A Silicon Valley Legend's Top Books for Entrepreneurs
Posted by Cybil on March 8, 2024
Ben Horowitz is a cofounder and general partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Hard Thing About Hard Things and What You Do Is Who You Are. He also created the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund to connect the greatest cultural leaders to the best new technology companies and enable more young African Americans to enter the technology industry.
This month marks the 10th anniversary of entrepreneur and venture capitalist Ben Horowitz’s go-to book for founders, The Hard Thing About Hard Things. As one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced leaders, Horowitz understands the gritty realities and tough decisions that all entrepreneurs must face on a daily basis.
Yet despite the inevitable challenges, Horowitz believes that with the right resources, any entrepreneur can conquer even the toughest obstacles.
These tools can be found across this list of Horowitz’s favorite leadership books, all of which have helped shape his own journey. From the classic (Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People) to the inspirational (Shaka Senghor’s Writing My Wrongs) to even the unconventional (Sudhir Hazareesingh’s Black Spartacus), these books offer entrepreneurs—both seasoned and aspiring—a blueprint for tackling the hurdles they will encounter along the way.
In Andy Grove’s classic middle management “how-to” book, he skips all of the obvious content that floods lesser management books and goes straight to the hard stuff. If you read one book on management, this is it.
While this book presents an excellent framework for thinking about massively strategic decisions, its most lasting impact on me was that it taught me what it feels like to make the most difficult decision of your life. This has been invaluable in my career.
This book is both so corny and so genius that it is remarkable. Dude’s name wasn’t even Dale Carnegie; it was Carnagey. He changed it to Carnegie, so he could, well, win friends and influence people. Talk about dedication. His expert use of language and how specific words completely change how people feel about what you say make this book well worth reading.
In this widely varying and delightful tour through the ways to think about competition, entrepreneurship, and building a company, Peter brings 100 percent original thinking—and his thinking will make you think much harder. Amazing book if you plan to start a company.
The most linear depiction of Toussaint Louverture’s amazing rise in leading the only successful slave revolt in human history that resulted in an independent state. Louverture transformed slave culture into one of the great military cultures of all times, ultimately defeating Napoleon Bonaparte. Any CEO who needs to change a culture must read this book.
If you are going to be a leader, you must first learn how to understand and lead yourself. There is no better story of how to do that than Senghor’s journey from gangs to prison to bestselling author.
How do smart people screw things up so badly that they almost destroy the world? Now that’s something that every leader must know, and this book gives you a play-by-play on how it actually happened.
The problem with most management books is that they aren’t written to make you think but written to make you feel better about not thinking (I’m looking at you, Jim Collins). No Rules Rules is the exception to that rule. Whether you agree or disagree, you will think hard about Hastings’ and Meyer's approach, and you'll question all of your management assumptions.
Have you ever wondered why some of the greatest, most iconic companies wreck themselves? Does it seem odd when companies that do the best job of listening to their customers get shocked by the competition? Well, this is the book for you.
This story of a tribal warrior who personally led the charge, then became a genius strategist and a global diplomat who unified many disparate territories into the country that is now Saudi Arabia, is absolutely astounding. If you want to know which leadership skills translate across every circumstance and culture, they are the skills of Ibn Saud. The conversation between Saud and Franklin Delano Roosevelt about a potential future Jewish state alone is worth the price of admission.
Have a great business book recommendation? Be sure to share it with your fellow readers in the comments below.
Lois
How does one save an article for later on Goodreads?
Brynawel
It is quite an accomplishment that Goodreads deletes critical comments exclusively by females from an article posted on 8th of march (of all days) with a topic like that. It must be about 10 censored comments by now.
Nicolette
Disappointed previous comments have been deleted. Why?
Bryan
Why was I shown this article? I have no interest in this subject. I can’t think of anything more dull & pointless.
Jim
Wow. Talk about extremely dated reading. And so chock full of maleness and kowtowing to White Male Wealth. Rather disturbing, yet unsurprising, I guess. I wonder when we will realize there are almost no winners in Capitalism except those who built the system they control and manipulate. We are burning down the planet and ruining the lives of billions, all for the benefit of men like Horowitz. A man who would attempt to convince readers that there is success and fulfillment in destruction and greed. Huh. Hard pass on all these books.
Jim
Nicolette wrote: "Disappointed previous comments have been deleted. Why?"
Because GR is owned by Amazon, the near-pinnacle of capitalist greed and architect of increasingly widespread human suffering. So any comments against this person or his suggestions is likely to be removed. Capitalism can allow no detractors to speak.
Because GR is owned by Amazon, the near-pinnacle of capitalist greed and architect of increasingly widespread human suffering. So any comments against this person or his suggestions is likely to be removed. Capitalism can allow no detractors to speak.
Jesse
How to Win Friends and Influence People is a must-read, not just for business but for every area of your life. Such a great book!
Aldo Kelrast
Real sociopath shit. You see any of this trash in somebody's house, GTFO real quick before the Huey Lewis comes on. Nice try tricking us with the L'ouverture bio, but you can just keep his name out your mouth, business creep. 400 years ago your Venture Capitalist ass would have been shoving him in the hold of a ship.
John
I love Good Reads. It has enriched my life. I am very pleased to see that Ben Horowitz is endorsing several outstanding leadership books that I have already read. Good to know that we share the same taste in reading.
Annabelle
I see all the comments by woman from March 8th are deleted. Way to go, Goodreads! Show us where our place is, that our voices do not count. Way to go to promote a list with a misogynistic facist on it on March 8th. Bravo!