Sheila M. Puffer is University Distinguished Professor and Professor of International Business and Strategy at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston. She served as Program Director of the Gorbachev Foundation of North America, and is an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. Business and management in the former USSR are a major focus of her 160 publications, including Behind the Factory Walls: Decision Making in Soviet and US Enterprises (1990). Daniel J. McCarthy is University Distinguished Professor and the Alan S. McKim and Richard A. D'Amore Distinguished Professor of Global Management and Innovation at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston. He is also an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. He has over 110 publications, including four editions of Business Policy and Strategy (1983), as well as Business and Management in Russia (1996), The Russian Capitalist Experiment (2000), and Corporate Governance in Russia (2004). Daniel M. Satinsky is an attorney, business consultant, and independent scholar, and an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. He served as Board President of the US-Russia Chamber of Commerce of New England, Inc., from 2001 to 2016. He is editor of the Buyer's Guide to the Russian IT Outsourcing Industry (2006) and author of the chapter 'Industrial Giants, Entrepreneurs, and Regional Government: The Changing Business Environment in Yaroslavl' Oblast, 1990-1999', amongst other publications.

• Introduction; 1. Theoretical foundations: institutions, imprinting, and identity; 2. Soviet political, economic, and social institutions: catalysts for migration; 3. Soviet educational institutions: capability for contribution; 4. Migration from the Former Soviet Union to the US: three waves 1972–2015; 5. Entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and innovativeness: startups in the US; 6. Research, development, and applications in academic and industry settings; 7. Cultural adaptation: challenges and sources of support; 8. Workplace adaptation: developing soft skills; 9. Identity: a constellation of influences; 10. Conclusion: the impact of institutions, identity, and imprinting on the immigration and innovation process.

'Hammer and Silicon is a wonderful book that deserves a wide audience. Puffer, McCarthy, and Satinsky have produced an insightful, fascinating account of the many contributions to the US economy made by immigrants from the Soviet Union and post-Soviet states. The story of this diaspora is long overdue. Puffer, McCarthy, and Satinsky tell this story with great nuance and care. Basing their account on more than 150 interview subjects – each with his or her own compelling journey – the authors uncover the tremendous variety of these contributions and provide a useful framework for organizing that variety. Everyone interested in immigration and business, in Russia and the other post-Soviet states, or in the missed opportunities that will result from a more restrictive US approach to attracting talent from around the world will find this a compelling read.' Rawi E. Abdelal, Director, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, Massachusetts and Herbert F. Johnson Professor of International Management, Harvard Business School