The book this episode covers
The Vagabonds
Jeff Guinn · Reading rank 220 · in 1 other episode
David closes by directly recommending the book to listeners for the full story.
Dedicated episode · Explicit praise · Founder theme
Books David recommends along the way
Zero to One
Peter Thiel with Blake Masters · Reading rank 5 · in 48 other episodes
David applies Thiel's value-capture concept from Zero to One to explain why Edison profited far less from his inventions than General Electric did.
Founder theme
Copy This!
Paul Orfalea and Ann Marsh · Reading rank 84 · in 11 other episodes
David applies Orfalea's lesson that a founder only needs to be exceptional at the one capability the business requires.
Cross-episode reference · Founder theme
My Forty Years with Ford
Charles E. Sorensen with Samuel T. Williamson · Reading rank 127 · in 6 other episodes
David uses the book's account of Ford's single-minded pursuit of an affordable car to illustrate the value of committing to one big idea.
Cross-episode reference · Founder theme
The Wizard of Menlo Park
Randall E. Stross · Reading rank 132 · in 6 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
Schlep Blindness
Paul Graham · Reading rank 374 · in 2 other episodes
David reads Schlep Blindness, including its Stripe example, and applies its hidden-problem argument to Firestone.
Founder theme
Each note is a short paraphrase of why David brings the book up. Book pages show every piece of evidence and its review status. How ranking works