About Dan
Dan Lyons’s hilarious memoir, “Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Startup Bubble,” became an instant New York Times best-seller when it was published in April 2016. The Los Angeles Times called it “the best book about Silicon Valley today.” He followed up with “Lab Rats: Tech Gurus, Junk Science and Management Fads — My Quest to Make Work Less Miserable.” Together they present a smart-funny take on modern work, disruption, technology, and the culture of Silicon Valley.
Previously Dan was technology editor at Newsweek and a technology reporter at Forbes. In 2006, Dan created The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, a blog that evolved into a novel and a cable TV comedy show, Icon. He spent two seasons as a screenwriter on HBO’s hit comedy Silicon Valley.
As a journalist Dan has covered emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and fusion energy. At Newsweek and Forbes he wrote about Apple, Google, and Facebook, producing stories on everything from supercomputing to smartphones. He has appeared as a guest on Al Jazeera, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, Bloomberg TV, Fox Business News and National Public Radio, and has written for the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired and the New Yorker.
Dan has published three works of fiction. Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs, was published in 2007 to critical acclaim, earning him comparisons to literary heavyweights like Voltaire, Cervantes and Jonathan Swift. His previous books are Dog Days (a novel) and The Last Good Man (short stories). Dan has a B.A. from Bradford College and an M.F.A. from University of Michigan.
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Testimonials
My cheeks hurt from laughing!”
“This was hilarious, thanks for organizing!”
“Such a great perk for employees!”
These were just some of the comments I received from the team. No, this wasn’t a Las Vegas comedy show — this was Dan Lyons talking about startup culture, corporate life, and backstage stories from the Silicon Valley show. Not only was it hilarious, engaging and refreshing, it also hit home on so many levels. Loved to have Dan here!
Dan Lyons was an excellent fit for our executive audience! He was funny, humble, and shared important messages on real corporate culture: what it is, and what it isn’t. He raised important issues about what it means to be an employee in the modern era, questioned the changing relationship between employers and employees, and even raised his concerns about wealth inequality. He did all of this with humility, in a way that executives and employees of all experience levels could relate to and appreciate. Working with Dan was a pleasure, from beginning to end I would not hesitate to invite him to future events.
Dan spoke at our Cambridge office in May 2016 as part of our Talks at Google program. He was the perfect guest — self-effacing, funny, and insightful both in his prepared remarks and thoughtful responses to the many questions afterward. He’s a wise, genuine, down-to-earth guy who charmed our tough audience, and I have no doubt he’ll have the same effect on yours.
Dan Lyons -- the shining star of our European startup festival -- was brave enough to present his critical opinion on a doubtful ecosystem condition. Yet he still won everyone’s hearts and earned a big round of applause! Dan’s practical knowledge and down-to-earth analysis of the startup industry was something that brought crowds to the lecture room and resulted in attracting media attention. If you want a charismatic speaker who will rock the stage and stir up a hornet’s nest with crucial facts and inspiring thoughts, invite Dan.
The response to Dan Lyons keynoting our annual user conference, SugarCon, was so positive that we invited Dan back to speak again. Dan delivers insightful commentary on the broader technology industry wrapped in humor. Dan’s humor keeps people engaged, but they leave debating important issues such as diversity and business ethics. I would not hesitate to recommend Dan as a keynote speaker.
With Dan Lyons, the formula for success is simple. Take a powerful and experienced journalist, plus a dash of opinion and spunk, add in curiosity about technology and corporate culture, and I guarantee your audience will come away more than satisfied.
Dan's keynote at our customer conference, Degreed LENS, was hilarious, insightful, inspiring. Dan was easy to work with, and he put tons of thought, work, and heart into really connecting with our audience. It paid off BIG. They loved him.
Dan's talk at our Open Source Leadership Forum was a SLAM DUNK. He killed it. Dan was on a roll and the audience loved it. We hope to hire him again for future events!
LAB RATS: HOW SILICON VALLEY MADE WORK MISERABLE FOR THE REST OF US
At a time of soaring corporate profits and plenty of HR lip service about “wellness,” millions of workers–in virtually every industry–are deeply unhappy. Why did work become so miserable? Who is responsible? And does any company have a model for doing it right?
For two years, Lyons ventured in search of answers. From the innovation-crazed headquarters of the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, to a cult-like “Holocracy” workshop in San Francisco, and to corporate trainers who specialize in … Legos, Lyons immersed himself in the often half-baked and frequently lucrative world of what passes for management science today. He shows how new tools, workplace practices, and business models championed by tech’s empathy-impaired power brokers have shattered the social contract that once existed between companies and their employees. These dystopian beliefs–often masked by pithy slogans like “We’re a Team, Not a Family”–have dire consequences: millions of workers who are subject to constant change, dehumanizing technologies–even health risks.
A few companies, however, get it right. With Lab Rats, Lyons makes a passionate plea for business leaders to understand this dangerous transformation, showing how profit and happy employees can indeed coexist.
Buy From:
DISRUPTED: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble
NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLER
For twenty-five years Dan Lyons was a magazine writer at the top of his profession – until one Friday morning when his editor at Newsweek told him that his job as technology editor no longer existed. A kooky, cult-like software startup in Boston offered Dan a pile of stock options and gave him the vague title of “marketing fellow.” What could possibly go wrong? In a word, everything.
Mixed in with Dan’s uproarious tale of a job from hell is a trenchant analysis of startup culture and a poignant, painfully honest account of being middle-aged and struggling to pursue personal reinvention. Disrupted was an instant New York Times best-seller in the United States, and lauded by the Los Angeles Times as “the best book about Silicon Valley today.” It was a hit in the U.K., and has been translated into 11 languages, hailed by critics around the world.
“The best book about Silicon Valley today.”
– Los Angeles Times
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Contact Dan Lyons
Speaking Engagements
If you’d like to contact Dan for a speaking engagement, please visit BrightSight Group.
Or contact:
Tom Neilssen
tom@brightsightgroup.com
609-924-3060 x16
Overall Representation
Dan Lyons is represented by Christy Fletcher at Fletcher and Co.
Fletcher and Co.
78 Fifth Ave., 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10011
Talent, Film & Television
Dan Lyons is represented by ICM Partners.
Book Publicity
For inquiries related to Disrupted or Lab Rats please contact:
Michelle Aielli
Executive Director of Publicity
Hachette Book Group
212-364-1223
michelle.aielli@hbgusa.com
@realdanlyons
For book publicity inquiries, please contact:
Michelle Aielli
Executive Director of Publicity
Hachette Books
212-364-1223
michelle.aielli@hbgusa.com
For speaking inquiries, please visit the
Meeting Planners page