Essential Reading for Crypto Builders and Entrepreneurs in 2024

In
a
recent
initiative
aimed
at
fostering
knowledge
and
innovation,
a16z
crypto
has
curated
an
extensive
list
of
books
for
the
giveaway
library
during
their
inaugural
a16z
crypto
Founder
Summit.
The
list,
designed
to
inspire
and
educate,
spans
a
variety
of
genres
and
fields,
including
company
building,
biographies,
tech
trends,
and
creative
inspiration.

Company
Building
&
How-To

Among
the
notable
titles
in
the
company
building
section
are:

• 
  Zero
  to
  One:
  Notes
  on
  Startups,
  or
  How
  to
  Build
  the
  Future
  by
  Peter
  Thiel
  with
  Blake
  Master
• 
  Scaling
  People:
  Tactics
  for
  Management
  and
  Company
  Building
  by
  Claire
  Hughes
  Johnson
  (Stripe
  Press)
• 
  High
  Growth
  Handbook:
  Scaling
  Startups
  from
  10
  to
  10,000
  People
  by
  Elad
  Gil
  (Stripe
  Press)
• 
  High
  Output
  Management
  by
  Andy
  Grove
• 
  The
  Hard
  Thing
  about
  the
  Hard
  Things
  by
  Ben
  Horowitz
• 
  Thinking
  in
  Systems:
  A
  Primer
  by
  Donella
  Meadows
• 
  An
  Elegant
  Puzzle:
  Systems
  of
  Engineering
  Management
  by
  Will
  Larson
  (Stripe
  Press)
• 
  Twenty
  Lectures
  on
  Algorithmic
  Game
  Theory
  by
  Tim
  Roughgarden
• 
  Designing
  Data-Intensive
  Applications:
  The
  Big
  Ideas
  Behind
  Reliable,
  Scalable,
  and
  Maintainable
  Systems
  by
  Martin
  Kleppmann
• 
  The
  Entrepreneur’s
  Guide
  to
  Law
  and
  Strategy
  by
  Constance
  Bagley
  and
  Craig
  Dauchy
• 
  Think
  Faster,
  Talk
  Smarter:
  How
  to
  Speak
  Successfully
  When
  You’re
  Put
  on
  the
  Spot
  by
  Matt
  Abrahams
• 
  Web3
  Marketing:
  A
  Handbook
  for
  the
  Next
  Internet
  Revolution
  by
  Amanda
  Cassatt
• 
  A
  Theory
  of
  Fun
  for
  Game
  Design
  by
  Raph
  Koster
• 
  The
  Art
  of
  Doing
  Science
  of
  Engineering:
  Learning
  to
  Learn
  by
  Richard
  Hamming
  (Stripe
  Press)

Builder
Biographies,
Organizations,
and
Process
of
Innovation

This
section
includes
insightful
reads
such
as:

• 
  Chip
  War:
  The
  Fight
  for
  the
  World’s
  Most
  Critical
  Technology
  by
  Chris
  Miller
• 
  Coding
  Democracy:
  How
  Hackers
  Are
  Disrupting
  Power,
  Surveillance,
  and
  Authoritarianism
  by
  Maureen
  Web
• 
  The
  Infinite
  Machine:
  How
  an
  Army
  of
  Crypto-Hackers
  Is
  Building
  the
  Next
  Internet
  with
  
  
  
  
  
  Ethereum
  by
  Camila
  Russo
• 
  Shoe
  Dog:
  A
  Memoir
  from
  the
  Creator
  of
  Nike
  by
  Phil
  Knight
• 
  The
  Founders:
  Elon
  Musk,
  Peter
  Thiel
  and
  the
  Story
  of
  PayPal
  by
  Jimmy
  Soni
• 
  Can’t
  Hurt
  Me:
  Master
  Your
  Mind
  and
  Defy
  the
  Odds
  by
  David
  Goggins

Tech
Trends,
History,
Open
Source,
and
Other
Web3
Themes

Key
titles
in
this
category
include:

• 
  The
  Cathedral
  &
  the
  Bazaar:
  Musings
  On
  Linux
  And
  Open
  Source
  By
  An
  Accidental
  Revolutionary
  by
  Eric
  Raymond
• 
  Working
  in
  Public:
  The
  Making
  and
  Maintenance
  of
  Open
  Source
  Software
  by
  Nadia
  Eghbal
  (Stripe
  Press)
• 
  The
  Evolution
  of
  Cooperation
  by
  Robert
  Axelrod
• 
  The
  Everything
  Token:
  How
  NFTs
  and
  Web3
  Will
  Transform
  the
  Way
  We
  Buy,
  Sell,
  and
  Create
  by
  Scott
  Duke
  Kominers
• 
  Designing
  An
  Internet
  by
  David
  Clark
• 
  Read
  Write
  Own:
  Building
  the
  Next
  Era
  of
  the
  Internet
  by
  Chris
  Dixon

Sci-Fi,
Other
Fiction,
and
Creative
Inspiration

For
those
seeking
creative
inspiration,
the
list
offers:

• 
  Project
  Hail
  Mary
  by
  Andy
  Weir
• 
  When
  We
  Cease
  to
  Understand
  the
  World
  by
  Benjamin
  Labatut

The
curated
list,
according
to

a16z
crypto,
is
not
just
for
crypto
builders
and
founders.
It
encompasses
a
wide
range
of
topics
that
can
benefit
anyone
interested
in
entrepreneurship,
innovation,
and
personal
growth.
The
books
are
selected
to
provide
valuable
insights
and
inspiration,
making
them
a
must-read
for
anyone
looking
to
make
a
mark
in
the
rapidly
evolving
world
of
technology
and
startups.

Image
source:
Shutterstock