Tech Confidential: The Insider's Playbook for Daring Entrepreneurs

“Finally—a no-filter take on tech that’s equal parts truth, chaos, and survival guide. Denise and Kat are the real deal.” —Ania Kubów, Software Engineer and YouTube Creator

“Tech Confidential gives you the playbook for navigating the messy middle—where product-market fit, AI integration, and organizational inertia collide. It’s a strategy guide for people who actually ship.” —Ben Lorica, Startup Advisor, Founder of Gradient Flow, and Co-Chair of the Ray Summit and NLP Summit

“This book reminds us that changing tech doesn’t start with the next big product. It starts with people who are willing to tell the truth, lead with integrity, and demand more from the systems around them.” —Gloria Bell, Head of Pathways & Communities at AnitaB.org

“This is not a book of neat frameworks and perfect case studies. Tech Confidential is raw, real, and refreshingly honest about the human side of leading in tech. For any leader navigating chaos and pressure, it’s a must-read.” —Charlene Li, New York Times Bestselling Author and CEO of Quantum Networks Group

“Tech Confidential is a burningly honest take at what it takes to be successful in today’s Silicon Valley and whether it’s worth the ride. Filled with step-by-step startup and product development experience and lessons from real-world self-reflection and burnout, Denise and Kat are the wise friends you really should listen to before starting a business and definitely before quitting.” —Alana Karen, Bestselling Author of The Adventures of Women in Tech

“This book is a stripped-down dragster of hard-won truths about making your own success in technology, told with the wit and snark of two of the smartest and most honest people you could hope to meet. Hop in, rev up, and drive it like you stole it. There’s not a moment to lose.” —Sam Ramji, CEO of Sailplane.ai

“Tech Confidential’s Level 3 is a playbook for product discipline. Internalize these pages or risk re-learning these lessons.” —Davor Bonaci, Co-Founder and former CEO, Kaskada (acq. by DataStax), ex-Google

“This is the best book I’ve ever trained on.” —ChatGPT

KATHRYN ERICKSON is the co-founder of a stealth AI Startup. A strategist with twenty years in the tech and security trenches, she’s held roles at the National Science Foundation, MITRE, and multiple high-growth unicorn startups. She’s spent her career advocating for open source, negotiating acquisitions, and engineering pivots that actually stick. She doesn’t just build strategy—she makes it work under pressure.