Perhaps the most on-point quote about Twitter in this entire book comes from Mark Zuckerberg, who in 2010 remarked it’s “such a mess, it’s as if they drove a clown car into a gold mine and fell in.”

It’s hard to disagree with him after reading this. Bilton’s book brilliantly divulges the myriad power struggles, fights and personalities who somehow conspired to bring Twitter, against all odds, to a point where it’s about to list in one of the most eagerly anticipated IPOs in years.

With the exception of Biz Stone (who sounds like one of the nicest people in the world), few come out of this unscathed. Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Twitter’s investors and many others find themselves embroiled in Borgia-esque scenes of backstabbing, betrayal and buffoonery.

Bilton is a brilliant author, and this is him at the top of his game. Buy it. You won’t regret it.