My Recommended Blockbuster Business Reading Books for 2015
Whether you’re looking for the perfect gift or to catch up on your reading, there are plenty of blockbuster business books I strongly recommend for 2015.
I have collected my favorites of the year which I all read and are guaranteed to not only educate but entertain.
They are:
‘Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future’ by Peter Thiel
Billionaire Peter Thiel is as well known for being the cofounder of PayPal and first investor in Facebook as he is for being one of Silicon Valley’s prominent freethinkers. “Zero to One” is a concise, fluff-free treatise on the business philosophy he first taught in a Stanford University class, as collected by his former student Blake Masters. Thiel explains concepts like why “monopoly” shouldn’t be a bad word but rather something to strive to become, and why Silicon Valley has become mired in a culture of competitive imitation rather than true innovation. Order it here
‘The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers’ by Ben Horowitz
Before cofounding Andreessen Horowitz, a top Silicon Valley venture capital fund, Ben Horowitz helmed Opsware, a software management company that sold to HP for $1.6 billion in 2007. All that experience is boiled down in “The Hard Thing About Hard Things.” “Hard things are hard because there are no easy answers or recipes,” Horowitz writes “They are hard because your emotions are at odds with your logic. They are hard because you don’t know the answer and you cannot ask for help without showing weakness.” More than any other business book released this year, “Hard Things” gives an insider’s perspective on what it’s like to lead and scale a startup. Order it here
‘How Google Works’ by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
Google has long been regarded as one of the best companies to work for. If you’ve wondered how exactly Google is able to create a work environment that manages to be both fun and efficient, Google’s former CEO and current chair Eric Schmidt and former SVP of products Jonathan Rosenberg break it down for you. There are some great anecdotes in there, as well, such as the time Schmidt used his first day on the job as CEO to order the cluttered office space be cleaned up, leaving cofounder Larry Page confused and angry the next day. Order it here
‘MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom’ by Tony Robbins
Celebrity life coach Tony Robbins has spent the past 30 years reaching millions through his books, audio lessons, and presentations. His personal coaching clients include former president Bill Clinton and legendary investor Paul Tudor Jones, and it was partially his relationship with Jones that inspired him to write “Master the Game.” It’s an introduction to the basics of investing as told through Robbins’ signature inspirational voice. Robbins interviewed 50 of the world’s top financial minds to gather advice that investors of any skill level could benefit from. The book includes insight from Ray Dalio, the billionaire manager of the world’s largest hedge fund, and Carl Icahn, the billionaire activist investor whose decisions reverberate throughout Wall Street. Order it here
‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’ by Thomas Piketty
As soon as the English translation of French economist Thomas Piketty’s 700-page investigation of income inequality came out in March, it became a surprise New York Times bestseller and media staple for weeks, with passionate opinions for and against Piketty’s conclusion that inequality levels are at dangerous levels around the world. In a review on his blog, Bill Gates explains that “Capital” is far from perfect, but an important book that’s worth reading. “The debate over wealth and inequality has generated a lot of partisan heat. I don’t have a magic solution for that,” Gates writes. “But I do know that, even with its flaws, Piketty’s work contributes at least as much light as heat. And now I’m eager to see research that brings more light to this important topic.” Order it here
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