This book is about how Microsoft set up a research lab in Beijing. This was a pioneering effort. China's economy had opportunities for kids who wanted to Make Money Fast in computing--but not so much for kids who wanted to do basic research. Microsoft came in, set up a lab, set up a sounds-weird-to-me-but-apparently-normal-in-China program where Microsoft Research could issue their own academic degrees. If you think you might want to read about something like that, this book is pretty interesting. If you would cross the street to avoid reading about something like that... uhm, this book won't win you over. I thought it was pretty interesting.