and present...His account of Zuckerberg's abbreviated Harvard tenure and Facebook's early years feel fresh, with plenty of colour that reminds you the HBO show Silicon Valley did not have to reach far for its satire

Comprehensive and captivating history

Levy writes with verve... [he] is able to trace the origins of the Cambridge Analytica scheme to Facebook's disregard for the privacy concerns of the first users... He doesn't shy from asking the tough questions
Fresh, up-to-date and insiderish

Levy portrays a tech company where no one is taking responsibility for what it has unleashed... The book closes with a recognition that Facebook is bulldozing ahead with new innovations - from Facebook dating to its Libra digital currency project - while Zuckerberg continues to shrug off any ethical queries about his past behaviour
All stars
Most relevant
enjoyed the story, great reader but it feels as it has some issues and some parts jumps a few seconds or you miss the beggining and even if your rewind you still miss a part.
overall I enjoyed the book and learned so much about Facebook.
if you are not buying something you are the product. watch out where your time and attention guys folks

story is good but the audio has some tech issues

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
absolutely loved it. my second book from this author, first book was recommended by lecturer,this one was a pleasant discovery. 5*

Good book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As a software developer I enjoyed this book very much & I've learnt a lot about Facebook. I never did & never will use Facebook or Instagram. I use WhatsApp out of necessity only.

My only criticism is how long the author takes to introduce new characters.

Great insight to Zuckerberg & FB.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a good book but would have been amazing with tighter editing. The story moves around a bit too often and a clearer linear narrative would have made it better but still worthwhile read to better understand Facebook and it's backstory.

Good insight into Facebook and Zuc

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The access to the company employees and Zuckerberg himself is a great thing, as we got the side of the story, we couldn’t have gotten otherwise, but it also has another side of being too forgiving.
There is a lot of talk about apologies, but as history shows they don’t mean anything to Zuck and company. I was hoping for a more Super Pumped vibe, as both Facebook and Uber are horrible companies managed by evil people, but it’s not that.
Also would be nice to have a more equal look on Republican vs Democrat in the elections. The whole part regarding 2016 elections is just ... bad. It sticks out in the book.

Good, but left me wanting more

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews