The Stanford freshmen who want to rule the world . . . will probably read this book and try even harder | TechCrunch

"Baker's portrait of Stanford is far more granular. He talks with hundreds of people to roundly describe the 'Stanford inside Stanford,' an invite-only world where venture capitalists wine and dine 18-year-olds, where 'pre-idea funding' worth hundreds of thousands of dollars gets handed to students before they've had a single original thought."

"Steve Blank, who teaches the school's legendary startup course, tells Baker that 'Stanford is an incubator with dorms,' which is not meant as a compliment. This statement encapsulates the intense pressure and expectations placed on students within the university's ecosystem."

Theo Baker, graduating from Stanford, has a book deal and a George Polk Award for his investigative journalism. His book, How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University, examines the internal culture of Stanford, highlighting the pressures and dynamics that shape student experiences. Baker's research includes interviews with numerous individuals, revealing a world where venture capitalists engage with students and where the line between mentorship and exploitation is blurred. The book questions whether such insights can lead to meaningful change or merely glamorize ambition further.

Read at TechCrunch