What do you think?
Rate this book
Swipe to Unlock: The Primer on Technology and Business Strategy
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.
Authored by Product Managers at Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, Swipe to Unlock is a guide which enables anyone to understand the core concepts of tech and the business strategy behind it in order to succeed in the tech industry or even just be an informed digital citizen and consumer.
This #1 Amazon Business Bestseller has been featured in Business Insider and was touted as "our generation's Rosetta Stone for enabling non-engineers to peer into the technology changing everyday life" by Jeremy Schifeling.
You probably search on Google every day. But have you ever wondered how Google makes billions of dollars while providing search, email, and maps for free? How do they figure out which ads perfectly capture your interests? And how do they search the entire internet so quickly, anyway?
By answering real-world questions like this, Swipe to Unlock gives you a peek under the hood of the technology you use every day, decodes technologists' weirdest buzzwords, and shows you how technology is changing the society we live in for better or for worse. Unlock the answers you need to become a better-educated consumer, digital citizen, or technology professional.
Authored by Product Managers at Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, Swipe to Unlock is a guide which enables anyone to understand the core concepts of tech and the business strategy behind it in order to succeed in the tech industry or even just be an informed digital citizen and consumer.
This #1 Amazon Business Bestseller has been featured in Business Insider and was touted as "our generation's Rosetta Stone for enabling non-engineers to peer into the technology changing everyday life" by Jeremy Schifeling.
You probably search on Google every day. But have you ever wondered how Google makes billions of dollars while providing search, email, and maps for free? How do they figure out which ads perfectly capture your interests? And how do they search the entire internet so quickly, anyway?
By answering real-world questions like this, Swipe to Unlock gives you a peek under the hood of the technology you use every day, decodes technologists' weirdest buzzwords, and shows you how technology is changing the society we live in for better or for worse. Unlock the answers you need to become a better-educated consumer, digital citizen, or technology professional.
323 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2017
1476 people are currently reading
6213 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 285 reviews
February 28, 2018
Superbly well written, especially for someone like me with zero tech background. It reads like a bunch of stories (which it is), so you pick up a lot of really important information without feeling like you're learning. Yet I came away with a stronger understanding of the cloud, internet, big data, business strategy, etc. I can't emphasize enough how accessible it is to someone with no experience like me.
My favorite chapter is probably the one on app economics. The way they break down seemingly strange business decisions like why Amazon offers Prime is sharp and well thought-out, and it's trained me to be a better analytical thinker. Awesome!
Also they cited the hell out of this book. Very well researched.
The one thing I'd like to see changed is a beefier index where you can reference key concepts, not just companies. Hopefully that comes in a later version. But regardless, bravo — telling all my friends about this!
My favorite chapter is probably the one on app economics. The way they break down seemingly strange business decisions like why Amazon offers Prime is sharp and well thought-out, and it's trained me to be a better analytical thinker. Awesome!
Also they cited the hell out of this book. Very well researched.
The one thing I'd like to see changed is a beefier index where you can reference key concepts, not just companies. Hopefully that comes in a later version. But regardless, bravo — telling all my friends about this!
September 5, 2018
tl;dr a great overview of the tech/biz aspects of tech companies to fill gaps in knowledge and highly recommended for aspiring program/product managers
This book is exactly what it claims to be -- "a guide which enables anyone to understand the core concepts of tech and the business strategy behind it". It is written with the intention of being accessible, which it goes above and beyond with! Coming from a technical background, I felt that the book covers hot tech topics to exactly the right extent for its purposes; no more, no less. My major takeaways were primarily from the business-related insights. That said, this is NOT the read you pick up to learn about the intricacies of network protocols or how to build a neural net, or the details of B2B. But it is the one you pick up to learn about the business/product marketing side if you're a techie, or to learn about core tech industry information if you're a biz person. I'd also recommend this book if you're neither and want to delve into the tech industry without much starting knowledge.
In addition, while this gets a little meta, the authors' writing style is an exemplar of communicating technical information to non-technical audiences in a coherent, engaging way. This is an imperative skill for the program/product management role at many tech companies, and as an aspiring PM I felt that I learned by example from this book.
This book is exactly what it claims to be -- "a guide which enables anyone to understand the core concepts of tech and the business strategy behind it". It is written with the intention of being accessible, which it goes above and beyond with! Coming from a technical background, I felt that the book covers hot tech topics to exactly the right extent for its purposes; no more, no less. My major takeaways were primarily from the business-related insights. That said, this is NOT the read you pick up to learn about the intricacies of network protocols or how to build a neural net, or the details of B2B. But it is the one you pick up to learn about the business/product marketing side if you're a techie, or to learn about core tech industry information if you're a biz person. I'd also recommend this book if you're neither and want to delve into the tech industry without much starting knowledge.
In addition, while this gets a little meta, the authors' writing style is an exemplar of communicating technical information to non-technical audiences in a coherent, engaging way. This is an imperative skill for the program/product management role at many tech companies, and as an aspiring PM I felt that I learned by example from this book.
March 26, 2018
Fantastic insights into the business side of tech. Why does Amazon offer Prime if it loses them money? Why is Uber so dead-set on self-driving cars? Why did Facebook buy the VR company Oculus? Answers to all these questions are inside. The book does a great job avoiding jargon, too. Heck my mom read it and she could understand it all. Not common for a tech book.
One of the top 3 books business/techies should read, along with The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses and Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.
One of the top 3 books business/techies should read, along with The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses and Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.
October 26, 2018
I liked this book a lot and would like to read it again sometime just to refresh my memory.
The authors are able to explain technology and business concepts in an easy to understand way. They are really good at using analogies and every day examples to explain things that are not in physical life. Take API for example, if you google API, this will come up: "An application program interface (API) is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. Basically, an API specifies how software components should interact. Additionally, APIs are used when programming graphical user interface (GUI) components." Instead of using those dry language, the author picked google map API as an example and went through how apps like Yelp and Uber can use it without reinventing the wheel.
For people who are already technology savvy, this may be too simple. For me, this reads kept me interested. Previously, I didn't know the difference between http and https and how public wifi is easy to be hacked.
This book is the new 101 in this era.
The authors are able to explain technology and business concepts in an easy to understand way. They are really good at using analogies and every day examples to explain things that are not in physical life. Take API for example, if you google API, this will come up: "An application program interface (API) is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. Basically, an API specifies how software components should interact. Additionally, APIs are used when programming graphical user interface (GUI) components." Instead of using those dry language, the author picked google map API as an example and went through how apps like Yelp and Uber can use it without reinventing the wheel.
For people who are already technology savvy, this may be too simple. For me, this reads kept me interested. Previously, I didn't know the difference between http and https and how public wifi is easy to be hacked.
This book is the new 101 in this era.
February 20, 2018
Firstly, I'm not sure what the target audience for this book is - non-coders is too broad a category. I'm a product manager and I picked this book up as I have also been planning to write blogs to simplify technology and businesses for a layman. Most of the business concepts it covers can be easily understood by just reading popular tech blogs. It fell short of explaining technological concepts well and it only skimmed the surface most often.
The book generally reads like a congregation of Quora questions and answers and although I really liked the analogies used, I didn't derive much value from this book.
The book generally reads like a congregation of Quora questions and answers and although I really liked the analogies used, I didn't derive much value from this book.
February 12, 2019
Duh! If anyone reads TechCrunch, they'd be better informed than this book.
I finished it in two hours. Seems like anyone already working in tech sector is bad audience for this book.
Moreover people claiming this to be the "best book I've read this year" are almost liars. Or they probably felt super-intelligent after reading the fluff and keywords they already know - "Big Data, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Dark Web"....
I finished it in two hours. Seems like anyone already working in tech sector is bad audience for this book.
Moreover people claiming this to be the "best book I've read this year" are almost liars. Or they probably felt super-intelligent after reading the fluff and keywords they already know - "Big Data, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Dark Web"....
February 26, 2018
This book has altered how I analyze business strategy. It was fascinating learning about how Nordstrom offers free WiFi to learn how and where people are moving through the store by triangulating location for instance. I highly recommend reading this book if you want to learn how the tech in your life actually works and why it works the way it does.
November 25, 2018
I picked this book up because I was interested in reading good examples of essays explaining technology to a non-technical audience, an essential skill for good Product Managers. This book had many great analogies, covered significant ground (everything from tech business strategy to how the internet works to hardware and machine learning), and had one of the most interesting, but not the most complete, explanations of software (algorithms + APIs + A/B testing) I've read. Yet while my initial expectation was mostly met, I ultimately felt this book was lacking and would hesitate to recommend it to people interested in product management or anyone who is even moderately familiar with popular tech media (TechCrunch, Business Insider, etc.).
While the topic selection was excellent, many of the explanatory essays were insufficiently ambitious or creative and instead merely summarized popular media coverage. The writing team avoided hard explanations (a more in depth explanation of even one of the algorithms hinted at would have been greatly appreciated), substantive sources (with a few exceptions, including one section on acquisitions where they cite some SEC filings), and gave short shrift to the points of view they did not hold in contentious debates (like in their coverage of net neutrality where they don't really explain or rebut the FCC's decision to classify ISPs as "information services").
This was most painfully apparent in the section entitled "How does Pokemon Go work?". The answer the authors give is essentially camera/sensors + algorithms, the sources cited are mostly written by journalists from publications like Fast Company or by members of fan forums, and the reader ultimately emerges without any additional understanding, regardless of their background (unless they've never heard of Pokemon Go). This is compounded by the continuous anonymous and unqualified references to sources as "experts", "economists", etc. which makes it very difficult to understand who the prominent voices are in each area.
I really like the concept of this book and admire the authors for undertaking this ambitious and broad project. They succeeded in being readable, representing some information using clever metaphors, and highlighting the most important topics in the tech industry. I think a revised version of this book with a pared down topic list, more substantive sources (possibly including interviews conducted by the authors, academic literature from economics, computer science, sociology, etc., legal documents, and the like), and more critical analysis of these sources to give readers a good understanding of the debates going on in technology instead of an almost meaningless taste would be a book I would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the tech industry.
While the topic selection was excellent, many of the explanatory essays were insufficiently ambitious or creative and instead merely summarized popular media coverage. The writing team avoided hard explanations (a more in depth explanation of even one of the algorithms hinted at would have been greatly appreciated), substantive sources (with a few exceptions, including one section on acquisitions where they cite some SEC filings), and gave short shrift to the points of view they did not hold in contentious debates (like in their coverage of net neutrality where they don't really explain or rebut the FCC's decision to classify ISPs as "information services").
This was most painfully apparent in the section entitled "How does Pokemon Go work?". The answer the authors give is essentially camera/sensors + algorithms, the sources cited are mostly written by journalists from publications like Fast Company or by members of fan forums, and the reader ultimately emerges without any additional understanding, regardless of their background (unless they've never heard of Pokemon Go). This is compounded by the continuous anonymous and unqualified references to sources as "experts", "economists", etc. which makes it very difficult to understand who the prominent voices are in each area.
I really like the concept of this book and admire the authors for undertaking this ambitious and broad project. They succeeded in being readable, representing some information using clever metaphors, and highlighting the most important topics in the tech industry. I think a revised version of this book with a pared down topic list, more substantive sources (possibly including interviews conducted by the authors, academic literature from economics, computer science, sociology, etc., legal documents, and the like), and more critical analysis of these sources to give readers a good understanding of the debates going on in technology instead of an almost meaningless taste would be a book I would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the tech industry.
February 26, 2018
One of my friends recommended this book to me because I was interested in going into tech. The book was really insightful and a very quick read, covering topics like machine learning, algorithms, and cloud services. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn more about what technologies are being used in the tech space!
November 19, 2018
I believe this book to only be useful to those not already working in the tech industry and are in no way interacting with popular tech news. This book is a "primer" in that if you have never heard of the topics or companies listed in the table of contents, it will provide you with only the most basic of understanding when you finish reading a chapter. I tried to keep an open mind from beginning to end while reading this book but was ultimately left underwhelmed and disappointed. While well intentioned, Swipe to Unlock reads like yet another book-as-a-business card piece of fluff that doesn't really provide value to readers with even the most basic understanding of today's tech industry. Given the background of the authors, I expected a more in-depth breakdown and analysis of the products and competitive landscape of the companies and events mentioned. I'll give the authors credit for creating easy to understand metaphors between older forms of business and their modern day tech counterparts and useful citations to do additional reading.
February 26, 2018
This book was incredibly informative giving facts and points about the industry and many things I had always had a question on, but didn't know where/how to find the answer. It was very easy to read with the topics of the books laid out nicely and with many examples that you will be able to remember when telling others about the contents of the book.
I don't work in tech, but the industry is fascinating to me, and this book provided a deeper knowledge into some topics that I have read in the news. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in tech and would like to have a broader knowledge when reading about the industry or discussing with others
I don't work in tech, but the industry is fascinating to me, and this book provided a deeper knowledge into some topics that I have read in the news. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in tech and would like to have a broader knowledge when reading about the industry or discussing with others
May 6, 2020
That Swiped my mind, opening my thoughts, giving me a clearer picture of what is happening in the digital world. If you think that this book is for the tech-enthusiasts, then you are in the right place, this book is for you. I mean come on! don't you wanna know how Google works? or maybe why it's free?
I somehow remember the analogies they have used rather than the actual concepts, and that's how this book gave me the key to complicated digital stuff.
I somehow remember the analogies they have used rather than the actual concepts, and that's how this book gave me the key to complicated digital stuff.
May 31, 2020
A brush to paint the entire tech industry. Covers the surfaces of all technologies, swipe the book to unlock your tech knowledge.
September 8, 2020
Great introductory book for people interested in understanding the apps, devices, and other technologies we use everyday.
November 17, 2019
Whether you work in tech or not, this is a worthwhile read to understand the tech-driven (/hindered?) world around us!
January 29, 2020
I enjoyed reading this book meaning I found it quite entertaining. It took to me about 4 hours to complete it. The problem is that being a Product Manager myself I haven't learned much. The chapters are mostly trivia to questions that normally are found (including the answers) in Techcrunch and similar websites. It didn't help to develop a strategy or even an approach to Product Management, so if your ultimate purpose is to become one, I advice you to read Innovators' Dilemma and Crossing the Chasm at least but not this book.
On the other hand I gave this book to my son that is 12 years old and seems he is enjoying it.
So in conclusion, if you are an average technologist you don't need this book. If you are a total beginner then it might help to get a general knowledge about basic business strategy, marketing and technology. For sure you won't be able to pass any job interview as Product Manager with Google, Facebook, Amazon and any other company using solely the content of this book.
Honestly I'm quite surprised of the positive reviews and the high rating. Maybe there is something I quite didn't get right.
On the other hand I gave this book to my son that is 12 years old and seems he is enjoying it.
So in conclusion, if you are an average technologist you don't need this book. If you are a total beginner then it might help to get a general knowledge about basic business strategy, marketing and technology. For sure you won't be able to pass any job interview as Product Manager with Google, Facebook, Amazon and any other company using solely the content of this book.
Honestly I'm quite surprised of the positive reviews and the high rating. Maybe there is something I quite didn't get right.
December 31, 2018
Being a doctor in a business school came with its own set of esoteric experiences, but one thing that always intrigued me was 'Product Management'- one of the most sought after job profiles by most of the engineers at ISB, more so because I had absolutely no clue about what does it entail and what a Product Manager actually does. I tried my best to understand some terms and digital value chains, but trying to understand these in depth was like asking for too much from a fast-track 51 week course.
I heard about this book called 'Swipe to Unlock' last week and immediately bought a Kindle copy. This book is an honest attempt towards making non-tech people understand the nuances of technology, product management, digital value chain etc and thanks to the book I have a much better understanding of the intricacies and work flow that are involved in a typical product management job.
Thanks Parth Detroja Neel Mehta Aditya Agashe for writing this.
I heard about this book called 'Swipe to Unlock' last week and immediately bought a Kindle copy. This book is an honest attempt towards making non-tech people understand the nuances of technology, product management, digital value chain etc and thanks to the book I have a much better understanding of the intricacies and work flow that are involved in a typical product management job.
Thanks Parth Detroja Neel Mehta Aditya Agashe for writing this.
July 19, 2018
The authors not only did a wonderful job of making complicated concepts very easy to understand, but they also wrote in a way that is engaging and inspiring to read. I was deeply engaged by Swipe to Unlock since its first page, and kept on reading it non-stop. This book was so helpful and pleasing to read that it made me, a Social Science student, develop a genuine interest in the world of tech and tech business strategies.
The only suggestion I would give is that I wish the book had talked more about blockchain. After reading the chapter on hacking and security, I was intrigued by bitcoin and wish to learn more about the evolving cryptocurrency market.
If you want a book that engages you in a thought-provoking way about the insights behind major business strategies and trends in the tech world, I would highly recommend you buy Swipe to Unlock.
The only suggestion I would give is that I wish the book had talked more about blockchain. After reading the chapter on hacking and security, I was intrigued by bitcoin and wish to learn more about the evolving cryptocurrency market.
If you want a book that engages you in a thought-provoking way about the insights behind major business strategies and trends in the tech world, I would highly recommend you buy Swipe to Unlock.
January 30, 2021
The book does a good job answering interesting questions ("Will AI/robots really take over our jobs"/"Why did Facebook acquire Instagram"/"Why did Microsoft acquire LinkedIn"/"How does Spotify recommend songs") and explains a lot of the related key technological and business concepts in very simple language. As the title of the book suggests, a nice primer to start your journey in understanding essential tech jargon like cloud, deepfakes, neural networks etc. For those who already familiar, it makes for a great light read especially in the context of business strategy!
January 31, 2021
A quick read - ambitious in its scope, but achieves what it sets out to do. There are a few things that are a little too obvious (e.g. the sections on autonomous vehicles), but there is also an impressive list of intriguing content for folks without tech backgrounds like me (e.g. how GANs work, kinds of APIs, how the internet works, etc.).
July 11, 2020
Definitely deserves a five star. Firstly, the content of the book was exactly what I was looking for. Secondly, the authors have really made an effort to make technology easy to understand. The writing has a great flow and style. Will recommend almost everyone to read the book.
September 12, 2020
A comprehensive, well written, light, and fun to read book about tech and business strategy. The content seems best in a blog posts format; for a book, I expected the authors to dive deeper into each strategy / technology. Appreciated the lightness though.
April 28, 2021
The book is an easy read and a great primer to technology for most people. I'm clearly not its target audience (I've worked in Tech for almost 2 decades), but I still enjoyed reading the "case-studies" and I learned a few things along the way. Probably the most education part was the one dedicated to emerging markets, as I wasn't familiar with the dynamics between the various players in regions like SEA.
I know this book is touted as a potential prep resource for Product Management interviews in tech, but I definitely don't see how this can be true - the book is pretty shallow and doesn't go in any depth when it comes to Product Management. It does reference many resources for interview preparation, though, and the authors have a "deep dive" follow-up book. At any rate - I think that PM candidates will need additional resources to learn what the job is about.
In the end of the day I'll say that the book certainly achieves one thing - reminds you of all the awesome things that technology can do for everyone, and inspires you to follow-up in the footsteps of the companies that changed the world.
I know this book is touted as a potential prep resource for Product Management interviews in tech, but I definitely don't see how this can be true - the book is pretty shallow and doesn't go in any depth when it comes to Product Management. It does reference many resources for interview preparation, though, and the authors have a "deep dive" follow-up book. At any rate - I think that PM candidates will need additional resources to learn what the job is about.
In the end of the day I'll say that the book certainly achieves one thing - reminds you of all the awesome things that technology can do for everyone, and inspires you to follow-up in the footsteps of the companies that changed the world.
April 18, 2022
Very simple and basic fundaes mentioned. If you have no or little technical knowledge, then it's a good book for you or else don't bother reading it.
January 20, 2024
A layman’s guide to technology and business strategy behind it. An easy read that covers wide array of technologies.
November 22, 2020
Through this book, the authors very cleverly devise crystal clear analogies and turn even the daunting concepts into graspable chunks of well crafted paragraphs.
A boon for people from non-tech background, wanting to deepen their knowledge or step into the technical world.
A boon for people from non-tech background, wanting to deepen their knowledge or step into the technical world.
June 17, 2020
The book lives up to its name of being a great primer for non-tech folks to get a glimpse into the tech world. A very light read for anyone who is interested to know about digital businesses and products. Kudos to the trio who came up with this book at such a young age.
August 4, 2022
This book is a collection of short stories about different IT companies and their technologies. For people who work in IT for a long time these facts might not be surprising.
February 25, 2021
had some good relevant info but also you can tell it’s written by a group of young dudes
May 4, 2020
Swipe to Unlock is not so much a book as a collection of popular tech questions and answers. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with this. However, the marketing for the book is ridiculous puffery:
"our generation's Rosetta Stone for enabling non-engineers to peer into the technology changing everyday life" by Jeremy Schifeling."
This smug dishonest salesmanship spills over into the pages of the book which claims to give technical insight which will set you apart from the pack in interviews. The examples studied are popular technology topics which would largely be assumed background knowledge. I also do not believe the limited analysis lives up to this claim.
So is there actually any value in this book? I think yes, the selection of topics are interesting and the authors provide useful high level explanations. The topics include explanations of the cloud, Google's search algorithm and Amazon's delivery service. However, these answers are equally accessible with google searches. Hence, it is hard to justify spending money on the book, although it does a basic purpose - gaining a basic overview of tech topics. 2 stars.
"our generation's Rosetta Stone for enabling non-engineers to peer into the technology changing everyday life" by Jeremy Schifeling."
This smug dishonest salesmanship spills over into the pages of the book which claims to give technical insight which will set you apart from the pack in interviews. The examples studied are popular technology topics which would largely be assumed background knowledge. I also do not believe the limited analysis lives up to this claim.
So is there actually any value in this book? I think yes, the selection of topics are interesting and the authors provide useful high level explanations. The topics include explanations of the cloud, Google's search algorithm and Amazon's delivery service. However, these answers are equally accessible with google searches. Hence, it is hard to justify spending money on the book, although it does a basic purpose - gaining a basic overview of tech topics. 2 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 285 reviews