A Truck Full of Money: Coding, Mania, Love, Genius: The Life of an American Entrepreneur
, subject: Paul English, Kayak, and entrepreneurship
Tracy Kidder's biography of Kayak co-founder Paul English includes a story about why early recruits follow a founder they expect to succeed again.
About the book
Kidder follows English from a teenager with a gift for programming through his years at Interleaf to Kayak, the travel site sold for $1.8 billion. The book also covers his bipolar disorder and his giving, directed at homelessness in Boston and at communities in Haiti.
Why read it
Best if you want a biography of Kayak co-founder Paul English and a concrete case of why early recruits follow a founder they expect to succeed again.
Key themes
- Why early recruits sign on
- One founder's career as the case
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #27, #77
David explicitly recommends reading A Truck Full of Money and states that the recommendation is the reason he made the episode.
- A Truck Full of Money: Coding, Mania, Love, Genius: The Life of an American Entrepreneur — Episode 27 is a dedicated review of Tracy Kidder's A Truck Full of Money, a biography of Paul English, co-founder of Kayak.
- Steve Jobs (The NeXT Years) — The host recalls a story from Tracy Kidder's book on Paul English to illustrate why early recruits join a founder they expect to succeed again.