Behind the cloud
by Marc R. Benioff · first published 2009
60% recommend40% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Founder's account of how Salesforce was built, with practical business insights on SaaS, startups and growth; recommended for founders and anyone building a software company.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"How did salesforce.com grow from a start up in a rented apartment into the world's fastest growing software company in less than a decade? For the first time, Marc Benioff, the visionary founder, chairman and CEO of salesforce.com, tells how he and his team created and used new business, technology, and philanthropic models tailored to this time of extraordinary change. Showing how salesforce.com not only survived the dotcom implosion of 2001, but went on to define itself as the leader of the cloud computing revolution and spark a $46-billion dollar industry, Benioff's story will help busines
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Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Do...
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why” ↗Stop wasting your time with blog posts like this and just read Behind the Cloud: http://smile.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-...
on “SaaS companies can grow faster by asking customers to prepay” ↗…Korean War" Stanley Karnnow - "In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines" Esmerelda Santiago - "When I was Puerto Rican" Lara Pawson - "In the Name of the People" (about Angola) Marc Benioff - "Behind the Cloud" (surprisingly good for a business book) Keith Anderson - "The Digital Cathedral" (book a friend of mine wrote, hard to describe, but suprised me at how good it is) Adam Hochschild - "King Leopold's…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗I´ve read the book "Behind the Cloud" by Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler. It tells the story of how salesforce.com was founded and how it has developed into the strong brand it is today. The book is full of valuable insights into many different…
on “Ask HN: What was the best book you've read this year?” ↗I found the three books recommended by Aaron Levie in his Enterprise Startup[1] lecture to be spot on: - Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore - The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen - Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff [1] http://startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec12/
on “Ask HN: What are some good books on starting an Enterprise Software Startup?” ↗If you're building SaaS, I recommend the following for largely non-technical content: 1. SaaStr.com (blog) 2. Behind the Cloud (book) 3. Rework (book)
on “Ask HN: What are your go-to blogs and books on building business applications?” ↗…Syed: Cognitive dissonance, why do we think the way we do. Why can’t we change our minds even when we are wrong? Clay Water Brick - Jessica Jackley: Want to learn what it takes to change the world? Behind the Cloud - Marc Benioff: Marc Benioff is a genius. Postcapitalism - Paul Mason: Does capitalism work? This seems even more pertinent following recent political upheaval. First Brexit now Trump, this gravitas…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…Chambers) - M&A chapter Marketing - Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery) - Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout) - Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins) - Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares) - Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler) - Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy) - Marketing High Technology (William Davidow) Psychology - Influence (Robert Cialdini) Negotiation First, read Influence (under…
on “Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?” ↗Say what you like about Benioff (he seems pretty annoying) or his products (happy former customer), but if you want to read a single book that will increase your chances of success in SaaS, his book Behind the Cloud is my pick.
on “Salesforce will hire no more software engineers in 2025, says Marc Benioff” ↗…profile), but you’ll pay shipping cost from the bay area. Any unclaimed books will go to the local library. Startups The Startup Owner’s Manual (Steve Blank), Founders at Work (Jessica Livingston), Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff) Design The Elements of Typographic Style (Bringhust), Missing Manual: Photoshop CS5, Classroom in a Book: Illustrator CS5 Non-fiction Influence: Science and Practice (Cialdini), What…
on “Tell HN: Free Books (apartment clearing)” ↗In many cases I'd agree. But this one has a little bit of historical context. This is how Salesforce marketed themselves. Benioff's book "Behind the cloud" talks about doing exactly this to disrupt the status quo.
on “Beg HN: Rethink your job posting strategy” ↗…section that starts talking about Uncertainty and repeat the process. And I'll keep picking through a couple of these other 49 books in random moments of idle time here and there. I'll probably finish Behind The Cloud by Marc Benioff soon. Reading frequency? Not sure what you mean. I read everyday with few exceptions, but since books vary in length and density, I can't say "I read two books a week" or anything like…
on “Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?” ↗That's funny, as Salesforce used a similar tactic when they first started with their 'End of Software' campaign against Siebel. Benioff himself detailed this strategy in Behind the Cloud, where he suggests, 'Always Go After Goliath.' Tobi Lütke doesn't do these kinds of things just because he likes games and nerdy stuff or because he just wants his stock to go up (who doesn't).
on “Shopify Is Winning Salesforce Clients, Stoking E-Commerce Rivalry” ↗I once heard (maybe on a podcast) that these three books should be read in succession, but can't find the claim anywhere. - Crossing the Chasm - The Innovator's Dilemma - Behind the Cloud Hope someone can help me out
on “Who said these 3 books should be read in succession?” ↗- Crossing the Chasm - Innovator's Dilemma - Behind the Cloud All from the recommendations in the latest Startup Course lecture. Rather than 'reading them', I'm listening to them via audible.com.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗