The San Francisco Fallacy

THE SAN FRANCISCO FALLACY IS NOT ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO.

Rather, it’s about the herd instincts that drive tech companies to set up shop there, and the mistakes these herd instincts lead to. Most importantly, it’s about how to avoid making these same mistakes yourself.

In The San Francisco Fallacy, serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist Jonathan Siegel looks at the 10 biggest fallacies that run through startup culture. Over his many years launching companies, he’s fallen victim to what he now recognizes as a series of common errors, misconceptions that bedevil startups to this day. But he also learned how to sidestep and surmount many of these challenges.

After multiple eight-figure exits and other startup successes, Jonathan began to see the deeper fallacies in which his failures took root. His biggest career successes, on the other hand, seemed to come when he and his teams went against the tide and did everything “wrong.”

This book is an examination of the popular belief system about startups. At its heart is a series of challenges to years of accumulated startup orthodoxy. What emerges is not just a critique but an inspiring call—to anyone trying to build a successful business—for a broader kind of critical thinking.