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Books · 2017

Favorite Books of 2017

These were my favorite books from 2017. I was reading about companies, careers, power, and long-range change.

Top picks

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Ben Horowitz

Horowitz writes candidly about the hard parts of running a startup, including hiring, layoffs, and decisions with no clean answer.

The Everything Store

Brad Stone

A detailed account of Jeff Bezos and the company he built.

Principles

Ray Dalio

Dalio makes a compelling case for the importance of well-thought-out principles in leading a fulfilling life.

The Startup of You

Reid Hoffman

Hoffman applies startup thinking to careers and personal development.

The Black Swan

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Taleb writes about rare events with outsized consequences and how easily people explain them after the fact.

The Future of Professions

Daniel Susskind and Richard Susskind

The Susskinds argue that technology will change how professional expertise is delivered.

Looking back

Looking back, these books shaped how I think about building companies, careers, and structural change.