NetApp Cofounder's Book is a Candid Memoir Laced with Real-Life Business Lessons
SYDNEY, Australia - January 20,
2009 - NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) today announced the
availability of How to Castrate a Bull: Unexpected Lessons on Risk,
Growth, and Survival (Jossey-Bass; hardcover; January 2009)
authored by Dave Hitz, founder and executive vice president of
NetApp. In the new book, Hitz delivers a compelling tale of
NetApp's creation, search for funding, struggle for survival, and
ultimate success delivering storage and data management solutions
to customers worldwide.
Visit www.howtocastrateabull.com to learn more about
the book, read Hitz's blog, and participate in a community where
you can dialog with Hitz and other readers.
"In a sense, NetApp and I grew up together,"
said Hitz. "Being there from the very beginning has given me an
amazing tour through business. I've seen, and participated in,
venture capital financing, management shakeups, hypergrowth, going
public, economic disaster, strategic reversal, and recovery. The
book gives insight into NetApp's great culture and work
environment, which have enabled it to become one of the most
successful technology companies."
Filled with colorful examples and anecdotes,
Hitz's book is a story for anyone interested in understanding
business, the reasons why companies succeed and fail, and how
powerful lessons often come from strange and unexpected places-even
from the open range. Hitz cofounded NetApp in 1992 with James Lau
and Michael Malcolm. Before his career in Silicon Valley, Hitz
worked as a cowboy, where he got valuable management experience by
herding, branding, and castrating cattle. Hitz's career path has
been anything but conventional. And while he did get a computer
science degree from Princeton, the skills and the strategies that
have helped him steer NetApp from startup to a mature industry
player were those Hitz learned in the most unexpected places.
The book includes many business lessons, and
here are a few things you'll learn:
- How the lifespan of a Silicon Valley leader might resemble that
of an alpha bull leading the herd
- Why spotting mistakes and then changing course can be more
important than getting everything exactly right the first time
- When venture funding is absolutely necessary to get a product
shipped and why getting it is a completely bittersweet
experience
- How going after the low end of an existing market can turn into
a brilliant strategy that makes a company strong
How to Castrate a Bull is available for
purchase online and in bookstores today.
About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions
that accelerate business breakthroughs and deliver outstanding cost
efficiency. Discover NetApp's passion for helping companies around
the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.
Press Contact:
Gabriel Wong
Max Australia
02 9954 3492
gabriel.wong@maxaustralia.com.au
NetApp, the NetApp logo, and Go further,
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