Gary Rivlin – författare

A veteran Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist shadows the top thinkers in the field of Artificial Intelligence, introducing the breakthroughs and developments that will change the way we live and work.Artificial Intelligence has been “just around the corner” for decades, continually disappointing those who long believed in its potential. But now, with the emergence and growing use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and a rapidly multiplying number of others, many are wondering: Has AI’s moment finally arrived?In AI Valley, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Rivlin brings us deep into the world of AI development in Silicon Valley. Over the course of more than a year, Rivlin closely follows founders and venture capitalists trying to capitalize on this AI moment. That includes LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, the legendary investor whom the Wall Street Journal once called, “the most connected person in Silicon Valley.”Through Hoffman, Rivlin is granted access to a number of companies on the cutting-edge of AI research, such as Inflection AI, the company Hoffman cofounded in 2022, and OpenAI, the San Francisco-based startup that sparked it all with its release at the end of that year of ChatGPT. In addition to Hoffman, Rivlin introduces us to other AI experts, including OpenAI cofounder Sam Altman and Mustafa Suleyman, the co-founder of DeepMind, an early AI startup that Google bought for $650  million in 2014. Rivlin also brings readers inside Microsoft, Meta, Google and other tech giants scrambling to keep pace.On this vast frontier, no one knows which of these companies will hit it big—or which will flame out spectacularly. In this riveting narrative marbled with familiar names such as Musk, Zuckerberg, and Gates, Rivlin chronicles breakthroughs as they happen, giving us a deep understanding of what’s around the corner in AI development. An adventure story full of drama and unforgettable personalities, AI Valley promises to be the definitive story for anyone seeking to understand the latest phase of world-changing discoveries and the minds behind them.This definitive narrative history of AI reveals:Silicon Valley Insiders: Follow tech luminaries like LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and DeepMind’s Mustafa Suleyman as they navigate the high-stakes world of AI development.Tech Giants vs. Startups: Go inside the boardrooms of Microsoft, Google, and Meta, and the garages of disruptive startups like OpenAI, to witness the race to dominate the future of technology.The Business of AI: Understand the venture capital deals, corporate rivalries, and trillion-dollar ambitions driving the current boom in machine learning and neural networks.From Sci-Fi to Reality: Get a clear, journalistic explanation of the breakthroughs that are finally bringing artificial intelligence out of research labs and into our daily lives.

A unique and riveting exploration of one of America''s largest and fastest-growing industries—the business of poverty."[A] thorough and thoughtful piece of reporting. . . . It should be required reading for legislators and lenders across the land." —Bloomberg NewsFor most people, the Great Crash of 2008 has meant troubling times. Not so for those in the flourishing poverty industry. These mercenary entrepreneurs have taken advantage of an era of deregulation to devise high-priced products to sell to the credit-hungry working poor, including the instant tax refund and the payday loan. In the process they''ve created an industry larger than the casino business and have proved that pawnbrokers and check cashers, if they dream big enough, can grow very rich off those with thin wallets.Broke, USA is Gary Rivlin''s riveting report from the economic fringes. Timely, shocking, and powerful, it offers a much-needed look at why our country is in a financial mess and gives a voice to the millions of ordinary Americans left devastated in the wake of the economic collapse."Rivlin strives to portray the people behind Poverty Inc. in a fair light . . .but his sympathy and the reader''s steadily evaporate with his well-chosen tales of the industry''s coercive tactics and its leaders'' astonishing wealth. . . . Rivlin is the consummate tour guide, quick with a memorable anecdote or telling statistic." —New York Times Book Review"[An] incisive, important new exposé, Broke, USA . . .is enraging, but Rivlin''s work also is scrupulously fair." —Cleveland Plain Dealer

From the author of the New York Times Notable Book of the Year Drive By comes a unique and riveting exploration of one of America’s largest and fastest-growing industries—the business of poverty. Broke, USA is a Fast Food Nation for the “poverty industry” that will also appeal to readers of Barbara Ehrenreich (Nickel and Dimed) and David Shipler (The Working Poor).

A veteran journalist follows an inspiring ensemble cast of small business owners fighting to keep their businesses alive through Covid-19, while exploring the sweeping trends and government policies that had brought small businesses to the breaking point long before the coronavirus hit.There is a tendency to fetishize small business even as it shrinks before our eyes. Americans extol the virtues of small, local, often family-run shops, yet buy from big-box retailers and chains that dominate the competition. Even before the pandemic, small businesses seemed endangered. When Covid-19 hit, the resounding question was: How will they be able to survive this?Saving Main Street is an unfiltered, up-close examination of a small group of business owners and their employees, their struggles, and their strategies to survive. It is an eye-opening tale of grit, perseverance, and entrepreneurial spirit that follows three businesses: a restaurant owner and his rambunctious staff, an immigrant running her own hair salon, and the owner of a “non-life sustaining” gift shop—alongside a larger cast of vividly drawn characters. Gary Rivlin focuses on the first days of the Covid lockdown and the ensuing eighteen months of chaos, including the personal and financial risks, a contentious presidential election, and contradictory governmental guidelines—all which compounded the everyday challenges of running an independent business trying to attract and retain customers who expect low prices, convenience, and endless choice. Rivlin keenly observes small businesses from all angles, examining commonly held “myths”; contradictions in government policy; enormous racial and class fissures; a national self-identity intrinsically connected to the ideal of small business, and how the decline of this American way of retail impacts our notions of American exceptionalism, community, and civic duty.As Rivlin reveals, there’s something enduring about small business in the American psyche. Life will have changed in unprecedented ways on the other side of this pandemic, yet hard times will also create opportunities, offering hope and survival.

A veteran journalist follows an inspiring ensemble cast of small business owners fighting to keep their businesses alive throughCovid-19, while exploring the sweeping trends and government policies that had brought small businesses to the breaking point long before the coronavirus hit.There is a tendency to fetishize small business even as it shrinks before our eyes. Americans extol the virtues of small, local, often family-run shops, yet buy from big-boxretailers and chains that dominate the competition. Even before the pandemic, small businesses seemed endangered. When Covid-19 hit, the resounding question was: How will they be able to survive this?Saving Main Street is an unfiltered, up-close examination of a small group of business owners and their employees, their struggles, and their strategies to survive. It is an eye-opening tale of grit, perseverance, and entrepreneurial spirit that follows three businesses: a restaurant owner and his rambunctious staff, an immigrant running her own hair salon, and the owner of a non-life sustaining gift shopalongside a larger cast of vividly drawn characters.Gary Rivlin focuses on the first days of the Covid lockdown and the ensuing eighteen months of chaos, including the personal and financial risks, a contentious presidential election, and contradictory governmental guidelinesall which compounded the everyday challenges of running an independent business trying to attract and retain customers who expect low prices, convenience, and endless choice. Rivlin keenly observes small businesses from all angles, examining commonly held myths; contradictions in government policy; enormous racial and class fissures; a national self-identity intrinsically connected to the ideal of small business, and how the decline of this American way of retail impacts our notions of American exceptionalism, community, and civic duty.As Rivlin reveals, theres something enduring about small business in the American psyche. Life will have changed in unprecedented ways on the other side of this pandemic, yet hard times will also create opportunities, offering hope and survival.

Gary Rivlin tells the story of Ron Conway, the man who has placed more bets on Internet start-ups than anyone eise in Silicon Valley. Conway is a reader-friendly way into the realm of angel financing, where independently wealthy investors link up with companies just as they are being born. King of the Angels takes you into this fascinating world on the edges of the financial universe, where the pace is frantic, the story lines are rich, and every moment is perilous.

A revised edition of the classic story of race and power, set in Chicago during the 1980s, when this most political of cities elected its first black mayor

Ten years in the making, Gary Rivlin’s Katrina is “a gem of a book—well-reported, deftly written, tightly focused….a starting point for anyone interested in how The City That Care Forgot develops in its second decade of recovery” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southeast Louisiana. A decade later, journalist Gary Rivlin traces the storm’s immediate damage, the city of New Orleans’s efforts to rebuild itself, and the storm’s lasting effects not just on the area’s geography and infrastructure—but on the psychic, racial, and social fabric of one of this nation’s great cities. Much of New Orleans still sat under water the first time Gary Rivlin glimpsed the city after Hurricane Katrina as a staff reporter for The New York Times. Four out of every five houses had been flooded. The deluge had drowned almost every power substation and rendered unusable most of the city’s water and sewer system. Six weeks after the storm, the city laid off half its workforce—precisely when so many people were turning to its government for help. Meanwhile, cynics both in and out of the Beltway were questioning the use of taxpayer dollars to rebuild a city that sat mostly below sea level. How could the city possibly come back? “Deeply engrossing, well-written, and packed with revealing stories….Rivlin’s exquisitely detailed narrative captures the anger, fatigue, and ambiguity of life during the recovery, the centrality of race at every step along the way, and the generosity of many from elsewhere in the country” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Katrina tells the stories of New Orleanians of all stripes as they confront the aftermath of one of the great tragedies of our age. This is “one of the must-reads of the season” (The New Orleans Advocate).

A reader-friendly guide to the inner workings and behind-the-scenes action of Silicon Valley and venture capitalism. Investigative reporter Gary Rivlin gives an armchair tour of the world of venture capitalism, while providing vivid case studies illustrating how to get started in the field. He shows how once-small companies such as Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon used venture capitalism to transform into the icons they are today, and the VCs that made a fortune in the process. Readers will learn what series funding is, the difference between an angel and super angel investor, and how to go about identifying ideas worthy of funding. Becoming a Venture Capitalist is not only an exclusive look into the world of legendary venture firms—as well as stories of their most interesting characters, including Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, and Mark Zuckerberg—but a wonderful guide on how to break into a seemingly impenetrable world.

An acclaimed investigative journalist explores ethical hacking and presents a reader-friendly, informative guide to everything there is to know about entering the field of cybersecurity.It’s impossible to ignore the critical role cybersecurity plays within our society, politics, and the global order. In Becoming an Ethical Hacker, investigative reporter Gary Rivlin offers an easy-to-digest primer on what white hat hacking is, how it began, and where it’s going, while providing vivid case studies illustrating how to become one of these “white hats” who specializes in ensuring the security of an organization’s information systems. He shows how companies pay these specialists to break into their protected systems and networks to test and assess their security. Readers will learn how these white hats use their skills to improve security by exposing vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can detect and exploit them. Weaving practical how-to advice with inspiring case studies, Rivlin provides concrete, practical steps anyone can take to pursue a career in the growing field of cybersecurity.

A revealing guide to a career as a sports agent written by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Gary Rivlin and based on the real-life experiences of several top agents—required reading for anyone considering this profession.Becoming a Sports Agent takes you behind the scenes to find out what it’s really like, and what it really takes, to become a sports agent. Bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Gary Rivlin shadows some of the best agents in sports to show how this dream job becomes reality. Behind every high-profile athlete—in football, baseball, basketball, and more—is an agent. Learn the ins and outs of scouting, contract negotiation, licensing, brand building, and more. Takeaway invaluable lessons as you follow the paths of top-tier agents, from legendary pioneers like Leigh Steinberg, who represents star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, to Don Yee, who represents Tom Brady, to Matt Sosnick, whose client list includes baseball rookie sensation Pete Alonso. Rivlin uncovers the realities of this cut-throat business, from discovering unknown talent to securing multi-million-dollar deals.

A reader-friendly guide to the inner workings and behind-the-scenes action of Silicon Valley and venture capitalism. Investigative reporter Gary Rivlin gives an armchair tour of the world of venture capitalism, while providing vivid case studies illustrating how to get started in the field. He shows how once-small companies such as Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon used venture capitalism to transform into the icons they are today, and the VCs that made a fortune in the process. Readers will learn what series funding is, the difference between an angel and super angel investor, and how to go about identifying ideas worthy of funding. Becoming a Venture Capitalist is not only an exclusive look into the world of legendary venture firms—as well as stories of their most interesting characters, including Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, and Mark Zuckerberg—but a wonderful guide on how to break into a seemingly impenetrable world.

An acclaimed investigative journalist explores ethical hacking and presents a reader-friendly, informative guide to everything there is to know about entering the field of cybersecurity.It’s impossible to ignore the critical role cybersecurity plays within our society, politics, and the global order. In Becoming an Ethical Hacker, investigative reporter Gary Rivlin offers an easy-to-digest primer on what white hat hacking is, how it began, and where it’s going, while providing vivid case studies illustrating how to become one of these “white hats” who specializes in ensuring the security of an organization’s information systems. He shows how companies pay these specialists to break into their protected systems and networks to test and assess their security. Readers will learn how these white hats use their skills to improve security by exposing vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can detect and exploit them. Weaving practical how-to advice with inspiring case studies, Rivlin provides concrete, practical steps anyone can take to pursue a career in the growing field of cybersecurity.