Reading

Books I recommend.

Browse by theme

Philosophy

Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The central insight is that some systems benefit from volatility and disorder rather than merely surviving them. This reframes how I think about building organizations and making decisions under uncertainty. The distinction between fragile, robust, and antifragile is more useful than any risk management framework I have encountered.

Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

My biggest recommendation to crypto founders. Taleb shows how we systematically confuse luck with skill, especially in domains with high randomness. Essential for anyone operating in markets where survivorship bias distorts our understanding of what actually works.

The Discourses by Epictetus

A practical manual for distinguishing what is within our control from what is not. Reading it feels like being corrected by someone who has thought more clearly about the same problems you face. The Stoic framework here is less about suppressing emotion and more about directing attention where it can actually matter.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber

Essential for understanding recent crypto Twitter debates and the cultural foundations of modern capitalism. Weber traces how religious ideas shaped economic behavior, creating a framework that still influences how we think about work, wealth, and moral obligation.

Inventing the Individual by Larry Siedentop

A history of how Western individualism emerged from Christian thought over centuries. Siedentop challenges the assumption that individualism is a modern invention, tracing its roots to early Christianity and medieval theology. Useful context for understanding debates about consciousness and selfhood.

Science & Mathematics

Scale by Geoffrey West

Uncovers universal laws governing biology, cities, and economies. West shows how the same mathematical patterns appear across vastly different systems, from metabolic rates in organisms to innovation in cities. Understanding these scaling laws is crucial for navigating a changing world.

Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning by A.D. Aleksandrov, A.N. Kolmogorov, and M.A. Lavrent’ev

My favorite book for explaining the beauty and utility of mathematics. Written by three Soviet mathematicians, it offers a panoramic view of the major fields without sacrificing depth. For founders, mathematical thinking provides a strategic advantage that compounds over time.

The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, and Matthew Sands

The best introduction to understanding the fundamental laws governing the physical world. Feynman had a gift for making complex ideas accessible without dumbing them down. Reading these lectures fosters both healthy skepticism and justified certainty about how things actually work.

What Evolution Is by Ernst Mayr

A definitive explanation of evolutionary biology from one of its greatest practitioners. Mayr distills a lifetime of work into a clear account of how evolution operates, addressing common misconceptions along the way. Essential for understanding the process that shaped all life on Earth.

Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos by Steven Strogatz

The best introduction to chaos theory and dynamical systems. Strogatz makes complex mathematical concepts accessible through intuition and examples drawn from physics, biology, and engineering. Understanding nonlinear dynamics changes how you see feedback loops, tipping points, and emergent behavior in any complex system.

Infinite Powers by Steven Strogatz

A captivating history of calculus and why it matters. Strogatz shows how the language of infinity has shaped our understanding of everything from planetary motion to GPS satellites. The book reveals calculus not as abstract manipulation but as humanity’s most powerful tool for decoding the universe.

Sync by Steven Strogatz

An exploration of how spontaneous order emerges from chaos. Strogatz examines synchronization across nature: fireflies flashing in unison, cardiac pacemaker cells, circadian rhythms, and even the wobble of the Millennium Bridge. The patterns reveal deep mathematical principles governing self-organization in complex systems.

An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce

A clear introduction to Shannon’s information theory without requiring advanced mathematics. Pierce explains entropy, channel capacity, and coding with remarkable clarity. Understanding information theory is fundamental for anyone working with data, communication systems, or trying to grasp the mathematical limits of what can be transmitted or compressed.

The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz

A delightful tour through mathematics from basic arithmetic to calculus and beyond. Strogatz reveals the beauty hidden in everyday math, showing why negative numbers exist, how calculus explains Michael Jordan’s hang time, and what infinity really means. Perfect for rediscovering why mathematics matters.

The Prime Number Conspiracy edited by Thomas Lin

A collection of the best mathematics writing from Quanta Magazine. The essays cover breakthroughs in prime numbers, topology, machine learning, and more, written by journalists who make cutting-edge research accessible. A window into how mathematicians actually think and work.

Engineering

Systems Performance: Enterprise and the Cloud by Brendan Gregg

A must-read for engineers deploying production code. Gregg covers performance analysis methodology, tools, and techniques at every layer of the stack. This book will change how you think about observability, bottlenecks, and system behavior under load.

Economics & Money

The Use of Knowledge in Society by F.A. Hayek

A short essay that explains why decentralized coordination through prices often outperforms central planning. The argument is about information: knowledge is dispersed across millions of minds and cannot be aggregated into a single plan without losing most of what makes it valuable.

Seeing Like a State by James C. Scott

How large-scale schemes to improve the human condition fail when they ignore local knowledge and complexity. The concept of legibility, making society readable to administrators, explains many pathologies of modern institutions.

The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg

Written in 1997, this book predicted much of what the internet would do to the relationship between individuals and states. Its framework for understanding how technology shifts power remains remarkably useful for analyzing current dynamics.

The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan

A blueprint for how online communities can organize and eventually become sovereign entities. Srinivasan connects technology, governance, and history to argue that the next form of political organization will emerge from the internet rather than from existing nation-states. A natural successor to The Sovereign Individual.

Principles for Changing World Order by Ray Dalio

A study of the rise and decline of reserve currencies and the empires behind them. Dalio examines cycles spanning centuries to identify patterns that might indicate where we are in the current cycle. Especially relevant during pivotal societal moments.

Broken Money by Lyn Alden

A clear explanation of how money systems have become dysfunctional and what potential fixes exist. Alden combines engineering precision with financial depth to analyze monetary systems from first principles.

Our Dollar, Your Problem by Kenneth Rogoff

An examination of the US dollar’s global dominance and its implications. Essential reading for understanding discussions around Tether and dollar hegemony in the crypto space.

Bubbles and the End of Stagnation by Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber

A fresh perspective on financial bubbles as engines of progress rather than purely destructive forces. The Bitcoin chapter is particularly insightful for understanding how speculative energy can drive technological adoption.

The Last Economy by Emad Mostaque

A guide to understanding how AI will fundamentally transform economics. Mostaque argues that we are entering a new era where traditional economic models break down as intelligent systems reshape production, labor, and value creation. Essential reading for anyone trying to understand the economic implications of artificial intelligence.

History

The Age of Revolution, The Age of Capital, and The Age of Empire by Eric Hobsbawm

A trilogy covering 1789-1914 that provides the historical framework to understand how the modern world took shape. Hobsbawm traces how the dual revolutions (French and Industrial) transformed everything from politics to daily life. Essential context for understanding current changes.

Business & Strategy

Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove

Grove’s framework for detecting strategic inflection points, moments when the fundamentals of a business change. Learning to recognize these transitions early is essential for building organizations that survive and adapt over time.

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Negotiation as a fundamental human skill, not just a business tactic. Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator, shows that negotiation principles apply to nearly all human interactions. The techniques here are immediately practical.

Zero to One by Peter Thiel

The counterintuitive idea that competition is for losers. Thiel argues that the most valuable companies create something entirely new rather than competing in existing markets. Building a monopoly through uniqueness is more sustainable than fighting for market share.

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

A guide to launching quickly and iterating based on real feedback. The authors reject many startup conventions in favor of building sustainable businesses from day one. Useful for anyone who wants to ship products rather than chase funding.

Working Backwards by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr

The most important book for the Ethereum community and anyone building products. Former Amazon executives explain the internal mechanisms that allowed Amazon to innovate consistently, including the famous six-page memo and working backwards from the customer.

The Luxury Strategy by Jean-Noël Kapferer and Vincent Bastien

An amazing book on the difference between premium and luxury. The authors argue that luxury brands follow different rules than traditional marketing, anti-laws that seem counterintuitive but explain why certain brands maintain their power across generations.