Readings

A running shelf. Books that shaped how I think about building, work, and people.

The Coming Wave
Read·2023·Mustafa Suleyman

The Coming Wave

All of the world's knowledge, best practices, precedent, and computational power will be available, tailored to you, to your specific needs and circumstances, instantaneously and effortlessly. It is a leap in cognitive potential at least as great as the introduction of the internet.
Asks the right questions before the wave arrives. A must-read for any technologist or founder.
The Lessons of History
Read·1968·Will & Ariel Durant

The Lessons of History

Civilization is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew; if the transmission should be interrupted for one century, civilization would die, and we would be savages again.
What builds and breaks civilizations, condensed into 100 pages. I wish I had read it in high school.
On Writing Well
Read·2006·William Zinsser

On Writing Well

Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone who thinks clearly can write clearly, about anything at all.
Writing is how I think. This book made me realize how much of what we were taught about writing needs to be unlearned as an adult.
The Diary of a CEO
Read·2023·Steven Bartlett

The Diary of a CEO

Stop telling yourself you're not qualified, good enough or worthy. Growth happens when you start doing the things you're not qualified to do.
One of the sharpest growth mindsets around. Dense learnings, elegantly packaged.
Radical Candor
Read·2017·Kim Scott

Radical Candor

Make sure that you are seeing each person on your team with fresh eyes every day. People evolve, and so your relationships must evolve with them.
Foundational guide to building cultures that succeed. The balance between honest feedback and genuine care.
Obviously Awesome
Read·2019·April Dunford

Obviously Awesome

Any product can be positioned in multiple markets. Your product is not doomed to languish in a market where nobody understands how awesome it is.
April brought structure to something most companies fumble. The clearest methodology for positioning any product.
The Pyramid Principle
Read·1987·Barbara Minto

The Pyramid Principle

Ideas at any level in the pyramid must always be summaries of the ideas grouped below them.
The McKinsey staple. Forces top-down thinking: lead with the conclusion, then the reasoning. Changes how you communicate forever.
High Growth Handbook
Read·2018·Elad Gil

High Growth Handbook

Successful tech companies become distribution-centric rather than product-centric. They become a distribution channel, so they can get to the world.
Most companies die from lack of distribution, not product. Elad covers the operational levers founders rarely think about until it's too late.
Scaling People
Read·2023·Claire Hughes Johnson

Scaling People

A sound operating system running on an efficient cadence is essential to execution and lays the groundwork for great management.
Claire was an inspiration during my time as chief of staff at Gorgias. Sharp, systematic, and rare in her ability to make org design feel concrete.
The Coaching Habit
Read·2016·Michael Bungay Stanier

The Coaching Habit

If this were a haiku rather than a book, it would read: Tell less and ask more. / Your advice is not as good / As you think it is.
One of those books that rewards rereading. The questions in here are deceptively simple and work every time.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Read·2020·Eric Jorgenson

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

Wealth is assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your rank in the social hierarchy.
Reading is faster than listening. Doing is faster than watching.
One of the best modern philosophers. His framework on wealth, knowledge, and happiness compounds with every reread.
Goddesses in Everywoman
Read·1984·Jean Shinoda Bolen

Goddesses in Everywoman

Every woman is shaped by the archetypes that are activated within her: the ones she was raised to emulate, the ones she unconsciously embodies, and the ones she must learn to honor.
A lens for understanding yourself through archetype. Helps you recognize the patterns driving you and the women around you.
Business at the Speed of Thought
Read·1999·Bill Gates

Business at the Speed of Thought

The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose.
Gates described in 1999 what most companies still struggle to build today. We now have the tools he imagined. Time to use them.
Principles
Read·2017·Ray Dalio

Principles

Pain plus reflection equals progress.
Pain is not a detour from growth. It is the path. Dalio builds an entire operating system around that idea.