The second coming of Steve Jobs

What Hacker News says

1. guiambrosDec 2020
   If you're interested in computer history, "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" [1] is an excellent book about this time.

   It covers the early days of Pixar, how it got funded by George Lucas, how Jobs got involved, and what happened in the intervening years until he was back at Apple. Fascinating story; worth reading.

   [1] https://www.amazon.com/Second-Coming-Steve-Jobs/dp/076790433...

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2. Minor49erMar 2020
   "The Road Ahead" by Bill Gates is an interesting look into what Bill envisioned for the Internet. It came with a CD-ROM full of videos of how devices would be used in schools and workplaces (I thonk law enforcement too if I remember correctly). The videos are much better than the book.

   "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" was eye opening for me regarding the life of Jobs, his family life, and his business involvements.

   "Masters of Doom" by David Kushner chronicles the history of id Software and its creators. It's an entertaining book for sure, especially the part where id has Gwar show up at Microsoft.

   "Close to the Machine" by Ellen Ullman is the memoir of a software developer in the 80s. I need to read this one again, but it was enjoyable. I think about one part in particular from time to time where the author recounts being offered a job to work on an aging mainframe. The man pitching the job is probably the last person around who's dedicated to maintaining it. She would have made a lot of money doing it, but the work itself looked to be soul draining, so she skipped it fpr pther opportunities

   "The Fugitive Game" by Jonathan Littman documents the story of Kevin Mitnick, the so-called most wanted hacker alive. Certainly has some surprises and is a fun read.

   Pretty much anything by Norbert Wiener regarding cybernetics is interesting from a historical perspective. I've read several but the one that comes to mind immediately is "God and Golem, Inc". While unfinished, it goes into cybernetics, which was a practice or idea that technology could interface with biological life in a complementary way and those ways should be pursued. I think he was ultimately successful since we take a lot of those ideas for granted today.

   "The Computer and The Brain" by John von Neumann is a great and short read. It mostly talks about how binary signals can be fired by synapses in the brain.

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3. guiambrosJan 2020
   Computer history is one of my favorite topics, so I've read a lot over the years. Here's my list:

   >> Classic computer history:

   - "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution", Steven Levy

   - "The Innovators", Walter Isaacson

   - "Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley", Adam Fisher [innovative format, tons of interesting tidbits after you get used to the style. Read only after the other two above]

   - "The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story", Michael Lewis

   - "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs", Alan Deutschman

   - "Revolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made", Andy Hertzfeld

   - "Masters of Doom", David Kushner

   - "Idea Man", Paul Allen

   - "Where Wizards Stay Up Late", Katie Hafner

   >> Entertaining stories, but less historical value:

   - "Ghost in the Wires", Kevin Mitnick

   - "Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley", Antonio Garcia Martinez

   - "Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal", Nick Bilton

   >> On my to-read queue:

   - "How the Internet Happened", Brian McCullough [just started; very promising]

   - "Troublemakers: Silicon Valley's Coming of Age", Leslie Berlin

   - "Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of WWII", Liza Mundy

   - "Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer", Paul Freiberger / Michael Swaine

   >> Others worth mentioning (but just read a few chapters):

   - "The Supermen: The Story of Seymour Cray", Charles Murray [about Cray Computers]

   - "Racing the Beam" [about Atari]

   - "Commodore: A Company on the Edge" [about Commodore]

   >> Bonus:

   - "Art of Atari", Tim Lapetino [great as a coffee table book, particularly if you grew up in the 80's :) ]

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4. craydandyMay 2019
   Here are some that I've enjoyed reading:

   Steve Martin - Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life

   Kevin Mitnick - Ghost In The Wires

   Kenneth Roman - The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy and the Making of Modern Advertising

   Walter Isaacson - Steve Jobs

   Alan Deutschman - The Second Coming of Steve Jobs

   James Wallace - Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire

   Alice Schroeder - The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

   Richard Branson - Losing My Virginity

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5. Amogha_IOJun 2017
   There are some books I keep coming back to when I am "feeling lost and/or hopeless", when my "back is up against the wall and/or feel cornered", when I feel like I have "hit rock bottom" or I just need to "escape reality"... This list contains books I have read/listened to more than a couple times:

   !For inspiration:! 1. Loosing my virginity (Richard Branson) - Richard Branson's Autobiography. From student magazine to Virgin to crazy ballooning adventures and space! I keep coming back to this when I feel like I need a morale boost. There isn't an audible version for this book, but there is a summary-type version on Audible "Screw it, Let's do it"- does a good job curating the exciting parts.

     2. The Everything Store (Brad Stone) 

   -AMAZON and the man leading the massive team behind it. Jeff Bezos is quite easily one of the most important and influential people in the world. His relentless pursuit to build Amazon (& it's various products) amid constant setbacks, losses and naysayers... I personally use Amazon and their products every day. It's a really interesting view of how things are run backstage.

     3. Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson) 

   - One of the most popular books in the Valley. Almost all startup founders I have met has read this. They usually have a very polarized view of Jobs after reading this. Take the good stuff and leave out the bad/crazy. Jobs was a very polarizing person and so is his biography...This is a very long book. "The second Coming of Steve Jobs" by Alan Deutschman is another really good book and a much shorter read and not super-polarizing (leaves out some of the crazy stuff from early life). Other notable Steve Jobs books I have read & highly recommend: Becoming Steve Jobs & The Steve Jobs Way.

     4. Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance) 

   -Another polarizing book. I am a Spacex & Tesla Fan-boy. I picked this up in 2015 the day it was launched! I have read this at least half a dozen times by now. Hard-work, perseverance and creativity to the max. A must read for every entrepreneur.

     5. iWoz (Steve Wozniak) 

   -If you are a technical-founder, this is a must read! Gives a very interesting view of- behind the scenes at Apple during its inception and early years. I was really moved by how humble Woz was/is and I am inspired by his problem solving approach.

     6. How Google Works (Eric Schmidt, Alan Eagle & Jonathan Rosenberg) 

   - A very good book to read after/before this: "In the Plex" by Steven Levy. Hands down the two most important / influential books while you are starting something new. I read these while I was contemplating conceiving my startup and giving up the "safety" (illusion of safety) of a "normal-job". A must read for anyone planing to start a company and want to take it to the stratosphere (or higher)!

     7. Dreams from My Father (Barack Obama) 

   - Another polarizing personality. A short but powerful memoir by Obama. This gives a unique insight into Obama's thought processes. Most people can relate to this and every "Leader" must read this. It really helps clear some of the fog on- what makes an effective leader.

   !Business & Management:!

     1. The Upstarts (Brad Stone) 

   -An amazing story about AirBnB and Uber. Culture is key and culture is defined by the Founders and the first few hires. The two companies are extremely similar in many ways (timing, shared economy, disruptive) but radically different in the way they are run. This came out earlier this year and is probably one of the best "startup-books" of 2017!

     2. Zero to One (Peter Thiel)

   -A very short book, a must read for every entrepreneur. Dives into "first principal" thinking & execution. A very good read after/before "Elon Musk" the biography by Ashlee Vance.

     3. The power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)

   -I have always wondered how successful people get so much done. They have the same amount of time as everyone else, but they are able to get so much more done...how? This book answered that question. Ever since, I have been using "Habits" as my ultimate personal tool. Day & night difference when you figure out how habits are formed how they are broken and how you can influence the process. A good companion book (from the same author) "Smarter Faster Better".

     4. How to win friends & Influence people (Dale Carnegi)

   - I bought this book freshman year in college. I tried reading it then and gave up / got bored after the first few pages. I really wish I had actually made an effort to read the whole thing. It sat on my shelf collecting dust. Luckily I picked up the book again and gave it another shot. I read this during a particularly "rough-patch" at our startup- really helped me cope with the "situation". What was once a boring book is now scribbled with notes, bookmarks and highlights. A very useful life-guide.

     5. How to win at the Sport of Business (Mark Cuban)

   - A very entertaining yet eye-opening book. It is very short, finished it in a couple hours. A must read for every entrepreneur. I keep coming back to this when I feel like things are going dreadfully slow and I need a boost. If you follow Mark Cuban's blog, skip this. It is mostly a summary of his blog posts.

     6. Finding the next Steve Jobs (Nolan Bushnell)

   - Finding good talent and retaining it is probably the single most important thing you will do as startup founders (especially if you are the CEO). Many things in this book seem obvious (if you are familiar with the Silicon-valley culture). A good read before you set out to hire your dream team of "rockstars". A good companion book: "Outliers" By Malcom Gladwell.

     7. The hard thing about hard things (Ben Horowitz)

   -Are you in a startup? If the answer is YES, then read this NOW. Ties well with "Finding the next Steve Jobs". I wish I had read this before I started my company. I have lost track of how many times I have listened to this audio-book.

     8. Start with the Why (Simon Sinek) 

   - Mid-late 2013 I came across Simon Sinek's ted talks on the golden-circle and my mind was blown. I bought the book the very next day and I keep coming back to my notes whenever we are starting a new project. Get the "Why?" right and the product will define itself. This is true for building companies as it is for building great products. A must read for every entrepreneur.

     9. Art of the Start (Guy Kawasaki)

   -Getting ready to pitch? read this! Also watch Guy's many presentations/talks on YouTube. A good companion book- "Pitch Anything" By Oren Klaff

   !Escaping Reality! 1. Hatching Twitter (Nick Bilton) -Sooooo much drama! Definitely learnt what not to do! Very interesting read.

     2. The accidental Billionaires (Ben Mezrcih) 

   -I have heard that not everything in this book is "completely-true" (more distorted than others...) but still a great read!

     3. The Martian (Andy Weir)

   - Hands down the best science fiction book I have read. I have lost count how many times I have listened to the audio-book (probably >15). I want to go to MARS!

     4. Harry Potter Series. 

   -My go-to "background noise". I read the books as a kid. I use the audio-books to tune out the world when working on stuff that does not require my full attention (Listening Goblet of Fire as I type this)...

     5. Jurassic Park || The Lost world (Michael Crichton)

   - Read the books as a kid. I usually listen to it while I am traveling. Still gets me as excited as it did when I first read the book. (The movies are nothing compared to the book...)

     6. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) 

   - I am looking forward to reading the entire series. Read it once, listened to it many times (lost count). I love Space!

     7. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)

   -I picked this book up while I was working on a VR project back in 2014. An excellent book for re-reads and a nice place to get some inspiration.

   !Other honorable mentions:! Actionable Gamification (Yu-Kai Chou) I invented the Modern Age (Richard Snow) Inside the tornado (Geoffrey Moore) Jony Ive (Leander Kahney) Sprint (Jake Knapp) The lean startup (Eric Ries) The selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins) Titan (Ron Chernow) The inevitable (Kevin Kelly) The Innovators (Walter Isaacson) Scrum (Jeff Sutherland)

   !Most if not all have an audio-book version!

   If you are in a startup or plan to start one soon, reading/listening to books should become a routine. I try to get through at least one book a week, sometimes two.

   Good luck!

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6. guiambrosDec 2016
   Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).

   Here's an unordered list of the best:

   [BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]

   - "Work Rules!" - about Google's culture and values

   - "Search Inside Yourself" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.

   - "What got you here won't get you there" - Liked a lot more than I expected.

   - "Re-read Innovator's Dilemma" - a great classic; never gets old.

   - "How will you measure your life" - from the same author. Also excellent.

   - "The Best Service is No Service" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good

   - "Crucial Conversations" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.

   [PROGRAMMING]

   - "Fluent Python" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.

   - "Think Complexity" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.

   - "Python Data Science Handbook" - meh.

   - "Fundamentals of Deep Learning" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course

   - "Deep Learning" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.

   [STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)

   - "The Hard Things about Hard Things"

   - "Zero to One"

   - "The Founder's Dilemmas"

   - "The Launch Pad"

   [FICTION]

   - Trilogy: "Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water"

   - "Infinite Jest" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.

   - "Ready Player One" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.

   [NON-FICTION]

   - "What If?" - xkcd FTW

   - "How to Read a Book" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book

   - "Spark" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good

   - "Sugar Shock" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings

   [BIOGRAPHIES]

   - "The New New Thing" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs

   - "Machines of Loving Grace" - about the research and the rise of AI

   - "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution"

   - "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography

   - "The Innovators" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today

   - "Ghost in the Wires" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it

   - "Idea Man" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.

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