Internet Origins

Jacquard's Web: Punched Cards and the Origins of Computing

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore Jacquard's Web by James Essinger. Long before computers processed data or the internet connected the world, a French silk weaver invented a loom controlled by punched cards—creating the first programmable machine and the foundational logic of modern computing. From the workshops of Napoleonic France to the birth of IBM, this is the story of how a weaving machine became the mechanical ancestor of the digital age.
 
 
 
 

Hard Drive: Microsoft's Origins

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson. Long before Windows dominated every desktop and software became more valuable than hardware, a Harvard dropout named Bill Gates transformed the computer industry by betting that an operating system—not the machine itself—would define the digital age. From hacking school computers to outmaneuvering IBM, this is the story of how Microsoft turned code into an empire.

The Everything Store: The Birth of Amazon

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore The Everything Store by Brad Stone. Long before same-day delivery, cloud computing, and voice assistants, a garage startup called Amazon transformed the world by turning the internet into a universal marketplace and reimagining the very nature of retail.

Makers of the Microchip: The Birth of Silicon Valley

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore Makers of the Microchip by Christophe Lécuyer and David Brock—the story of eight rebellious engineers who walked out on a Nobel laureate and, in doing so, founded an industry.

PayPal Wars: How Peter Thiel and Elon Musk Built Digital Money

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore The PayPal Wars by Eric Jackson. The inside story of how a scrappy startup survived the dot-com crash, outmaneuvered eBay, and helped launch a generation of entrepreneurs who would redefine technology itself. From online auctions to boardroom coups, this is the origin story of the PayPal Mafia and the digital revolution they sparked.

Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture by Erez Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel—the story of how two Harvard researchers transformed Google's digitized books into a cultural telescope, making it possible to track the evolution of language and ideas across five centuries.

The Search: The Origins of Google

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore The Search by John Battelle—the story of how Google transformed the chaos of the early web into order. From Stanford dorm rooms to Silicon Valley boardrooms, Larry Page and Sergey Brin reimagined how information could be found and ranked.

Weaving the Web: The Birth of the World Wide Web

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee. From the chaos of CERN’s research labs to the dawn of the digital age, Tim Berners-Lee imagined a way for computers to share information as effortlessly as the human mind connects ideas. His invention—the World Wide Web—transformed the Internet from a tool for scientists into a living network of people, knowledge, and culture. This is the story of how a few lines of code, shared freely, reshaped the modern world.

Where Wizards Stay Up Late: ARPANET and the Birth of the Internet

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore Where Wizards Stay Up Late by Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon. From Cold War labs to university basements, a small group of researchers built the ARPANET—the network that became the Internet. Guided by visionary figures like J.C.R. Licklider and fueled by ARPA’s daring experiments, they turned a dream of connected computers into the foundation of the digital age.

The Idea Factory: Bell Labs, the Transistor, and the Origins of the Information Age

In this episode of Internet Origins, we explore The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner. Decades before Silicon Valley, Bell Labs—the legendary research arm of AT&T—pioneered the technologies that built the modern world. From the invention of the transistor and Claude Shannon’s Information Theory to the creation of satellites, lasers, and digital switching, Bell Labs was the birthplace of the Information Age.