You Only Have to Be Right Once: The Unprecedented Rise of the Instant Tech Billionaires

The ultimate insider look at the newest titans of tech - and what you can learn from their success

In 2007, twenty-one year-old David Karp launched Tumblr on a whim. By 2012, it had become one of the top ten online destinations, drawing 170 million visitors. In 2013, Yahoo acquired it for over $1 billion. Just like that, a kid without a high school diploma was worth over a quarter billion dollars. And he's not the only one . . .

Silicon Valley's newest billionaires are a unique and unconventional breed of entrepreneur: young, bold, and taking the world by storm with their extreme speed, insatiable hunger, and progressive leadership. These whiz kids (and, to be fair, a few adults) turn just one brilliant insight into money at a rate never before seen - creating companies that, even with no revenue, garner insane valuations.

With unique insider access, Forbes has dug in to find what these super-entrepreneurs say about their own success. This book, introduced, edited, and updated by Forbes editor Randall Lane, is the first comprehensive look at who these instant tech billionaires are and how they achieved their quick wins. With sixteen illuminating pieces, including two never-before published features, we get behind-the-scenes examinations of the founders of Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify; of Paypal's Elon Musk, Palantir's Alex Karp and Snapchat's Evan Spiegel.

You Only Have to Be Right Once is the definitive collection of everything we can learn from these incredible game changers, and what their next moves spell for the future of business.


Randall Lane is the editor of Forbes and the author of The Zeroes: My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane.

Since 1917, FORBES has provided leaders with strategic insight and information. The largest business magazine in the world, Forbes has 6.1 million readers in the United States and more than thirty international editions.

RANDALL LANE is the editor of Forbes and the author of The Zeroes: My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane.

Since 1917, FORBES has provided leaders with strategic insight and information. The largest business magazine in the world, Forbes has 6.1 million readers in the United States and more than thirty international editions.