My Life and Work
, subject: Henry Ford's autobiography and business philosophy.
Ford's own account gives David a direct source for thinking about service before profit, frugality, wages, prices, and company-building.
About the book
The 1922 autobiography combines Ford's company-building account with direct arguments about service before profit, production, wages, prices, frugality, waste, machinery, farming, and the social role of business.
Why read it
Best if you want a short, direct primary account of Ford's business philosophy, especially service before profit, frugality, lower prices, higher wages, and the mindset of building a company.
Key themes
- Service Before Profit
- Frugality Against Waste
- Lower Prices, Higher Wages
Evidence and original sources
Host calls My Life and Work a no-brainer recommendation for anyone interested in founding a company or building something.
- Michael Jordan: Driven From Within — David connects Henry Ford's service-first philosophy in My Life and Work to Michael Jordan's own mentality about serving fans first.
- Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin (PayPal) — David invokes Ford's autobiography to support the theme that new ventures may need unconventional people rather than committed experts.
- My Life and Work: The Autobiography of Henry Ford — Episode 26 is entirely dedicated to Henry Ford's autobiography My Life and Work. The host reads extended passages and discusses Ford's business philosophy throughout the full runtime.
- Henry Ford's Autobiography — David identifies this episode as covering Henry Ford's My Life and Work.
- Jeff Bezos Shareholder Letters — David explicitly connects the autobiography to episode 266.
- Ray Dalio: Principles: Life and Work — Host references a lesson from a previous Henry Ford episode about committing to work regardless of personal feelings.
Unofficial listener-built companion, not affiliated with or endorsed by David Senra or Founders Podcast.