Reading List

I’ve worked directly with more than two thousand people at this point (clients, employees, etc.) and am constantly sharing books that I think can be helpful. Equally, I’ve been given many great book recommendations from successful founders and senior executives that have moved me forward. Everything on this list is epic in one way or another. Enjoy!

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach (4th ed.)

Stuart Russell

Artificial Intelligence, a Modern Approach 4th editition, Stuart Russell

Professor Stuart Russell’s epic course book on every major branch of AI.

Bhagavad Gita

Translation by Stephen Mitchell

Bhagavad Gita, translation by Stephen Mitchell

Despite being written two thousand years ago, the Gita is still the best thing ever written on the fact we are all “born into action” and how to resolve the conundrums that this creates. Stephen Mitchell’s translation is inspired and accessible.

Bridge of Waves: What Music Is and How Listening to It Changes the World

W. A. Mathieu

Bridge of Waves: What Music Is and How Listening to It Changes the World, WA Mathieu

This was given to me by a musician friend when I asked him what music really was. It’s part music theory, part philopshopy, and wholly good!

Built to Move

Kelly & Juliet Starrett

Built to Move, Kelly and Juliet Starrett

Simple, practical and comprehensive advice to keep our bodies moving and healthy by fitness power couple Kelly and Juliet Starrett. They are inventors of the couch stretch and former owners of the gym I used to go to in SF for a while.

Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography

Roland Barthes

Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography

Two of my favorite things in the world coming together in one book: literary theory and photography. Roland Barthes is an unending sources of creativity. Random fact: he died the same hour I was born.

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI

Ethan Mollick

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI

One of the most practical things people can read from 2024 on how to think about AI in the workplace.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

Patterson et al

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

We all need to have crucial conversations from time-to-time. When the stake are high, no matter the reason, it’s worth knowing the rules to prepare and deliver. Here they are!

Data Flow: Visualizing Information in Graphic Design and Data Flow 2

Robert Klanten & Sven Ehmann

Data Flow: Visualizing Information in Graphic Design and Data Flow 2

Both Data Flow and Data Flow 2 are great sources of inspiration for interface and information design projects. They have obsessively catelogued hundreds of great examples.

Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

Myla & Jon Kabat-Zinn

Everyday Blessings, the Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

A genuine and practical book on the seemingly incompatible realms of mindfulness and parenting!

Getting Things Done

David Allen

Getting Things Done

I’ve been using the GTD system in one form or other since Evan Williams (Blogger, Twitter, Medium) recommended this book to me in 2004. I’ve since given out at least a hundred copies.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Robert B. Cialdini

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

This is the most useful single volume I’ve read on how people make decisions.

Mind Maps: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential

Tony Buzan

Mind Maps: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential

I stumbled upon this in my college library when I was 16, and it changed how I studied. After many years of using mind mapping as a practical tool, it ultimately led me to an interest in developing AI to read and map content, which led me to doing Quid.

Nonviolent Communication

Marshall B. Rosenberg

Nonviolent Communication

I am willing to guarantee you’ll be a better human being after reading this. Even if you haven’t read his work yet, you are using techniques that Rosenberg developed. Get back to the source and listen to any audiobook or workshop recording by Rosenberg.

Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford English Dictionary

I couldn’t have a reading list without including my favorite type of book. And there is no finer dictionary than the OED.

Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

David Epstein

Aside from covering the subject in its subtitle, Range also provides a powerful framework for thinking about high-value skill development in the age of AI.

Resonate

Nancy Duarte

Resonate

If you only read one book on how to present to an audience, let it be this one. Nancy Duarte has written the talks for some of the world’s top CEOs including Apple and Salesforce for many years. In Resonate, she dissects the underlying concepts that lead to compelling talks.

The Anxious Generation

Jonathan Haidt

Bill Gates: “The Anxious Generation is a must-read for anyone raising, working with, or teaching young people today. With this book, Haidt has given the world a wake-up call about where we’re headed – and a roadmap for how we can change course.” Nuff said.

The Art of Memory

Frances Yates

The Art of Memory, Frances Yates

Memory and memory systems are considerably undervalued in modern life. They were the underpinnings of education for most of history and for good reason. Get interested in memory.

The Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge

Manuel Lima

The Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge, Manuel Lima

I own way too many information design books. But this one is a standout as an homage to the power of circular diagrams through the ages.

The Checklist Manifesto

Atul Gawande

The Checklist Manifesto

Checklists make the world go round. This book is a loveletter to the checklist. A more captivating read than you’d expect.

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

Sir Ken Robinson

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

Sir Ken Robinson, who you may know from his popular TED Talk, provides inspiration and practical guidance for how to work at the intersection of your passion and talent.

The Lean Startup

Eric Ries

The Lean Startup

The only way to start a company! Lean!

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Because Eckhart Tolle’s voice conveys so much, I prefer his audiobook versions. If you haven’t listened to Tolle before, start with this classic.

The Power of Vulnerability

Brené Brown

The Power of Vulnerability

Everything by Brené Brown is good. Very useful for those of us that need to study the emotional realm for it to make sense.

The Startup of You

Reid Hoffman

The Startup of You

LinkedIn founder, Reid Hoffman, shares some useful lessons on how to live an entrepreneurial life, regardless of your career field.

The Stress Prescription: 7 Days to More Joy & Ease

Elissa Epel

The Stress Prescription: 7 Days to More Joy & Ease

It’s so useful that scientists have started to study mindfulness techniques and measure their impact at a cellular level.

Things a Little Bird Told Me

Biz Stone

Things a Little Bird Told Me

An inspiring book to help unlock your creativity. Written by one of the most creative people I’ve ever met.

Visual Explanations

Edward Tufte

Visual Explanations

Yale Professor Tufte is the master of information design. If you care about laying out information on a page (be it via interface design, graphic design, presentations, anything) you need to read Tufte. Plus his books are so beautiful, they are worth owning just for the craftsmanship.

What Is Zen?

Alan Watts

What Is Zen?

What is Zen? Do tell us, Alan.

Zero to One

Peter Thiel

Zero to One

A foundational book for anyone in startups. Through many conversations with Peter since 2005, I saw him develop and implement the thinking behind Zero To One. So it was very cool to see his thinking come together in this book.

The Four Reigns

Thai movie 2009, in which I played the part of an aged English butler.