The following post contains affiliate links, which sends me a small percentage of any sales at no cost to you.
If you’ve spent any time browsing my reading list, you may have noticed a theme: I read a lot of books that could fall under the category of “white guy being a douche.”
It’s not on purpose—but in the world of tech, media, and business nonfiction, that tends to be the dominant archetype. Hatching Twitter fits that bill, but in a way that’s honest, fascinating, and—dare I say—entertaining.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for years, and I finally felt ready to crack it open. I’m glad I did.
Written by Nick Bilton, Hatching Twitter tells the true (and often wild) story behind the founding of Twitter. If you’re imagining a group of scrappy tech geniuses building a world-changing platform out of friendship and vision—well, it’s kind of the opposite.
The book traces Twitter’s early, chaotic days through the eyes of its four co-founders: Ev Williams, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, and Noah Glass. Sure, there are big ideas. But there are also a lot of power plays, betrayals, and backroom deals. Spoiler: It gets petty.
One thing I really enjoyed was seeing how Twitter’s original idea evolved—especially as someone who blogs and genuinely believes in people having the ability to write and publish their thoughts. Twitter, at its core, is microblogging.
And despite everything it’s become, I still have a soft spot for it.
In fact, I still have my original Twitter account. I don’t post as much these days (unless it’s about women’s basketball, college football, or something random I’m doing), but I can’t bring myself to delete it.
It’s sentimental—my dad helped me set it up in 2008, and I still remember him laughing that I used my cat’s name for my handle. We kept up with each other’s tweets, and it’s one of those little memories I cherish.
So yes, I’ll probably always have a complicated loyalty to the app, even now.
Having worked at two startups based in San Francisco, the setting of this book felt familiar in the best (and worst) ways. Silicon Valley is unlike any other work environment—it’s passion-fueled, fast-paced, and often fueled by a whole lot of money without much structure.
Bilton captures that energy perfectly, showing how Twitter became a cultural juggernaut while nearly collapsing under the weight of its own leadership.
Even though the book was published before Elon Musk bought Twitter, it gave me a clearer picture of how the company got to that point.
You can really trace the seeds of instability back to its earliest days. And while I did occasionally roll my eyes at the drama (again—so much ego!), I came away with a deeper understanding of the platform’s history and impact.
If you’re into tech, startups, media history, or just messy founder stories, Hatching Twitter is worth the read. Just be prepared: it’s less about tweets and more about tension.
For more book recommendations, be sure to subscribe to the blog (look to the right) and follow me on Goodreads @thebitterlemon – where I share more of my book picks.
The Bitter Lemon 