Summary of Steve Case's The Third Wave relates AOL co-founder and former CEO Steve Caseâs reflections on his career and the future of the technology industry in America. Part memoir, part analysis of the industry, The Third Wave is also a cautionary tale to would-be entrepreneurs who believe the culture of solo founders and tech disruption will always be valued in the future. The book is named for futurist Alvin Tofflerâs 1980 text The Third Wave. In Tofflerâs text, all of humanityâs past, present, and future can be divided into three waves.
In Caseâs Third Wave, the history of the Internet is likewise broken into three waves. In the First Wave, entrepreneurs such as those at AOL had to build the infrastructure of a consumer-facing Internet from the ground up. These early Internet pioneers had to communicate and partner across industries to ensure that the governmentâŠ