Don’t ask me why, but Chris Anderson seems to annoy people.

He’s the editor of Wired Magazine and  has written a just released book called Free that makes the argument that the ever reducing cost of technology has made it possible to be successful by giving away products and making your money on some aspect of the popularity of the free product.  That would be how Google gives away search so that they can sell targeted ads on the search results page.  The book was based on a Wired Magazine article by Anderson published last year.

A minor firestorm over Free started when the well-respected writer Malcolm Gladwell wrote a review critical of the new book in the New Yorker.

Prompting Seth Godin, marketing guru, to write in his blog

Malcolm is wrong

I’ve never written those three words before, but he’s never disagreed with Chris Anderson before, so there you go.

Godin makes the point that like it or not Free is the world we already live in.

Then, John Gruber, the well known tech blogger in appreciation of the Gladwell review wrote

“I’ll preface my recommendation of this book review by telling you that I’m a big Gladwell fan, and that I think Chris Anderson is a hypocritical blowhard who tells you to give your work away for free while he earns enormous sums selling decidedly-not-free books.”

Which Anderson answered online by stating that he may be a “blowhard”  but not a hypocritical one and Free would be available free as both a text version and a full audiobook.  I’ve posted the text of the book below and a link to the audiobook.  Read/listen for yourself and decide whether you buy the argument.

Chris Anderson’s first article on Free in Wired Magazine

Malcolm Gladwell Review of Free in The New Yorker

Seth Godin’s Malcolm is Wrong piece

John Gruber in Daring Fireball calling Anderson names.

Go here to download full free audiobook of Free.

FREE (full book) by Chris Anderson