Books & Reading

Thiel argues that the greatest innovations come from doing something genuinely new — from 0 to 1. His framework for what makes a business defensibly valuable is the sharpest venture capital thinking available in book form. Short and extremely dense.

Horowitz on the brutal realities of running a startup — with none of the inspirational platitudes. Honest about failure, hiring, firing and the loneliness of leadership in a way that business books almost never are. Remarkably useful and honest.

Mallaby's definitive history of hedge funds — from A.W. Jones through Soros, Tiger Management and Citadel — is the best single account of the alternative investment industry. Rich in character, strategy and the market psychology behind legendary trades.

Isaacson chronicles the geniuses — Ada Lovelace, Turing, Noyce, Gates, Jobs — who invented the digital age. Superb research and storytelling, with a clear thesis: the greatest breakthroughs come from people who combine humanity with technical brilliance.

García Martínez's unfiltered memoir of his time at Facebook and in the Valley is hilarious, alarming and deeply revealing about how Silicon Valley's culture of disruption actually operates from the inside. One of the most honest accounts available.

Isaac's account of Uber's rise and Kalanick's equally spectacular fall is a riveting case study in founder hubris and Silicon Valley's tolerance for misconduct in pursuit of growth. Required reading alongside Zero to One for a balanced view of the industry.