I think that the book provides some nice history and 'insider information' on the startup of Netscape and the creation of its products. I find the premise that EVERYTHING that they did was in reaction to Micros~1 is rather dubious. The authors overuse of the cliche "...in a life and death struggle with Microsoft" is annoying. The fact is that Microsoft is irrelevant to innovation, the creation of the web browser, and the internet itself. What they are about is using their monopolistic/anti-competative practices to destroy real innovation.

This book would have been worlds better if it focused more on Netscape and the development of its products (more like Tracey Kidder's "The Soul of a New Machine" (an excellent book BTW) and less on playing up the melodrama of its interactions with Monoposoft.

Probably fine as a business tome, but as an entertaining read, I found this a failure. I hardly got through the first few pages; the books starts with a long, obvious and patronising exposition about how internet has transformed our lives and what a revolution it's been. It reminded me a lot of "The Road Ahead" by Bill Gates.
Microsoft has been commercially successful, but at the cost of integrity. It has none whatsoever. This may indeed be Microsoft's downfall in the end, because the hatred towards this company is reaching a fever pitch. More and more users will realise that they can get by using other operating systems and products, supported by companies who have a less selfish vision for the future of computing.

This is an in-depth analysis of the strategic development of Netscape and its intensive competition with Microsoft. The book is based on an extensive number of interviews and portrays the creation and scaling-up of the world's first pure Internet company. It examines strategy-making and the process of designing products for highly competitive, fast-paced markets. This account is absorbing and highly instructive to all engaged in strategic planning. The extent of detail presented in this book is very impressive. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, Stern & Associates, author of Stern's Sourcefinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern's Compensation and Benefits SourceFinder.

Several good ideas in this book on marketing strategies for smaller companies; that made the book worth reading. The author spent too much time on the discussion of Judo. The book contains some memorable phases such as "Don't moon the giant", which would have been good advice for Netscape to follow. Great discussion on how to use a large company's strengths against it.

I read dozens of business books every year, and this one is a standout. In clear compelling language, Yoffie and Kwak lay out a set of strategic principles and techniques that companies can use to fight back against stronger competitors. The three principles they analyze are movement, balance, and leverage; the techniques include the puppy dog ploy, define the competitive space, and leverage your opponent's assets, partners, and competitors. These ideas come originally from the sport of judo, but Yoffie and Kwak demonstrate through numerous examples that they also make sense in business.

As well as short examples from Intuit, eBay, Schwab, etc. that are used to explain the three principles, the book includes indepth studies of three companies that have been successful at judo strategy (Palm, Real Networks, and CNET). These chapters are a "must read" for anyone interested in the new economy. A great deal has been written about all three companies (especially Palm), but here the analysis and details, often culled from interviews, are first-rate.

The last section of the book deals with sumo strategy, which is the counterpart to judo for large companies such as Microsoft and Intel. Smaller companies will find few direct lessons here, but reading about sumo strategy is a good wake-up call for anyone who thought that competing with giants might be easy.

The judo analogy is a very clever way to explore how small companies can defeat large companies. I particularly liked the ideas of the "puppy dog ploy", push when pulled, and the concept of leverage. I highly recommend this book for managers facing big, powerful companies.