The book this episode covers
Decoded
Jay-Z · Reading rank 214 · in 3 other episodes
David says it took him over a decade to finally read Decoded and was blown away once he did.
Dedicated episode · Explicit praise · Founder theme
Books David recommends along the way
Sam Walton
Sam Walton · Reading rank 9 · in 24 other episodes
David calls Walton's autobiography fantastic.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise · Founder theme · Reread language
Poor Charlie's Almanack
Charles T. Munger, edited by Peter D. Kaufman · Reading rank 11 · in 44 other episodes
Theme that deep historical knowledge underlies top founders' and investors' success.
Cross-episode reference · Founder theme
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson · Reading rank 13 · in 23 other episodes
David says he reread Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography.
Cross-episode reference · Founder theme · Reread language
Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders
Warren Buffett · Reading rank 16 · in 47 other episodes
David applies the letters’ model of studying great predecessors to Jay-Z’s deliberate study of earlier artists.
Founder theme
Marc Andreessen's Blog Archive
Marc Andreessen · Reading rank 25 · in 14 other episodes
David calls the archive fantastic, free, and well worth reading.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise · Founder theme
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Eric Jorgenson · Reading rank 33 · in 18 other episodes
David attributes a build-and-sell business lesson to Naval Ravikant's almanac.
Founder theme
The Founders
Jimmy Soni · Reading rank 67 · in 13 other episodes
David calls the PayPal book fantastic.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise · Founder theme
Michael Jordan
Roland Lazenby · Reading rank 97 · in 6 other episodes
David says the biography's emphasis on practice blew his mind.
Cross-episode reference · Explicit praise · Founder theme
The Bed of Procrustes
Nassim Nicholas Taleb · Reading rank 332 · in 3 other episodes
David uses The Bed of Procrustes as an example of keeping short books of maxims nearby so a brief reread can prompt thinking and reinforce important ideas.
Founder theme
jeen-yuhs
Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah · Watch & Listen · in 1 other episode
David calls the three-part Kanye documentary fantastic and incredible and says he watched its first episode four times.
Explicit praise · Founder theme
Running Down a Dream, How to Succeed and Thrive in a Career You Love
Bill Gurley · Watch & Listen · in 21 other episodes
David calls Running Down a Dream a fantastic talk.
Explicit praise · Founder theme
Also mentioned
Against the Odds
James Dyson · Reading rank 1 · in 25 other episodes
David attributes a product-design lesson (build something distinctive) to James Dyson's autobiography.
Founder theme
Nuts! Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success
Kevin Freiberg and Jackie Freiberg · Reading rank 98 · in 4 other episodes
Cross-episode reference
Autobiography of a Restless Mind
Dee Hock · Reading rank 125 · in 3 other episodes
David says he keeps this book around his house as a source of maxims to prompt his thinking.
Explicit praise
The Billionaire Who Wasn't
Conor O'Clery · Reading rank 233 · in 1 other episode
Cross-episode reference
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