Founders

Learn from history's greatest entrepreneurs. Every week I read a biography of an entrepreneur and find ideas you can use in your work. This quote explains why: "There are thousands of years of history in which lots and lots of very smart people worked very hard and ran all types of experiments on how to create new businesses, invent new technology, new ways to manage etc. They ran these experiments throughout their e

#427 How Raymond Plank Built a $50 Billion Oil Company

Aug 2026 · 2 books

0:00 / 37:55

A Small Difference

Raymond Plank

so that was from the introduction from the book i'm gonna talk about today which is a small difference and it was written by raymond plank ▶ tap to play from here

The Fish Ate the Whale

Rich Cohen

from the the biography of his is called the fish ate the whale ▶ tap to play from here

#426 How Obsession Built Christopher Nolan

Jul 2026 · 2 books

0:00 / 51:09

The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan

Tom Shone

the nolan variations the movies mysteries and marvel of christopher nolan and it's written by tom schone ▶ tap to play from here

George Lucas: A Life

Brian Jay Jones

george lucas has that almost exact same line in his biography that's written by brian jane jones which i think the book is called george lucas life ▶ tap to play from here

#425 The Merchant Bankers

Jul 2026 · 3 books

0:00 / 46:04

The Merchant Bankers

Joseph Wechsberg

that is an excerpt from the book that i'm going to talk to you about today which is the merchant bankers it's written by joseph weshburg ▶ tap to play from here

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

there there's a great line about this in uh ben franklin's uh autobiography actually he says i took care not only to be in reality industrious and frugal but to avoid all appearances to the contrary ▶ tap to play from here

The Match King: Ivar Kreuger, the Financial Genius Behind a Century of Wall Street Scandals

Frank Partnoy

on episode three forty eight i covered the biography which is called the match king evar kruger uh the financial genius behind a century of wall street scandals ▶ tap to play from here

#424 Peter Thiel on How to Build a Creative Monopoly

Jul 2026 · 9 books

0:00 / 53:58

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

zero to one notes on startups are how to build the future and it's written by peter thiel and blake master ▶ tap to play from here

Against the Odds

James Dyson

why why'd you read james dyson's first autobiography five times ▶ tap to play from here

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness

Eric Jorgensen

i just read this uh book of elon that my friend eric jorgensen wrote ▶ tap to play from here

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

elon was reading the hitchhiker's guide to galaxy and he said something that he read in that book stuck out to him ▶ tap to play from here

Anna Karenina

Leo Tolstoy

tolstoy opens anna karinina by observing all happy families are alike each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way ▶ tap to play from here

The Mind of Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte

it's called the mind of napoleon published in like nineteen fifty seven the book is very hard to find but it's like three hundred pages of just napoleon in his own words ▶ tap to play from here

In the Company of Giants: Candid Conversations with the Visionaries of the Tech World

Rama Dev Jager and Rafael Ortiz

i i think it's episode like two oh eight or something like that ▶ tap to play from here

Return to the Little Kingdom

Michael Moritz

there's this great book that i've told you about m multiple times called the return to the little kingdom and the updated version is written by michael moore ▶ tap to play from here

The Little Kingdom: The Private Story of Apple Computer

Michael Moritz

there's this great book that i've told you about m multiple times called the return to the little kingdom and the updated version is written by michael moore ▶ tap to play from here

#423 Soichiro Honda

Jun 2026 · 4 books

0:00 / 48:19

Honda: The Man and His Machines

Sol Sanders

and so the book that i want to talk to you about today was written in nineteen seventy five and it's called honda the man and his machines and it was written by sol sanders ▶ tap to play from here

Against the Odds

James Dyson

i thought of this quote from james dyson's first autobiography where james dyson writes anyone can become an expert in anything in six months ▶ tap to play from here

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

one of my all time favorite quotes is from the book zero to one in that book peter teal writes he says the single most powerful pattern i have noticed is that successful people find value in unexpected places ▶ tap to play from here

Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson

i'm gonna read you read you this from steve jobs biography steve jobs again had this very similar idea with the apple two that we see that honda had with the super cub ▶ tap to play from here

#422 Joseph Pulitzer

Jun 2026 · 2 books

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Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print and Power

James McGrath Morris

the one i'm going to talk about today which is pulitzer life in politics print and power and it was written by james mcgrath morris ▶ tap to play from here

Poor Charlie's Almanack

Peter Kaufman

charlie munger listed him in the book poor charlie zomanac as one of his what he thought was one of the best business operators of all time ▶ tap to play from here

#421 Jony Ive

Jun 2026 · 1 book

0:00 / 52:45

Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products

Leander Kahney

which is called johnny ive the genius behind apple's greatest products and it's written by leander caney ▶ tap to play from here

#420 Steve Jobs In Exile

Jun 2026 · 4 books

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SJ

Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary

Jeffrey Kane

there's a brand new book called steve jobs in exile the untold story of next and the remaking of an american visionary and it was written by jeffrey kane ▶ tap to play from here

Return to the Little Kingdom

Michael Moritz

this book is called the return to the little kingdom that book was primarily about the first few years of the history of apple but there's an updated version where the author michael moritz writes this ▶ tap to play from here

Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs

Ken Kocienda

it's called uh creative selection it's written by this guy named coscienda ▶ tap to play from here

The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway

daniel lewin pointing to a passage in ernest hemingway's novel the sun also rises that capture what everyone was witnessing ▶ tap to play from here

#419 Kelly Johnson: Skunk Works

May 2026 · 4 books

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More Than My Share of It All

Kelly Johnson

want to read kelly johnson's autobiography which is called more than my share of it all ▶ tap to play from here

Tom Swift series

Victor Appleton

and so he actually credits a work of fiction for inspiring him down the path that he chose for his career something he does his entire life and he's reading these books on tom swift ▶ tap to play from here

Aircraft Propeller Design

Fred Weick

i reworked all the problems in fred week's classic book aircraft propeller design ▶ tap to play from here

Differential and Integral Calculus

Clyde E. Love

on another vacation i reworked every problem in doctor clyde e love's differential and integral calculus ▶ tap to play from here

#418 Phil Knight: Founder of Nike

May 2026 · 3 books

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Shoe Dog

Phil Knight

it is shoe dog written by the founder of nike phil knight ▶ tap to play from here

Bowerman and the Men of Oregon

Kenny Moore

i actually read a book there's a biography of bauerman i probably read six or seven years ago i did an episode on a long long time ago and there's a lot of fascinating stories in that book ▶ tap to play from here

Jogging

Bill Bowerman

he writes his book called jogging which again at this time this seems crazy to unite today but at this time people just did not go out for runs so this book called jogging winds up selling millions of copies ▶ tap to play from here

#417 Arnold Schwarzenegger

Apr 2026 · 4 books

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Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder

Arnold Schwarzenegger

an excerpt from the book that i want to talk to you about today which is arnold the education of a bodybuilder ▶ tap to play from here

Arnold and Me: In the Shadow of the Austrian Oak

Barbara Outland Baker

and in the book that she wrote about her relationship with arnold she talks about how differently they looked at life ▶ tap to play from here

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Arnold Schwarzenegger

it's called total recall ▶ tap to play from here

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

peter tio was one of my all time favorite quotes it's in his book zero to one ▶ tap to play from here

#416 The Relentless Missionary Creating AGI: Demis Hassabis

Apr 2026 · 6 books

0:00 / 54:54

The Infinity Machine: How Felix Dennis and the Quest for Superintelligence

Sebastian Mallaby

this is the most crazy ferocious corporate battle that we've ever seen he said i can't imagine it being any more intense but i'm doing it my way i'm a weird british outlier on this little island here and i've made my own path i followed my passions and tried to stay true to what i believe in and i'm going to carry ▶ tap to play from here

Ender's Game

Orson Scott Card

you should read one of his favorite novels which is ender's game to understand him and there's a great overview of demis' accomplishments before he found this book part way through ▶ tap to play from here

TC

The Chess Computer Handbook

David Levy

so he discovers this book that's called the chess computer handbook it's written by this guy named david levy ▶ tap to play from here

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Douglas Hofstadter

the book is called goldel esher and bach and then the way the book is described in this book is says it was a fire hose of a book that inspired a remarkable number of future ai scientists ▶ tap to play from here

Foundation series

Isaac Asimov

he was reading isaac asimov's foundation series and ian banks culture series ▶ tap to play from here

Culture series

Iain M. Banks

he was reading isaac asimov's foundation series and ian banks culture series ▶ tap to play from here

#415 How Elon Thinks

Mar 2026 · 2 books

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The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness

Eric Jorgensen

he compiled all of elon's most useful ideas into the book that i'm holding in my hand which is the book of elon the subtitles elon's most useful ideas in his own words ▶ tap to play from here

The Art of War

Sun Tzu

in sun tzu's art of war there should have been a chapter saying if you have a decisive technology advantage you can win with minimal casualties to your side ▶ tap to play from here

#414 How SpaceX Works

Mar 2026

0:00 / 41:06

#413 How To Run Down A Dream

Mar 2026 · 8 books

0:00 / 31:25

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

Michael Lewis

the author michael lewis published the book moneyball which is a look inside the innovative approach of oakland athletics general manager billy bean ▶ tap to play from here

Means of Ascent

Robert Caro

the name eighty seven capital is from means of ascent the years of lyndon johnson by robert carrow ▶ tap to play from here

The Years of Lyndon Johnson

Robert Caro

the name eighty seven capital is from means of ascent the years of lyndon johnson by robert carrow ▶ tap to play from here

Running Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love

Bill Gurley

which is running down a dream how to thrive in a career you actually love it is written by bill gurley ▶ tap to play from here

Made in America

Sam Walton

as sam walton said in his autobiography you can make a lot of different mistakes and still recover if you run an efficient operation ▶ tap to play from here

Chronicles: Volume One

Bob Dylan

i read bob dylan's autobiography which is excellent i did an episode on it episode two fifty nine ▶ tap to play from here

Bound for Glory

Woody Guthrie

bob dylan talks about in that book that he devoured woody guthrie's biography ▶ tap to play from here

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

Danny Meyer

actually did an episode on danny's fantastic autobiography probably nine years ago it's uh episode twenty so danny grew up loving food loving restaurants he was a complete ▶ tap to play from here

#412 How Roger Federer Works

Feb 2026 · 6 books

0:00 / 48:40

The Master: The Long Run and the Beautiful Game of Roger Federer

Christopher Clary

this incredible book that i read about roger federer which is called the master the long run and the beautiful game of roger federer written by christopher clary ▶ tap to play from here

Open: An Autobiography

Andre Agassi

if you listen to last week's episode about andre agassi and that fantastic autobiography ▶ tap to play from here

Made in America

Sam Walton

as sam walton said in his autobiography ▶ tap to play from here

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

Ed Catmull

it's in ed capmel's autobiography called creativity inc ▶ tap to play from here

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Arnold Schwarzenegger

i actually read in uh arnold schwarzenegger's biography the one that he wrote when he was in his seventies ▶ tap to play from here

The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

Kobe Bryant

kobe bryant said the exact same thing in that book that he wrote called maba mental ▶ tap to play from here

#411 Tortured Into Greatness: The Life of Andre Agassi

Feb 2026 · 6 books

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Open: An Autobiography

Andre Agassi

that is an excerpt from the book that we talked about today which is open the autobiography of andre agassi ▶ tap to play from here

The Bible

Various Authors - Compiled by Mark T

he just happens to have read the bible a few dozen times front to back ▶ tap to play from here

Winning Ugly

Brad Gilbert

he's just written a book about tennis it's called winning ugly ▶ tap to play from here

A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis

Pete Sampras

and then toby read pete samprits' biography he said it's the complete opposite ▶ tap to play from here

Long Walk to Freedom

Nelson Mandela

and so during this time he actually gets to go to dinner with mandela and there's something that mandela says during this talk that really resonates with andre and mandela says we must all care for one another that is our task in life which mien we must be careful in our decisions careful in our relationships careful ▶ tap to play from here

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Rick Rubin

i remember reading rick rubin's book uh like two weeks ago and he was talking about one of the most famous musicians that he was working with ▶ tap to play from here

#410 Excellent Advice for Living

Jan 2026 · 4 books

0:00 / 37:40

Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier

Kevin Kelly

that is an excerpt from the book i'm gonna talk to you about today which is excellent advice for living wisdom i wish i'd known earlier and it was written by kevin kelly ▶ tap to play from here

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

Ed Catmull

he wrote this great autobiography called creativity inc ▶ tap to play from here

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

Alice Schroeder

i'm re reading the seven hundred page biography of warren buffer right now called snowball ▶ tap to play from here

The Years of Lyndon Johnson

Robert Caro

he quoted napoleon and lyndon johnson from robert carr's biographies on them ▶ tap to play from here

The Singular Life of Rick Rubin

Jan 2026 · 4 books

0:00 / 80:44

Rick Rubin in the Studio

Jake Brown

that is an excerpt from the book i'm gonna talk to you about today which is rick rubin in the studio and is written by jake brown ▶ tap to play from here

Against the Odds

James Dyson

i've told you my favorite book that i've ever read for the podcast was james dyson's autobiography i read two of them ▶ tap to play from here

Damn Right: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger

Janet Lowe

when i covered charlie munger's fantastic biography damn right is the name of the book it's episode two twenty one ▶ tap to play from here

Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business

Frederic Dannen

he read that book i think it's called hitman hitman or hitman and it talks about all the people that were making the music and putting the music out and doing all the work ▶ tap to play from here

#409 The Creative Genius of Rick Rubin

Jan 2026 · 3 books

0:00 / 43:07

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Rick Rubin

that was an excerpt from the book i'm gonna talk about today which is the creative act a way of being and it was written by rick rubin ▶ tap to play from here

The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

Gregory Zuckerman

the very first time i heard about that i read it in this book called a man who solved the market which was a biography of jim simons ▶ tap to play from here

Made in America: My Story

Sam Walton

as sam walton said in his autobiography you can make a lot of different mistakes and still recover ▶ tap to play from here

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