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Silicon Valley Knowledge

Creative DevelopmentUs and Technology
What can we learn from Silicon Valley? Over the course of three conversations historian David Larsson Heidenblad (Lund University) and tech analyst Björn Jeffery (Svenska Dagbladet and co-founder of Toca Boca) discussed the ideas that have shaped the tech companies of today.

How does life in Silicon Valley work? What can you learn, and use, from these ideas in your daily business? And what can the fairly short but very influential history of the California ecosystem tell about the future of innovation and technology?

Historian David Larsson Heidenblad and tech analyst Björn Jeffery
Björn and David at the first Sillicon Valley Knowledge.

1 – The Books on the Table

In the first installment David and Björn discussed why certain expressions, methods, and startup philosophies are accepted and used all over the world, and how a a knowledge canon has emerged around how to best create change and economic value in a digitally connected world.

Listen to the conversation.

The books discussed

Peter Thiel – Zero to One
Andy Grove – Only the Paranoid Survive + High Output Management
Sebastian Mallaby – The Power Law
Eric Ries – The Lean Startup
Clayton Christensen – The Innovators Dilemma
Regis McKenna – Relationship Marketing
Reid Hoffman – Blitzscaling
Reid Hoffman – The Startup of You
Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares – Traction
Robert Waterman & Tom Peters – In Search of Excellence

Coming installments

Silicon Valley in Practice – March 9
Which Methods Can I Use? – March 23

About the presenters

David Larsson Heidenblad is an Associate Professor in History at Lund University and deputy director for Lund Centre for the History of Knowledge. David’s research is focused on contemporary history and revolves around themes such as stock saving, knowledge work, and the emergence of the digital society. He writes regularly in Svenska Dagbladet, Sydsvenskan, Curie, Respons and Populär historia.

Björn Jeffery is an independent tech analyst, advisor and board executive. He was the co-founder and CEO of Toca Boca and spent eight years in Silicon Valley. Currently he is the technology columnist at the Swedish newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet.

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February 2026

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