Favorite Books of 2024

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World

David Deutsch

Deutsch on knowledge, explanations, and the possibility of progress.

Open Innovation

Henry Chesbrough

Chesbrough’s case for using ideas and paths to market from outside the firm.

Business Model Generation

Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur

A practical framework for designing and testing business models.

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel with Blake Masters

Thiel’s argument for creating something new instead of competing over what already exists.

Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life

Ozan Varol

A set of tools for questioning assumptions and solving difficult problems.

Principles: Life and Work

Ray Dalio

Dalio’s attempt to make his rules for work and decision-making explicit.

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

Thomas Kuhn

Kuhn’s account of scientific paradigms and how they change.

The Four Steps to the Epiphany

Steve Blank

Blank’s customer development framework for startups.

Thinking In Systems

Donella H. Meadows

Meadows on feedback loops, stocks, flows, and system behavior.

Blue Ocean Strategy

W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne

A framework for finding markets where competition matters less.

The Mind Illuminated

Culadasa (John Yates)

A detailed meditation manual that combines Buddhist practice with cognitive science.

The Bible

I returned to the Bible for its spiritual, historical, and cultural significance.

The Right It

Alberto Savoia

Savoia’s method for testing demand before investing heavily in a product.

Platform Revolution

Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne, and Sangeet Paul Choudary

A useful account of platform economics and network effects.

Competing for the Future

Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad

Hamel and Prahalad on building capabilities for markets that do not yet exist.

Competing Against Time

George Stalk Jr. and Thomas M. Hout

How speed can become a source of competitive advantage.

The Innovator's Solution

Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor

Christensen and Raynor on using disruption theory to create growth.

Competing Against Luck

Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan

Christensen’s Jobs to Be Done framework for understanding why customers choose products.

The Innovator's Prescription

Clayton M. Christensen, Jerome H. Grossman, and Jason Hwang

An application of disruption theory to healthcare.

The Innovator's DNA

Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton M. Christensen

A study of the habits associated with innovative leaders.

Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors

Michael E. Porter

Porter’s framework for analyzing industries, competitors, and strategic position.