Hacker's Edge

Breaking Rules, Beating Odds, and Reinventing a Life

Ryan Merket

$43.95 $37.12

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Comal Publishing
16 September 2025

Biography: business & industry; Christian life & practice; Coping with drug & alcohol abuse; Advice on careers & achieving success

He learned to lead in the digital underground, battled his demons in a Texas trailer park, and hacked his way into the executive suites of Silicon Valley. This is the unfiltered story of a non-traditional path to success-and the brutal cost of the climb.

Long before the world ran on code, Ryan Merket was a misfit kid who found solace in the flickering glow of a command line. His real business school wasn't a prestigious university, but the clandestine, global network of software crackers he led from his bedroom-a world that taught him more about management, operations, and motivation than any MBA ever could. That hacker's ethos-a relentless drive to deconstruct systems and find a better way-became his only guide.

Hacker's Edge is the raw, unflinching story of how that edge propelled him through a life no one could have predicted. It's a journey from a GED dropout battling a life-threatening meth addiction to a key player inside the walls of the world's most iconic companies.

In Hacker's Edge, you will discover:

A Raw, Insider's Account of Silicon Valley:

Go behind the curated PR and into the real meetings, the political battles, and the cultural quirks of powerful tech companies, Reddit during its most turbulent period, and Amazon's intense, data-driven ""cathedral."" A Founder's Playbook of Failure and Resilience:

Learn the hard-won lessons from the front lines of startup life, from the brutal betrayal that sank Ryan's first viral company to the unvarnished post-mortem of his most recent public failure. An Unflinching Look at the Human Cost of Ambition:

A vulnerable exploration of how the relentless pursuit of success can impact our health, our relationships, and our families-and how to rebuild after the crash.

Hacker's Edge is a memoir for the misfit, the builder, the self-taught, and anyone who has ever been told they don't belong. It's a guide to finding your unique edge-and having the courage to bet on it, again and again.

Find your edge. Read this book.

By: Ryan Merket
Imprint: Comal Publishing
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 367g
ISBN: 9798993101323
Pages: 158
Publication Date: 16 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ryan has founded multiple startups, two of which were successfully sold, and he was fortunate enough to join Facebook's Platform team in its early days. He later served as one of the first PMs and the leader of Ads Products at Reddit, one of the early members of the Amazon AWS Startup Team, and now helps high-potential startups for Microsoft for Startups. Ryan relocated to Austin after spending a decade in the San Francisco Bay Area to be closer to his family and to support startup founders in Texas.Ryan is also a prolific angel investor and founder mentor, investing in hundreds of technology startups across the world.In addition to his professional achievements, Ryan is an active father to his two children, Charlie and Stella, a life partner to Jenn Merket, and always has his dog, Wally, by his side.

Reviews for Hacker's Edge: Breaking Rules, Beating Odds, and Reinventing a Life

""I bought your book and got it this morning, and I'm having difficulty putting it down I can relate to much of your early life, since I also was a bit anti-establishment that seemed to always get me in trouble. Anyway, I just wanted to say - great job! I'm looking forward to finishing it. You've had quite a ride so far!""