During his time as Forbes tech editor, Lyons created The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs in 2006, pretty much just as a way of understanding how to blog. It was funny and insightful, and it got people to pay attention. Pretty soon the site was earning 1.5 million visitors a month.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/12/8773075/dan-lyons-silicon-valley-hbo-fake-steve-jobs