Every matching recommendation record appears here, grouped by person and book. Editorial starting points are on the collection overview.
Page 1 of 5 · Recommendation records on this page: 48.
Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you buy through some links. Recommendations are included because of the source, not because of the retailer. Details
Evidence detailsHow a business book from the '80s became a cult classic in Silicon Valley
The Washington Post reports that Horowitz wrote the foreword for the reissued High Output Management, called himself the book's chief promoter, and had called it the best management book he had ever read in his own book.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
The Washington Post · 2015-11-18 · accessed 2026-06-21
Article · Reported exact quote
The Washington Post reports Horowitz calling High Output Management the best management book he had ever read and identifies him as the book's chief promoter.
Blank describes Ries's book while discussing Customer Development and Agile implementation.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Evidence detailsTobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable
Lütke names The Machiavellians as Burnham's later book and calls it unbelievably good and extremely relevant.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27
Video · Official Knowledge Project interview recording
Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23: Lütke distinguishes The Machiavellians from Burnham's earlier The Managerial Revolution and praises the later book. Work OL3272669W records the 1943 title.
Blank recommends Biodesign for medical-device startups and notes its customer-discovery process.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Blank says Business Model Generation helps founders answer the business-model question intelligently and precisely.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Blank says startups disrupting regulated markets need to read The Fixer and Regulatory Hacking.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Blank recommends Perez's book in the Must Read Books section.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Blank names Testing Business Ideas in the entrepreneurial management stack section.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Blank says startups disrupting regulated markets need to read The Fixer and Regulatory Hacking.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Blank recommends Wasserman's book in the Strategy Books for Startups section.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Blank presents Value Proposition Design as Osterwalder's follow-on book for getting product/market fit right.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
In a separate Knowledge Project interview, Lütke explicitly names Parkinson's Law as a book he gives to his executives.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Farnam Street · Episode #152; date not listed on the transcript page · accessed 2026-09-27
Podcast · Knowledge Project interview transcript
The transcript states that one of the books Lütke gives his executives is Parkinson's Law and calls it an 80-page read. This independent primary source makes the recommendation explicit.
Evidence detailsTobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable
In the books segment of the 2026 Knowledge Project interview, Lütke returns to Parkinson's Law and praises it as a quick read.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27
Video · Official Knowledge Project interview recording
Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23: Lütke names Parkinson's Law among books he returns to and calls it a quick read. Book identity is matched to Open Library work OL722672W.
Business Insider reported that Houston loves High Output Management and credited Grove's books with shaping the mindsets needed for demanding CEO work.
Evidence detailsDropbox CEO Drew Houston's favorite books on business and management include these 4 must-reads
The article reports Houston's Fortune Leadership Next podcast appearance and names High Output Management among the business books that shaped how he runs Dropbox.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Business Insider · 2025-06-11 · accessed 2026-06-20
Article · Reported podcast recommendation
Business Insider reports Houston's Fortune Leadership Next appearance, names High Output Management among his favorite/loved leadership books, and quotes his explanation of the CEO mindsets those books taught.
Evidence details25 books recommended by Marc Andreessen
An attributed recommendation list published by his venture firm. Catalog wording is a citation, not a direct quotation from Andreessen.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
a16z · 2026-07-30 · accessed 2026-09-30
Reading list · Official a16z attributed reading list
The official note explicitly attributes the recommendations to Marc Andreessen. The attached list image was inspected directly; this title appears in that image. Publication date confirmed in page JSON-LD.
Evidence detailsThe Origin Story of Zapier with Wade Foster
The original interviewer explicitly labels the resources as Wade’s recommendations. In the published human-transcribed interview, he identifies Andrew Grove’s book as practical and useful in response to a request for pivotal resources. Existing canonical book reused; no edition preference asserted.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Interview · Original attributed interview resources
Original page labels High Output Management among Wade’s Recommended Resources and attributes the positive response to Wade. The transcript credits GMR Transcription Services; no independent audio or verbatim quotation claimed. No date inferred from search indexing.
Collison's official bookshelf says the page is a physical-books catalog, not an overall list, but explains that books shown in green are titles he thought were particularly great.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Patrick Collison · mid 2026 note on page; original list kept for posterity · accessed 2026-06-21
Personal website · Personal bookshelf rating
The page says Collison flagged a few books he thought were particularly great in green. This row imports only green-marked titles and does not treat the full bookshelf as a recommendation list.
Evidence detailsThe Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Drew Houston
Houston named Poor Charlie's Almanack in the same core reading-list answer and explained its value for mental models and judgment.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Tim Ferriss · 2018-08-29 · accessed 2026-06-23
Transcript · Podcast transcript
In response to Ferriss's core-reading-list question, Houston names Poor Charlie's Almanack as one of a couple favorite books and explains its decision-making value.
Blank includes Crossing the Chasm in the Must Read Books section.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
Blank lists Horowitz's book as CEO Build-phase reading for the transition from search to company building.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
The title appears in the Reading List section attributed to Fadell in Build; the source is a secondary transcription rather than a verbatim excerpt for this individual list item.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Lanre Dahunsi · 2022-06-07 · accessed 2026-08-10
Article · Secondary transcription of book reading list
This page transcribes the Reading List section from Tony Fadell's Build and introduces it as a list of books and articles that helped Fadell, his friends, and mentors. Google Books independently identifies a Reading List section in Build.
The transcribed Reading List includes The Hard Thing About Hard Things among the books and articles Tony Fadell says helped him, his friends, and mentors.
The title appears in the Reading List section attributed to Fadell in Build; the source is a secondary transcription rather than a verbatim excerpt for this individual list item.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Lanre Dahunsi · 2022-06-07 · accessed 2026-08-10
Article · Secondary transcription of book reading list
This page transcribes the Reading List section from Tony Fadell's Build and introduces it as a list of books and articles that helped Fadell, his friends, and mentors. Google Books independently identifies a Reading List section in Build.
Evidence detailsThe Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Drew Houston
Houston named the book when Tim Ferriss asked what three to five books would form the core of his reading list for smart nontechnical undergraduates.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Tim Ferriss · 2018-08-29 · accessed 2026-06-23
Transcript · Podcast transcript
In response to Ferriss's core-reading-list question, Houston names The Hard Thing About Hard Things as a favorite book about the experience of running a company.
The title appears in the Reading List section attributed to Fadell in Build; the source is a secondary transcription rather than a verbatim excerpt for this individual list item.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Lanre Dahunsi · 2022-06-07 · accessed 2026-08-10
Article · Secondary transcription of book reading list
This page transcribes the Reading List section from Tony Fadell's Build and introduces it as a list of books and articles that helped Fadell, his friends, and mentors. Google Books independently identifies a Reading List section in Build.
A Hacker News commenter transcribed Altman's Twitter AMA answer to a question about the best books he recommends for a young startup founder and listed Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Evidence detailsSam Altman AMA transcript comment on recommended books for young startup founders
The title appears in the transcribed Twitter AMA answer to a question about the best books Altman recommends for a young startup founder.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Hacker News / Algolia API · 2015-10-21 · accessed 2026-06-22
Comment · HN transcript of Twitter AMA answer
A Hacker News commenter transcribed Altman answering a Twitter AMA question about the best books he recommends for a young startup founder; Altman later confirmed the disputed Art of War in the Middle Ages title in the same thread.
Business Insider reported that Houston loves Only the Paranoid Survive and credited Grove's books with shaping the mindsets needed for demanding CEO work.
Evidence detailsDropbox CEO Drew Houston's favorite books on business and management include these 4 must-reads
The article reports Houston's Fortune Leadership Next podcast appearance and names Only the Paranoid Survive among the business books that shaped how he runs Dropbox.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Business Insider · 2025-06-11 · accessed 2026-06-20
Article · Reported podcast recommendation
Business Insider reports Houston's Fortune Leadership Next appearance, names Only the Paranoid Survive among his favorite/loved leadership books, and quotes his explanation of the CEO mindsets those books taught.
Evidence details25 books recommended by Marc Andreessen
An attributed recommendation list published by his venture firm. Catalog wording is a citation, not a direct quotation from Andreessen.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
a16z · 2026-07-30 · accessed 2026-09-30
Reading list · Official a16z attributed reading list
The official note explicitly attributes the recommendations to Marc Andreessen. The attached list image was inspected directly; this title appears in that image. Publication date confirmed in page JSON-LD.
Evidence details25 books recommended by Marc Andreessen
An attributed recommendation list published by his venture firm. Catalog wording is a citation, not a direct quotation from Andreessen.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
a16z · 2026-07-30 · accessed 2026-09-30
Reading list · Official a16z attributed reading list
The official note explicitly attributes the recommendations to Marc Andreessen. The attached list image was inspected directly; this title appears in that image. Publication date confirmed in page JSON-LD.
The first-person impact-list answer names this book. It is one interview event shared with Deep Work, not another independent event or a favorite ranking.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
The CEO Library · undated · accessed 2026-10-02
Interview · Original written source
The first-person impact-list answer names this book. It is one interview event shared with Deep Work, not another independent event or a favorite ranking.
Fortune reports that Huang told Acquired he really enjoyed Andrew Grove's business books and that they were all really good; Fortune identifies Only the Paranoid Survive among those Grove books.
Evidence detailsNvidia CEO Jensen Huang says his AI powerhouse is 'always in peril' despite a $1.1 trillion market cap
Huang was asked on Acquired for favorite business books he had taken something from. He praised Andrew Grove's books as really good, and Fortune identifies Only the Paranoid Survive among those Grove books. Fortune is used as the public row source because it verifies the specific title.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Fortune · 2023-11-11 · accessed 2026-06-22
Article · Reported podcast title identification
Fortune reports that Huang told Acquired he had read Andrew Grove's business books, called them really good, and identifies Only the Paranoid Survive among those Grove books. The Acquired transcript supplies the favorite-business-books prompt and Grove-books praise.
Blank says he read the Christensen books as a handbook for startups trying to disrupt established companies.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
A Hacker News commenter transcribed Altman's Twitter AMA answer to a question about the best books he recommends for a young startup founder and listed The Score Takes Care of Itself.
Evidence detailsSam Altman AMA transcript comment on recommended books for young startup founders
The title appears in the transcribed Twitter AMA answer to a question about the best books Altman recommends for a young startup founder.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Hacker News / Algolia API · 2015-10-21 · accessed 2026-06-22
Comment · HN transcript of Twitter AMA answer
A Hacker News commenter transcribed Altman answering a Twitter AMA question about the best books he recommends for a young startup founder; Altman later confirmed the disputed Art of War in the Middle Ages title in the same thread.
Evidence details25 books recommended by Marc Andreessen
An attributed recommendation list published by his venture firm. Catalog wording is a citation, not a direct quotation from Andreessen.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
a16z · 2026-07-30 · accessed 2026-09-30
Reading list · Official a16z attributed reading list
The official note explicitly attributes the recommendations to Marc Andreessen. The attached list image was inspected directly; this title appears in that image. Publication date confirmed in page JSON-LD.
Evidence detailsTobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable
Lütke says this is the densest, highest-quality book for its length and one he almost always mentions in book discussions.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27
Video · Official Knowledge Project interview recording
Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23: Lütke says he almost always mentions The Lessons of History and praises its density and quality for its length. The catalog's existing book record is used.
Evidence detailsBen Horowitz Transcript - The Tim Ferriss Show
Horowitz recommended The Lean Startup for small-company founders in the Tim Ferriss transcript.
The quote is taken word for word from the source.
Tim Ferriss · 2019-11-12 · accessed 2026-06-23
Transcript · Podcast transcript
In response to a books-for-founders question, Horowitz says Eric Ries's The Lean Startup is great for a little company and explains its fundamental startup lessons.
Blank names Getting Real as web-focused startup reading.
This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.
Steve Blank · accessed 2026-06-21 · accessed 2026-06-21
Official source · Official startup reading list
Steve Blank's official Books for Startups page names these titles in startup reading sections and includes direct guidance such as must-have, must-read, essential reading, useful read, or listed book guidance.
From The Greats
