My 10 Books of 2023
Unincorporated Man: Fiction usually isn’t my go-to genre, but this book was a standout this year. Set 300 years in the future, it explores a world where people are incorporated at birth and strive to earn back a majority share in themselves. It was quite a page-turner.
Elon Musk: Walter Isaacson’s much-awaited biography of Elon Musk was released this year. Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs remains a favorite of mine, and this book, with its “war” time stories and insights into Musk’s personal life, was equally compelling.
How to Have Impossible Conversations: This is one of the most helpful “self-help” books I’ve read recently. I’ve been following Peter Boghossian on different platforms for a while now and I’m always amazed by his ability to handle extremely difficult conversations [example]. It’s a must-read if you regularly find yourself in heated debates around hard topics.
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Ray Dalio offers an interesting analysis of historical patterns of past empires, drawing parallels to current trends in the US. A captivating read for history and economics enthusiasts. There is a shorter version on YouTube that I suggest watching if you are not planning to read this book.
How Money dies: A detailed historical account of the hyperinflation in the Weimar Germany in the early 1920s. As I write down the list of books I’m noticing there are quite a few about changing world order.
Sovereign Individual: I’d love to get into the mind of the author. It’s absolutely incredible how many things this book correctly predicted back in the 90s. From cryptocurrency to cyber economy, from remote work to lockdowns.
Chaos Monkeys: Written by former Facebook product manager Antonio Martínez, this memoir offers an inside look into the early days of web 2.0. The stories, especially from his time at Facebook were fun to read. It was cool knowing I’ve worked/directly reported to some of the people mentioned in this book.
Capitalism and Freedom: Milton Friedman’s work was a significant part of my listening this year. This classic book is a testament to his enduring influence.
Liar’s Poker: This book is by Michael Lewis, the same guy behind ‘The Big Short.’ It takes you right into the heart of 1980s Wall Street. I always get a kick out of Lewis’s writing – it’s funny yet hits the mark. Turn the last page, and yep, I’m still not sold on the finance industry.
Network State: This book is an exploration of radical new idea, start up states by Balaji Srinivasan. I listened to Balaji on quite a few different podcasts this year. Although it’s hard to agree with his ideas in this book, it was an interesting read nonetheless.
