10 Books recommended by Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Kerry Ohanian is an American internet entrepreneur and investor. He is best known as the co-founder and executive chairman of the social news website Reddit along with Steve Huffman and Aaron Swartz. He also co-founded the early-stage venture capital firm Initialized Capital, helped launch the travel search website Hipmunk, and started the social enterprise Breadpig.
Alexis Ohanian
Book Recommendations
Indistractable
Indistractable
Julie Li,Nir Eyal
Business & EconomicsYou sit down at your desk to work on an important project, but a notification on your phone interrupts your morning. later, as you're about to get back to work, a colleague taps you on the shoulder to chat. at home, screens get in the way of quality time with your family. another day goes by, and once again, your most important personal and professional goals are put on hold. what would be possible if you followed through on your best intentions? what could you accomplish if you could stay
“Another must-read/listen from nireyal”
Feb 27, 2020 — Source
The Hot Hand
The Hot Hand
Ben Cohen
Business & EconomicsA brilliant and buoyant investigation into the existence (or not) of streaks, from a rising star at the wall street journal.for decades, statisticians, social scientists, psychologists, and economists (among them nobel prize winners) have spent massive amounts of precious time thinking about whether streaks actually exist. after all, a substantial number of decisions that we make in our everyday lives are quietly rooted in this one question: if something happened before, will it happen again? is there such a thing as being in the zone? can someone have a “hot
“Such a great book...This is a riveting story.”
Dec 6, 2020 — Source
Shoe Dog
Shoe Dog
Phil Knight
AutobiographiesIn this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, nike founder and ceo phil knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.in 1962, fresh out of business school, phil knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from japan. selling the shoes from the trunk of his lime green plymouth valiant, knight grossed $8,000 his first year.
“a great one -- had no idea Nike had such a long history.”
Dec 15, 2018 — Source
Super Pumped
Super Pumped
Mike Isaac
In june 2017, travis kalanick, the hard-charging ceo of uber, was ousted in a boardroom coup that capped a brutal year for the transportation giant. uber had catapulted to the top of the tech world, yet for many came to symbolize everything wrong with silicon valley.award-winning new york times technology correspondent mike isaac’s super pumped presents the dramatic rise and fall of uber, set against an era of rapid upheaval in silicon valley. backed by billions in venture capital dollars and led by a brash and ambitious founder, uber promised
“Good read.”
Oct 10, 2019 — Source
Influence
Influence
Robert B. Cialdini
Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say "yes"—and how to apply these understandings. dr. robert cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. his thirty-five years of rigorous, evidence-based research along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior has resulted in this highly acclaimed book.you'll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader—and how to defend yourself against them. perfect for people in all walks of
“Recommend this book to navigate the world with heightened awareness for how we're always being influenced/manipulated.”
May 4, 2020 — Source
Founders at Work
Founders at Work
Jessica Livingston
Business & EconomicsFounders at work: stories of startups' early days is a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days. these people are celebrities now. what was it like when they were just a couple friends with an idea? founders like steve wozniak (apple), caterina fake (flickr), mitch kapor (lotus), max levchin (paypal), and sabeer bhatia (hotmail) tell you in their own words about their surprising and often very funny discoveries as they learned how to build a company.where did they get the
“I am begging her to do a second book because the first one is just a must read.”
— Source
Permanent Record
Permanent Record
Edward Snowden
Biography & AutobiographyIn 2013, twenty-nine-year-old edward snowden shocked the world when he broke with the american intelligence establishment and revealed that the united states government was secretly pursuing the means to collect every single phone call, text message, and email. the result would be an unprecedented system of mass surveillance with the ability to pry into the private lives of every person on earth. six years later, snowden reveals for the very first time how he helped to build this system and why he was moved to expose it.spanning the bucolic beltway
“Reading with gusto over the holiday”
Nov 22, 2019 — Source
Lagom
Lagom
Linnea Dunne
TravelThe swedish concept of lagom (pronounced "lah-gom") roughly translates to "not too little, not too much, just right." this charming book introduces readers to a new way of balanced living that promises happiness and sustainability in work and in life. lagom provides simple solutions to juggle everyday priorities, reduce stress, eat well, and save money, with lessons on the importance of downtime, being outdoors, and sweden's coffee break culture. tips on removing clutter and creating a capsule wardrobe help readers achieve sweden's famously clean and functional design aesthetic, while advice
“Good read”
Apr 24, 2019 — Source
Daemon
Daemon
Daniel Suarez
FictionTechnology controls almost everything in our modern-day world, from remote entry on our cars to access to our homes, from the flight controls of our airplanes to the movements of the entire world economy. thousands of autonomous computer programs, or daemons, make our networked world possible, running constantly in the background of our lives, trafficking e-mail, transferring money, and monitoring power grids. for the most part, daemons are benign, but the same can't always be said for the people who design them. matthew sobol was a legendary computer game designer—the
“Got a ton of these for the office because of a fan. Books smell good.”
Oct 31, 2018 — Source
Masters of Doom
Masters of Doom
David Kushner
Biography & AutobiographyIs the amazing true story of the lennon and mccartney of video games: john carmack and john romero. together, they ruled big business. they transformed popular culture. and they provoked a national controversy. more than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking american dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to produce the most notoriously successful game franchises in history—doom and quake— until the games they made tore them apart. this is a story of friendship and betrayal, commerce and artistry—a powerful and compassionate account of what it's like
“It was one of the things we bonded over.”
— Source
