The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future
Steve Case draws on his AOL years to sketch what he calls the third wave of the internet, the moment when connected technology stops being an industry of its own and starts reshaping every part of daily life. He divides internet history into three waves, the build-out of infrastructure, the rise of apps and social platforms, and a coming era when software meets healthcare, education, transportation, and government. Case argues that the next wave will require partnerships, policy fluency, and patience that look unfamiliar to most software founders. He uses stories from AOL's rise and from his investing firm Revolution to make the case concrete. The book reads as both a memoir and a guide for entrepreneurs building outside Silicon Valley.
What you might want to know about The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
AOL co-founder Steve Case argues that the next wave of the internet will reshape industries like healthcare, education, and food, and lays out what it takes to build there.
Chesky gave a jacket endorsement for The Third Wave, writing that Steve Case offers a smart, sharp blueprint for the entrepreneurs who will build the next great companies, and that every founder should read it.
It works as both. Case uses his AOL years and Revolution investments as the spine, then turns each story into practical advice for founders building in regulated industries.
The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future was written by Steve Case, published in 2016 by Simon & Schuster.
The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future is 256 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.