Currently reading this book by Alan Knott-Craig Jr or technically III (he shares in his book that his grandfather was also called Alan Knott-Craig). AK-C is a South African mobile/tech entrepreneur. Most notably, he was the CEO of a huge tech company in SA called Mxit (google it) before leaving (or being kicked out) in 2012. Mxit was a huge social network, before Facebook/Twitter and smartphones got their grip on South Africans. Now he has dreams/plans of bringing free wi-fi to all corners of the continent through Project Isizwe.
What I have enjoyed most about this book is how real AK-C is. He talks about the good, bad and the ugly. Making rash/horrible business decisions, not being able to raise capital, marital problems, being broke and a whole host of other "success is not a linear or easy journey" type of things. He does not try to paint himself as some genius who was so talented and intelligent that it was all so easy and I appreciate how genuine and humble he is. Another thing I have really enjoyed is his love for the technology and his belief in how transformative it is. I'm right there with him on that.
An excerpt from the book
"The miracle, for me, never fades. I tap the face of a small device, fashioned from glass and silicon and plastic... Someone talks to me, or reads my words on their screen. We connect. In these criss-crossing threads are woven the fabric of a community, a society, an economy, a nation. And beyond that, the world itself. But technology isn't the dream. The dream is what you can do with it. Run a small business. Find a job. Educate a child. Pay your bills. Bank. Run a big business. Learn, teach, share, counsel, build. Connect."
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