The book this episode covers
De Gaulle
Julian Jackson · Reading rank 187 · in 5 other episodes
David recommends reading the book for the full story and says the audiobook is his preferred format for this long work.
Dedicated episode · Explicit praise · Founder theme
Books David recommends along the way
Creative Selection
Ken Kocienda · Reading rank 7 · in 19 other episodes
David says anyone building a product should read Creative Selection.
Explicit praise
In the Company of Giants
Rama Dev Jager and Rafael Ortiz · Reading rank 27 · in 22 other episodes
David uses In the Company of Giants' Bill Gates chapter and its Panzer-division comparison to illustrate aggressive, continuously moving strategy.
Founder theme
Distant Force
George A. Roberts with Robert J. McVicker · Reading rank 40 · in 12 other episodes
David applies Distant Force's De Gaulle comparison and Claude Shannon secrecy lesson to the current episode.
Cross-episode reference · Founder theme
The Outsiders
William N. Thorndike Jr. · Reading rank 45 · in 9 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
The Splendid and the Vile
Erik Larson · Reading rank 143 · in 5 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
The Edge of the Sword
Charles de Gaulle · Reading rank 419 · in 1 other episode
David introduces de Gaulle's 1932 book The Edge of the Sword as a leadership tract and quotes from it.
Founder theme
Towards a Professional Army
Charles de Gaulle · Reading rank 434
David presents de Gaulle's two-part case: autonomous tanks could restore speed and offensive power, and a 100,000-person professional force could supply the technical expertise and purpose that mechanized warfare required.
Founder theme
14 Peaks
Torquil Jones · Watch & Listen · in 1 other episode
David names and recommends 14 Peaks, says its energy and outlook fired him up, and calls one of its lines among the documentary's great quotes.
Explicit praise · Founder theme
General Patton's speech to the Third Army
George S. Patton · Watch & Listen · in 4 other episodes
David reads Patton's Third Army speech on constant advance and applies its default-aggressive principle to de Gaulle, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and customer acquisition.
Founder theme
Ghosts of the Ostfront
Dan Carlin · Watch & Listen · in 3 other episodes
David calls Dan Carlin his favorite podcaster and describes The Ghosts of Ostfront as a great World War II series.
Explicit praise · Founder theme
Also mentioned
Poor Charlie's Almanack
Charles T. Munger, edited by Peter D. Kaufman · Reading rank 11 · in 44 other episodes
David reads Poor Charlie's Almanack's judgment of Henry Singleton.
Founder theme
Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders
Warren Buffett · Reading rank 16 · in 47 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
Go Like Hell
A.J. Baime · Reading rank 108 · in 7 other episodes
David uses Go Like Hell's description of Ferrari treating cars as animate to compare de Gaulle's relationship with the army.
Cross-episode reference · 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