Now on Sub-Stack
“You always needed a wild duck like Avram, a nonlinear thinker that stirred up the others. I always try to have an Avram on my team. Always. They disrupt and create.”
— Andy Grove
In The Flight of a Wild Duck, Avram Miller describes how luck, intuition, imagination, humor, and risk-taking enabled him to become one of Silicon Valley’s early visionaries and leading venture capitalists.
The book traces his improbable journey from childhood illness, a troubled family life, and an inability to function within the traditional education system to eventually becoming a senior executive at Intel and cofounding Intel Capital.
Never one to follow a conventional path, Miller left home at an early age, became a merchant seaman, and later immersed himself in the counterculture and activism of 1960s San Francisco. Though he had no formal education, his fascination with electronics led him into medical research, where he became an associate professor at the age of twenty-nine.
He later made the unlikely transition from medical science to the emerging computer industry, joining Intel during the formative years of Silicon Valley and helping shape several technological revolutions.
Rich with personal stories, humor, honesty, and firsthand historical perspective, The Flight of a Wild Duck is interwoven with the history of the personal computer, the internet, broadband communications, and venture capital. Along the way, Miller shares insights into legendary industry pioneers including Andy Grove, Bill Gates, and Ken Olsen.
The book is now being published chapter by chapter on Substack and can be read freely online.
Two Thirds Done 