Gutenberg the Geek audiobook cover - The World’s First Tech Entrepreneur

Gutenberg the Geek

The World’s First Tech Entrepreneur

Jeff Jarvis

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HistoryEntrepreneurship

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Gutenberg the Geek
The First Tech Entrepreneur+
Startup Skills & Innovation+
Funding & Betrayal+
Impact & The Internet+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 6
Before inventing the printing press, what was Johannes Gutenberg's first entrepreneurial venture that taught him crucial startup skills?
  • A. Printing church indulgences to raise funds.
  • B. Manufacturing and selling small mirrors to pilgrims.
  • C. Designing specialized winery contraptions.
  • D. Creating a rudimentary Latin grammar book.
Question 2 of 6
What did Gutenberg use as a 'beta version' to prove that his printing press technology actually worked?
  • A. A beautifully designed Latin Bible
  • B. A collection of Martin Luther's tracts
  • C. An ugly, tightly cramped Latin grammar book
  • D. A series of church indulgences
Question 3 of 6
According to the text, why is Gutenberg's work on the Latin Bible compared to modern entrepreneur Steve Jobs?
  • A. Because of his ruthless business tactics and ability to outsmart venture capitalists.
  • B. Because of his commitment to perfection and harmony in the print and page layout.
  • C. Because he utilized aggressive marketing campaigns to sell his product.
  • D. Because he insisted on keeping his technological innovations strictly proprietary.
Question 4 of 6
How did Gutenberg respond after his financier, Johann Fust, sued him and took over his primary workshop and equipment?
  • A. He appealed to the Catholic Church for a grant to rebuild his business.
  • B. He abandoned the printing industry and returned to his original trade as a goldsmith.
  • C. He effectively went 'open-source' by training other printers in his methods.
  • D. He partnered with Martin Luther to print revolutionary religious tracts.
Question 5 of 6
How do some scholars suggest the internet is completing a cultural 'circle' that Gutenberg began?
  • A. It is replacing written text with oral traditions and audio formats, rendering the printing press obsolete.
  • B. It has made the cost of publishing virtually free, solving the cash-flow problems that plagued early printers.
  • C. It is standardizing language and grammar across the globe, just as the first printed Bibles did.
  • D. It is muddying the concept of authorship and ownership as information is shared and modified, similar to pre-printing word of mouth.
Question 6 of 6
What historical observation from Gutenberg's era suggests that the internet's most profound cultural impact is still to come?
  • A. It took 50 years after the invention of the printing press for entirely new genres and styles to emerge.
  • B. The Catholic Church successfully suppressed the printing press for decades before it reached the masses.
  • C. Early printing presses were too expensive to produce anything other than Bibles for the first century.
  • D. The printing press was primarily used for administrative tasks until the Protestant Reformation began.

Gutenberg the Geek — Full Chapter Overview

Gutenberg the Geek Summary & Overview

Gutenberg the Geek (2012) examines the life and business of Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, and, by drawing numerous parallels between him and modern Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, explains how he was a pioneer of tech entrepreneurship.

Who Should Listen to Gutenberg the Geek?

  • Entrepreneurs, innovators and venture capitalists
  • Anyone interested in history

About the Author: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis is an American journalist, academic and advocate for the Open Web who has written for the San Francisco Examiner and The Guardian. His previous book, What Would Google Do?, is also available in blinks.

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