In a short space of time, they have become some of the richest men and women in America today. Their actions are creating new markets and shaping entire industries.

It takes guts to lose money. Particularly when it's other peoples. Especially when it adds up to $4 billion.

That is roughly the sum the 13 internet entrepreneurs featured in this book lost in 1999. Maybe the pain is eased by the knowledge that despite these hefty losses, the 12 companies had a combined market capitalization of $170bn, giving the 13 entrepreneurs a combined wealth of more than $35bn.

The people in this book represent the leading managers in the Internet industry. They are quizzed about their strategies, their motivations and their ambitions at this crucial point in the evolution of the new medium.

Bob Davis - Lycos Searching Out The Next Deal

Jerry Yang - Yahoo Underlining That Size Matters

Jay Walker - Priceline Storming The Barricades Of Commerce

Jim Barksdale - Netscape Proof that Adult Supervision Works

Jeff Bezos - Amazon Building The Net's Biggest Brand

Christos Cotsakos - E*Trade Courage Under Fire

David Hayden - Critical Path Innovation As A Way Of Life

Steve Kirsch - Infoseek Altruism Born Of Technology Talent

Rod Schrock - AltaVista From Big Business To Net Start-Up

Joe Kraus - Excite Passion And Commitment To A Business Ideal

Candice Carpenter and Nancy Evans - iVillage A Different Vision Of Net Success

Pierre Omidyar - eBay Bidding To Distance The Competition

These are the original internet business gurus, and their views on how they got there, and, crucially, where web business is going next. This title is essential reading for everyone in e-World.

Rules are good: these people break them.