Book · 1993 · Biography & Autobiography
Hard Drive
Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire
Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson has been mentioned in 9 episodes across 6 podcasts (4 episodes recommend it and 5 episodes discuss it), through . Most frequently brought up by David Senra (6 episodes), Andrew Farah (1 episode) and Amjad Masad (1 episode) on Founders (3 episodes), My First Million (2 episodes) and Lex Fridman Podcast (1 episode).
- episodes
- 9
- podcasts
- 6
- people
- 4
- episodes recommend it
- 4
If you're only going to read one book, I would definitely read Hard Drive over this book.
Questions about Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson
Who recommends Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson on podcasts?
David Senra (3 episodes) and Andrew Farah (1 episode) have recommended Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson on podcasts. In all, 4 people brought it up across 6 podcasts (2 people recommended it).
Which podcasts mention Hard Drive the most?
Founders (3 episodes), My First Million (2 episodes), Lex Fridman Podcast (1 episode), Modern Wisdom (1 episode) and The Tim Ferriss Show (1 episode), among 6 podcasts in all.
Is Hard Drive recommended, or only discussed?
Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson was recommended in 4 episodes and discussed without a recommendation in 5 episodes, as of 2026-05-07.
What do people say about Hard Drive?
David Senra on Founders (2021-04-05): "If you're only going to read one book, I would definitely read Hard Drive over this book."
When was Hard Drive last mentioned on a podcast?
Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson was last discussed on My First Million by Amjad Masad on 2026-05-07.
What they say about it
- Covers early life“covers the first 35 years”2
- Highly recommended book“one of my favorite books”2
The best things said about it
It is one of my favorite books that I've read for the podcast so far.
There's so many more interesting stories in the book I highly recommend picking up and reading it if you like this podcast.
This is another really good old-school, very unknown biography, Hard Drive.
I reread Hard Drive, Overdrive, which is also written by the same guys that wrote Hard Drive.
The reason I like that book is because it covers the first 35 years of Bill Gates' life.
The way I would describe the intensity that a young Bill Gates had.
Where and when it comes up
Most episodes, by podcast
4 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson is a biography detailing the early years of Microsoft and the relentless rise of Bill Gates. On Founders, David Senra repeatedly praised the biography, calling it one of his favorite podcast reads and advising listeners to read it before exploring other books on the subject. Andrew Farah recommended the biography on This Week in Startups after it was suggested to him by Ilya Fishman as the definitive account of Microsoft's founding era. Amjad Masad mentioned the title on My First Million as an underrated 1990s biography on founders, and David Senra later referenced the work on the same podcast and on The Tim Ferriss Show to illustrate the intense, competitive drive of successful entrepreneurs. Dave Plummer recalled reading the book on the Lex Fridman Podcast while working a college job at a phone company, and the text's deep dive into the first thirty-five years of the subject's life was highlighted across multiple discussions.
Every mention
David Senra And that book is called Hard Drive, Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire. It is one of my favo… 6
“I reread Hard Drive, Overdrive, which is also written by the same guys that wrote Hard Drive.”
“and so there's a book called hard drive Bill Gates in the making of Microsoft Empire that covers the first 35 years of though beats life right”
“um was this book called hard drive uh Bill Gates in the building of the Microsoft Empire”
“I want to get to Bill Gates though, because one of my favorite books I've ever read for the podcast was hard drive Bill Gates and the making of the Microsoft Empire, it's like Founders 142 or something like that, but the reason I like that book is because it covers the first 35 years of Bill Gates life and”
“And that book is called Hard Drive, Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire. It is one of my favorite books that I've read for the podcast so far.”
“I think in the podcast on Hard Drive, the way I would describe the intensity that a young Bill Gates had, which even says if you listen to modern day Bill Gates talk”
“If you're only going to read one book, I would definitely read hard drive over this book. If you read hard drive and you want more, then I would read this book”
“Alright, so that is from the book that I'm going to talk to you about today, which is hard drive, Bill Gates and the making of the Microsoft empire, and it was written by James Wallace and Jim Erickson.”
“There's so many more interesting stories in the book I highly recommend picking up and reading it if you like this podcast if you want if you buy the book using the link that's in the show notes are available funderspodcast.com you'll be benefiting or supporting the podcast”
Andrew Farah you know if you read like hard drive which is by um which was recommended to me by ilya fishman over at kle… 1
“you know if you read like hard drive which is by um which was recommended to me by ilya fishman over at kleiner which is about bill gates in the early years of microsoft”
Amjad Masad This is another really good old-school, very unknown uh biography, Hard Drive. It's like a '90s about Bill… 1
“This is another really good old-school, very unknown uh biography, Hard Drive. It's like a '90s about Bill Gates.”
Dave Plummer And at lunch, I'm sitting in the food court with the old and the bored, and I'm reading a book that I had b… 1
“And at lunch, I'm sitting in the food court with the old and the bored, and I'm reading a book that I had bought called "Microsoft, or Bill Gates, and the Making of Microsoft Hard Drive," I think is the title.”