Inside the Cult of Kibu: And Other Tales of the Millennial Gold Rush

Yes, it really happened. Thousands of bright and creative people were lured by the promise of incredible freedom--and even more incredible wealth--into an alternative universe of "all hands" pep rallies, afternoon sushi runs, and Foosball tournaments cum strategy sessions. From the open-floor offices (complete with scooter stations) to the mysterious lairs of the all-powerful venture capitalists to the lavish launch parties, Inside the Cult of Kibu offers a backstage pass to America's capitalist culture at its wackiest. Drawing from dozens of interviews culled from the front lines, Lori Gottlieb and Jesse Jacobs present a rich tapestry of anecdotes and insights, revealing a world of extremes, from euphoria to disillusionment. Framed by a narrative structure that mimics the typical rise and fall of a dot.com, Inside the Cult of Kibu showcases the stories of the programmers and receptionists, Hollywood moguls, twenty-something CEO's, and everyone in between who experienced the virtual-reality show firsthand. Industry veterans themselves, Gottlieb and Jacobs present an irreverent and penetrating account of a business and cultural phenomenon that is now imprinted--for better or worse--on our collective psyche.From Inside the Cult of Kibu: We had moved into our industrial space in West 26th Street in New York, and there were lots of technology and internet companies suddenly crowded into this wonderfully exciting, multicultural building filled with all kinds of people--old little businesses and new dotcoms. One day, there was a banker from one of the big six Wall Street entities, literally walking the hallway, cold-calling, knocking on doors, and, basically offering funding. At that moment, I said to myself, "Man, oh man, this is crazy." That was the moment that I noted in mind as "OK, this is some high watermark of gold-rush madness."

Lori Gottlieb is the author of the best-selling memoir Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self and has written for a variety of publications, including the New York Times, Elle, Time, People, Mademoiselle, Redbook, CosmoGirl, Seventeen, Salon, and Slate. A former medical-school student at Stanford, she served as Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of the now defunct Kibu.com, a "digital hangout for teenage girls." Her most recent essay in The Industry Standard, an exposé of this experience, was nominated in 2001 for a National Magazine Award. She lives in Los Angeles. Jesse Jacobs is vice-president of content at IFILM, the Net's leading online film company. He has served as co-founder and director of the Yahoo! Internet Life Online Film Festival. His projects have been profiled in the New York Times and The Industry Standard, on "Good Morning America" and "The Today Show." He lives in Los Angeles. Lori Gottlieb is the author of the best-selling memoir Stick Figure: A Diary of My Former Self and has written for a variety of publications, including the New York Times, Elle, Time, People, Mademoiselle, Redbook, CosmoGirl, Seventeen, Salon, and Slate. A former medical-school student at Stanford, she served as Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of the now defunct Kibu.com, a "digital hangout for teenage girls." Her most recent essay in The Industry Standard, an exposé of this experience, was nominated in 2001 for a National Magazine Award. She lives in Los Angeles. Jesse Jacobs is vice-president of content at IFILM, the Net's leading online film company. He has served as co-founder and director of the Yahoo! Internet Life Online Film Festival. His projects have been profiled in the New York Times and The Industry Standard, on "Good Morning America" and "The Today Show." He lives in Los Angeles.