Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos

About the book

Published in 2020, the collection brings Bezos's writing on customer obsession, long-term thinking, invention, failure, culture, decision speed, climate, and space into one volume, with a biographical introduction by Walter Isaacson.

Why read it

Best if you want Bezos's operating ideas in his own words, especially customer obsession, long-term thinking, invention, decision speed, culture, and productive wandering

Evidence and original sources

David directly recommends the book, noting he has far more highlights than he could cover.

• Vannevar Bush (Pieces of the Action) — David identifies this book as Founders episode 155.
• Charles Schulz (Charlie Brown) — David previews Invent and Wander as the book for next week's episode and says he already started reading it.
• Jeff Bezos (Shareholder Letters and Speeches) — David identifies Invent and Wander as the book covered in this episode, opening with an excerpt from its speeches section.
• Theodore Roosevelt — David connects the prior week's Invent and Wander episode to Roosevelt's childlike wonder and observational energy.
• The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution — David says Walter Isaacson's introduction to Invent and Wander led him to The Innovators.
• Chuck Feeney (The Billionaire who gave all of his money away) — David connects Invent and Wander to an earlier Founders episode, estimating it was around episode 155.