Recommendations based on Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valleyby Antonio García Martínez

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

    by Ashlee Vance
    A revealing look into the life and accomplishments of tech innovator Elon Musk.

    Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, sold one of his internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the ... (Goodreads)

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

    by Peter Thiel
    A guide to launching a startup, exploring the power of entrepreneurship.

    If you want to build a better future, you must believe in secrets. The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, ... (Goodreads)

  3. Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble

    by Dan Lyons
    A humorous account of an older man's experience in the chaotic world of Silicon Valley start-ups.

    For twenty-five years Dan Lyons was a magazine writer at the top of his profession–until one Friday morning when he received a phone call: Poof. His job no longer existed. "I think they just want to ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses

    by Eric Ries
    Systematic approach to launching and managing successful businesses in an ever-changing market.

    Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. ... (Goodreads)

  5. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

    by Phil Knight
    The story of one man's dream to start a business and the obstacles he encountered along the way.

    In 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 ... (Goodreads)

  6. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

    by John Carreyrou
    The rise and fall of Theranos, a fraudulent blood-testing startup, and the deceitful actions of its founder Elizabeth Holmes.

    The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face ... (Goodreads)

  7. Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal

    by Nick Bilton
    A gripping account of the meteoric rise of Twitter and the interpersonal conflicts that ensued.

    Twitter seems like a perfect start-up success story. In barely six years, a small group of young, ambitious programmers in Silicon Valley built an $11.5 billion business out of the ashes of a failed ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

    by Atul Gawande
    A guide to better decision-making, exploring the power of checklists in various fields.

    The, New York Times, bestselling author of, Better, and, Complications, reveals the surprising power of the ordinary checklist We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

    by Ben Horowitz
    A practical guide to navigating the challenges of building and leading a successful business, with insights from a seasoned entrepreneur.

    Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup—practical wisdom for ... (Barnes & Noble)

  10. Rework

    by Jason Fried
    A guide to starting and running a successful business with unconventional advice and practical tips.

    Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you're looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf. ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

    by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
    A business novel that follows a manufacturing plant's attempts to optimize production.

    Written in a fast-paced thriller style,, The Goal, is the gripping novel which is transforming management thinking throughout the Western world. Alex Rogo is a harried plant manager working ever more ... (Goodreads)

  12. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

    by Robert B. Cialdini
    An analysis of the psychology of persuasion and how to use it to influence people.

    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 ... (Goodreads)

  13. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

    by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
    An exploration of how disorder and chaos can lead to strength and resilience.

    From the bestselling author of The Black Swan and one of the foremost philosophers of our time, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a book on how some systems actually benefit from disorder. In The Black Swan ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

    by Brad Stone
    The story of Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos, from its humble beginnings to becoming one of the world's largest companies.

    The definitive story of Amazon.com, one of the most successful companies in the world, and of its driven, brilliant founder, Jeff Bezos. Amazon.com started off delivering books through the mail. But ... (Goodreads)

  15. Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions

    by Brian Christian
    Exploring the relationship between computers and human thinking to help us make better decisions.

    A fascinating exploration of how insights from computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal

    by Ben Mezrich
    The story of the founding of Facebook, from its humble beginnings in a Harvard dorm room to becoming a global phenomenon.

    The high-energy tale of how two socially awkward Ivy Leaguers, trying to increase their chances with the opposite sex, ended up creating Facebook. Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg were Harvard ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

    by Ryan Holiday
    A practical guide on using adversity to achieve success.

    “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” — Marcus Aurelius We are stuck, stymied, frustrated. But it needn’t be this way. There is a formula for success ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

    by Barack Obama
    A political memoir that explores Obama's vision for America and his hopes for the future of the country.

    The Audacity of Hope is Barack Obama's call for a new kind of politics—a politics that builds upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans. Lucid in his vision of America's ... (Goodreads)

  19. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

    by Greg McKeown
    An exploration of the power of focus and clarity of purpose to create a more meaningful, productive life.

    Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized? Are you often busy but not productive? Do you feel like your time is constantly being ... (Goodreads)

  20. In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives

    by Steven Levy
    An inside look at the history, culture, and technology behind Google, the world's most powerful search engine and tech giant.

    Written with full cooperation from top management, including cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, this is the inside story behind Google, the most successful and most admired technology company of ... (Goodreads)

  21. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

    by Dan Ariely
    An exploration of why humans make irrational decisions, and how to overcome them.

    Why do our headaches persist after taking a one-cent aspirin but disappear when we take a 50-cent aspirin? Why does recalling the Ten Commandments reduce our tendency to lie, even when we couldn't ... (Goodreads)

  22. Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead

    by Laszlo Bock
    An inside look at Google's unique workplace culture, providing insights on how to create a happier and more productive office.

    From the visionary head of Google's innovative People Operations comes a groundbreaking inquiry into the philosophy of work-and a blueprint for attracting the most spectacular talent to your business ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal

    by David E. Hoffman
    A gripping true story of espionage, betrayal, and the struggle against the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

    From the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning history, The Dead Hand, comes the riveting story of a spy who cracked open the Soviet military research establishment and a penetrating portrait of the ... (Goodreads)

  24. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

    by Peter C. Brown
    Exploring how to maximize learning potential by applying evidence-based methods.

    To most of us, learning something “the hard way” implies wasted time and effort. Good teaching, we believe, should be creatively tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use ... (Goodreads)

  25. I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life

    by Ed Yong
    Exploration of the unseen world of microbes and their profound effect on our lives.

    Joining the ranks of popular science classics like The Botany of Desire and The Selfish Gene, a groundbreaking, wondrously informative, and vastly entertaining examination of the most significant ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. Skin in the Game: The Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life

    by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
    Taleb argues that people should have "skin in the game" when making decisions that affect others, and that asymmetries in risk and reward can lead to negative consequences.

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan, a bold new work that challenges many of our long-held beliefs about risk and reward, politics and religion, finance and personal ... (Goodreads)

  27. Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers

    by Timothy Ferriss
    Strategies and insights from top performers to help you reach your fullest potential.

    The latest groundbreaking tome from Tim Ferriss, the #1, New York Times, best-selling author of, The 4-Hour Workweek,.,, From the author:, , “For the last two years, I’ve interviewed more than 200 ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives

    by Leonard Mlodinow
    Examines how the role of chance and randomness shapes our lives, from our successes and failures to our everyday decisions.

    With the born storyteller's command of narrative and imaginative approach, Leonard Mlodinow vividly demonstrates how our lives are profoundly informed by chance and randomness and how everything from ... (Goodreads)

  29. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship

    by Robert C. Martin
    A guide to writing maintainable, efficient computer code through principles of good design.

    Even bad code can function. But if code isn't clean, it can bring a development organization to its knees. Every year, countless hours and significant resources are lost because of poorly written ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage

    by Clifford Stoll
    A true story of a computer expert's pursuit of a hacker who broke into his system, leading to a global espionage investigation.

    Before the Internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive U., S. citizen recognized its ominous potential. Armed with clear evidence of computer espionage, he began a ... (Goodreads)