Got back into reading late into 2024, listed below are the books and their respective mini analyses. Semi-heavy emphasis on my background and interests, such as building consumer internet businesses and general tech/finance.
Last updated: January 2025
Currently Reading:
On the Bookshelf:
The Cold Start: How to Start & Scale Network Effects - Andrew Chen (2021)
Still in progress but super interesting read so using this space to jot down notes.
Marketplaces are all about balancing the scale / Tipping over one side of supply/demand can be lethal
Zero to One - Peter Thiel (2014)
Thiel’s “Zero to One” was easily my favorite book I read in 2024. As someone who has built an internet business from scratch, there’s a different connection you’re able to feel and digest as Thiel courses through his ideals on venture. When dissecting Zero to One to my venture ‘Data Powered Sports’, here are some insights:
Last mover advantage isn’t always bad, especially when you know you can tap into an underserved area or market (for us, this was offering the same data, but at a fraction of competitor pricing).
Distribution > Product, when building in consumer/B2C areas where # of eyeballs are everything. Understanding the nitty gritty of how to distribute/scale is essential too ie. which social media platform(s) best suit and find ideal customer, what days/times have the most effectiveness for said customer’s eyeballs when posting, what marketing tactics can you steal from competition in the space, creativity/unique skills to aid or even supercharge GTM
“Always take 100 users that love your service over 1000 who like your service” - I do wonder if this still holds for businesses in B2C as the price for services/product vastly differs and 1000 liking the service may be better than 100 loving
Easy Money: Crypto, Casino Capitalism, & Fraud - Ben Mckenzie / Jacob Silverman (2023)
Jacob Silverman, a rather odd author for this book (background consists of being a hollywood actor but holds an econ degree) is heavily against crypto and does his best to prove its nothing but “securitized air.”
Note: He did start writing the book after he 1) invested and lost at peak crypto bubble (early 2021) and 2) then bet against shitcoins, lost again, leading to liquidation
Only 10-15% of crypto is backed its actual monetary value… everything else is just ‘bubble’ (Alex Mashinsky - CEO of Celsius Network (peak $1.7b mkt cap)) aka if only a small percentage of money were real and the rest were either tokens, leveraged positions, and/or circular financing, then the entire system was at risk of collapse once withdrawals started
Note 2: Celsius did indeed go bankrupt in 2022 due to a “severe liquidity crisis” lol