technology Book Summaries

Homo Deus offers a thought-provoking look into humanity's future; It talks about how advances in technologies like artificial intelligence and genetic engineering could radically transform us. Yuval Noah Harari proposes the uncomfortable notion that we may try to become like gods to avoid death and unhappiness.

Zero to One is about the future of technology and a guide for startup business founders. Peter Thiel is a billionaire entrepreneur and investor that shares many unconventional ideas. He says entrepreneurs should avoid competition. Instead build a (legal) monopoly selling something completely new and incomparable.

The Everything Store is about how Jeff Bezos grew Amazon—from a simple online bookstore into the 5th largest company in the world. He did it with a mix of great timing, customer obsession, and relentless competition.

Elon Musk is a biography of the man who led Tesla, SpaceX and PayPal. Musk inspires many people with his futuristic plans for new technologies, and his seemingly unstoppable ability to overcome all obstacles. But his employees are often pushed to their limit, trying to reach impossible deadlines.

Steve Jobs is the official biography of the co-founder of Apple and Pixar. He had an intense passion to create revolutionary products like the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iTunes, and Macintosh computers. His personality was an unusual mix of Zen hippie and brash business visionary.

Made in Japan is the autobiography of Akio Morita, who co-founded Sony and grew it to become one of the largest electronics companies in the world. Akio shares his advice for management, leadership and innovation. He also explains many differences in the working culture between Japan and the West.

Digital Gold tells the story of the rise of Bitcoin, giving us a close look at the programmers and investors who contributed to the technology and movement. Nathaniel Popper also explores fascinating questions like: how can a money made up of digital bits have any value at all?

Hooked shows how to create digital products that are engaging, compelling and habit-forming. Nir Eyal reveals how big tech companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook keep us coming back to their apps over and over again. His "Hooked Model" has 4 steps: trigger, action, variable reward and investment.