Whenever I interview Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent and architect of AMD, Apple, Tesla, Intel fame, he often mentions reading lots of books - getting ideas, interacting with ideas, and learning more information. When people have asked him for a book list, he has often slid away from giving recommendations, stating that there are lots out there to choose from. However, he has since been offering recommendations on social media, and I’ve compiled a list for you.
These links are in no particular order, and will be updated over time.
Also included are affiliate links to Amazon. Any purchase through these links helps fund this newsletter.
Against Method - Paul Feyerabend - https://geni.us/YeKlF
Inner Game of Tennis - Timothy Gallwey - https://geni.us/gDG1YJ
Gervais Principles - blog - Venkat Rao - https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/
The Dictator’s Handbook - Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith - https://geni.us/JnvBZTt
Grendel - John Gardner - https://geni.us/5jpVXp
The Art of Learning - Josh Waitzkin - https://geni.us/qJto
The Myth of Freedom - Chogyam Trungpa - https://geni.us/EyqNm
Starting Strength - Mark Rippetoe and Jason Kelly - https://geni.us/nARfz
John Boyd: The Fighter Pilot who Changed the Art of War - Robert Coram - https://geni.us/ANWQUTP
Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Le Guin - https://geni.us/3YfP3Ba
Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg - https://geni.us/DHh9
Structure of Scientific Revolution - Thomas Kuhn - https://geni.us/wqzN
Sot-weed Factor - John Barth - https://geni.us/9TeZH
The 33 Strategies of War - Robert Greene - https://geni.us/Tn3Un5
Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman - https://geni.us/B9gB5u4
You get one point for everyone one you’ve read. How many points do you have?
Notable others or non-specific recommendations
Iain Banks - https://geni.us/ieNn4A
Raymond Kurzweil - https://geni.us/O0BRQ
Cray One Reference Manual - http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/cray/CRAY-1/2240004C_CRAY-1_Hardware_Reference_Nov77.pdf
A full Amazon list can be found at https://geni.us/KellerBookList
My last full interview with Jim can be found here:
Never expected to see the Gervais Principle blog on semicconductor industry blog nevermind from the man himself, it's like 2 niche guilty pleasures colliding. I wonder if it's a slight jibe at his recent tenure at Intel, I can only imagine the sort of specimens american corporate darwinism has produced at Intel in it's current form. No doubt he has plenty of stories to tell as a company that once dominated the world gets eclipsed by its once down and out competitors.
That's a fascinating list and thanks Ian (and Jim). Some I know and rate but more importantly some to explore further. Thanks