On Sale Now
at your favorite bookseller
Sometimes we can create our own luck. But often things just happen.
The buzz
Book & author details
-
Short stories
Failure Is An Option combines forty-four sharp, candid essays shaped by years in the trenches. Together, they form a mosaic of what leadership really looks like when the cameras aren’t rolling: the moments of absurdity, fear, luck, and endurance that make or break a company and the person leading it.Insider’s view
Unflinchingly honest and darkly funny, Grossman dismantles the myths of startup success and offers an insider’s view of what it means to build under pressure. This is not a playbook or a victory lap. It is a collection of truths about ambition, uncertainty, and the art of holding it together long enough for the story to make sense. -
Mike Grossman is a six-time Silicon Valley CEO with nearly thirty years leading early-stage, venture-funded technology companies. Earlier in his career he worked at McKinsey & Company, Johnson & Johnson, and Intuit. His writing blends sharp humor, humility, and hard-earned perspective on startup life. This is his first—and, he insists, likely his last—book.
-
Publisher: Ideapress Publishing
Publication date: June 9, 2026
Language: English
Length: 201 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1646872466
44
Stories
It’s About the Money.
It’s About the People.
A Fool and Their Money Are Soon Parted.
Hail a Taxi.
Less Is More.
It’s About the Money. It’s About the People. A Fool and Their Money Are Soon Parted. Hail a Taxi. Less Is More.
A Little Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing.
Hero Ball.
Beggars Must Be Choosers.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall.
Hey Kool-Aid!
A Little Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing. Hero Ball. Beggars Must Be Choosers. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. Hey Kool-Aid!
44 Stories
The Real Silicon Valley.
Timing Is Everything.
Feeling Lucky?
What, Me Worry?
Keeping It Together.
The Real Silicon Valley. Timing Is Everything. Feeling Lucky? What, Me Worry? Keeping It Together.
Wait, who wrote this?
Mike Grossman has spent more than 30 years in Silicon Valley as an executive and entrepreneur. He has been CEO of a diverse array of innovative, VC-funded software companies (Inflection, LiveCapital, Tempo, Attributor, SugarSync, and Zetta), all of which were ultimately acquired.
His experience also includes leadership positions at Intuit and Johnson & Johnson and board roles at a variety of companies, including Quicken and Borders. Mike started his career as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company in San Francisco and Sydney.
In addition, Mike holds an AB in Economics and a JD from Harvard University. He is passionate about his family, his cats (four at present), international travel, science fiction films, tennis, basketball, and creative writing (when time permits). This is his first book.
Order at your preferred bookstore
Upcoming talks
October 2026
Registration opening soon
“Running companies in Silicon Valley really does require a certain level of lunacy.
Nonetheless, in the words of baseball immortal Yogi Berra: ‘If I had to do it all over again, I would do it all over again.’
In fact, looking forward, I’m inclined to give it another shot. I’ve run six companies. So why not seven?”
— Mike Grossman
Touch base
Bulk orders, educational use, interviews, and speaking engagements
Tag along
