Totaled: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup That Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the World
SKU: 49988678644

Totaled: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup That Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the World

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Totaled: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup That Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the WorldWhen a billion dollar electric car startup crashed and burned, global investors and average car buyers alike asked: What happened? Business and technology journalist Brian Blum reveals the answer in his new book TOTALED: The Billion Dollar Crash of the Startup that Took on Big Auto, Big Oil, and the World. The Tesla 3 has grabbed the spotlight as the first "affordable" all electric vehicle, but Israel's Better Place came first. The plan was to use

When a billion-dollar electric car startup crashed and burned, global investors and average car buyers alike asked: What happened? Business and technology journalist Brian Blum reveals the answer in his new book TOTALED: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup that Took on Big Auto, Big Oil, and the World.

The Tesla 3 has grabbed the spotlight as the first "affordable" all-electric vehicle, but Israel's Better Place came first. The plan was to use Israel --- a country the size of New Jersey and dubbed "the Startup Nation" --- to prove electric cars could work everywhere. Instead of fast charge, Better Place addressed range anxiety by building a network of battery-swap stations --- operated by robots.

Better Place's charismatic CEO Shai Agassi believed his company's innovative technology could help stop climate change and free nations from the yoke of oil dependence. His magnetic television appearances, viral TED Talk and compelling boardroom presence had investors and business leaders worldwide jumping in to ride shotgun. Countries from Japan to Denmark to Australia signed on and the privately-held Better Place raised nearly a billion dollars.

Yet in a few years, it was all over --- the company, buffeted by internal strife, an international corporate spy scandal, the Great Recession and technology disruptions, went bankrupt.

The story of the "electric car unicorn that collapsed" is a cautionary tale; a timely case study filled with valuable lessons for entrepreneurs, investors and executives in businesses of all sizes --- as well as everyone chasing the electric car Holy Grail.

TOTALED lays out the story of what happens when change hits a company on multiple fronts, sometimes all at once. Do you double down and stay the course or pivot like your company's life depends on it?

TOTALED plunges deep into the riveting rise and fall of a company that sincerely wanted to change the world but couldn't quite get to the finish line. TOTALED will captivate you, whether you're interested in electric cars and mobility, green energy and the environment; or you simply enjoy reading business biographies.

TOTALED has received rave advance reviews from people like David Pogue, the former New York Times tech writer, who says that "Brian Blum's deeply researched account is like playing a car-wreck video in slow motion: You can watch every stroke of bad luck, bad timing, and bad blood reduce a once-thrilling idea to dust."

Gina Smith, author of iWoz, the New York Times best-selling biography of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, writes that TOTALED grants access to "a side of the startup world that few ever get to see --- much less survive."

Ron Adner, author of The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See that Others Miss, describes TOTALED as "required reading for ambitious innovators."

And Foreword Reviews writes that Better Place CEO Shai Agassi is "as compelling an antihero as found in any technology thriller. The book's as-it-happens narrative makes for riveting reading."

More information at www.brianblum.com



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Blue Pepper Press
Published: 08/22/2017
ISBN: 9780983042815
Pages: 358
Weight: 1.16lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.80d

Review Citations: Foreword 08/26/2017
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SKU: 49988678644

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Timothy Porter
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Nice wrist rest
Size: 100% Standard
Comfortable angle, solid enough to not move around but soft enough to be good for long term usage.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2026
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Erik Olson
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent wrist rest, BUT not for me
I'm rating this wrist rest 5 stars despite the fact that it's not for me. The reason that it is not for me is simple: My palms get very sweaty, and this makes my palms stick to the wrist rest, making it hard to move my hands around. This is an inherent limitation of the fact that it is made out of wood, and drove me to the 17" x 4" x 0.75" foam wrist rest from Grifiti instead. If you don't have sweaty palms, however, this wrist rest is perfect. It is 4 inches deep instead of the typical 3.1 inches, it is the perfect height and tapered just so for maximum comfort, the wood (Golden Oak color) is beautiful, and the engraved logo is tasteful and non-intrusive.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2023
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MM
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
The perfect wrist rest. Stop looking, just buy this one!
Color: Onyx, Size: Tenkeyless/TKL Keyboard Wrist Rest, Color: Onyx, Size: Tenkeyless/TKL Keyboard Wrist Rest
The perfect wrist rest. I used those gel and silicone wrist rests thinking the softer they are the better. Not so. This is solid hardwood and my wrists no longer ache after a long day at the computer. The size I picked is perfect for a TKL keyboard. The angles, height, and design are optimal for a comfortable typing experience. Even 8-10 hours of typing! I love Glorious' products, they come so well packaged and attention to every detail is given. Gosh, its just a wrist rest! No, it is a tool that provides comfortable work experience.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2025
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Xie Xie
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
The wood is great.
I used to use a typical padded wrist pad, but am a heavy sweater. Upon reading another review in regards to that matter I decided to take the plunge on this rest. I have been a user of the Model O mouse from Glorious for a while and liked it so I trusted the company's reputation for taking gamers' needs into consideration. After using it for about a week and playing different types of games/working from home on it, I can say that although your sweat might pool during sweaty moments, it's easy to wipe off and doesn't seem to easily absorb into the wood. The wood itself is of a nice quality, I like the oak over the onyx for a more "real wood" look. There was no difference in comfort for me, you'd think being used to a padded wrist this shift would be "hard" on me, but no, I haven't had any problems. It's ergonomics for typing are also good as I notice my WPM and consistency be higher on multiple tests. All-in-all quite satisfied with the purchase, fits the aesthetic, feel, and ergonomics I was looking for.
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C N Rosa
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Very well made, matches width of Keychron Q6 perfectly, great for bigger hands!
This is a nicely finished slab of wood that is an EXACT match for my Keychron Q6 in both width and height. Depthwise, this is 4", so if you got larger hands (as I do), this is a bit better than the silicone Keychron version which I believe is 3.5" or so in depth. The non-stick feet are a nice feature, and the profile is wonderful to type on. Only issue with the item I received is a small nick right below the Glorious emblem on the lower right of the wrist rest - may have been an errant tool mark. However, this doesn't detract in my own opinion, from the well-designed profile and features of this wrist rest and was easily covered with a furniture marking pen. I'm still giving this item 5-stars and getting another one for the office!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2025

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