It has been quite a while since I last shared a reading list on this blog. In the fast-paced world of technology, it’s easy to get caught up in the stream of papers and newsletters, but I’ve always found that books provide the necessary depth and historical context to truly understand where we are heading. As I sat down to synthesize my recent readings, I realized that the core themes converged into what I’ve started calling my “A-List” of recent books: Abundance, Anxiety, AI, and Algorithms. It’s a playful alliteration, but one that captures the profound tension between the potential for technological plenty and the societal costs we are only beginning to calculate. Over the past few months, I’ve been diving into a diverse set of titles that help decode these four forces, categorizing them into AI, Tech, Leadership, and “Other Important Ideas.”

AI and the AI Revolution

The current revolution isn’t just about code; it’s about the fundamental nature of intelligence and the hardware that powers it.

Tech and Its People

Understanding tech often requires understanding the “DNA” of the institutions and individuals that built it.

Leadership, Culture, and Human Nature

As I discussed in my Challenge-Inspire model post, leadership is about more than just task management; it’s about understanding the human element.

Other Important Ideas

Finally, a few books that have challenged my perspective on the broader world.

  • “Capital in the 21st Century” by Thomas Piketty: This was proposed for a book club, and at 700 pages, it was daunting. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a deeply researched work on macroeconomics and inequality that provides the essential historical background and context for more contemporary shifts.
  • “Abundance” by Ezra Klein: With Piketty’s historical lens in place, Klein’s “Abundance” is a fascinating read. While it may appear techno-optimistic on the surface, its main lesson for me was how easily well-intentioned policies can falter when built on incorrect assumptions about the future—a critical takeaway as we navigate a world reshaped by AI and automation.
  • “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt: This is a critical look at how the “rewiring of childhood” via technology is impacting mental health. It serves as a stark counter-narrative to the techno-optimism of Ezra Klein; while Klein focuses on the potential for abundance, Haidt exposes the very real dangers and social costs of unbridled technological adoption. The book has become extremely influential, acting as a catalyst for new legislation and policy changes regarding smartphone and social media usage for minors around the world.
  • “The End of the World is Just the Beginning” by Peter Zeihan: A provocative mapping of the potential collapse of globalization. He argues that the era of global trade and secure transport is a historical outlier that is rapidly ending due to demographic shifts and changing US policy. It provides a broader, macro-strategic complement to Miller’s Chip Wars; while Miller focuses on the specific geopolitical struggle over silicon, Zeihan maps the decaying global order that makes that struggle so volatile.
  • “The Vital Question” by Nick Lane: A technical but rewarding explanation of how life came to be, focusing on energy constraints rather than just information. Lane argues that the leap from simple to complex life was a rare, energetic fluke, requiring a level of power that standard evolution struggled to achieve. The book has received immense critical acclaim, most notably from Bill Gates, who famously claimed it was the best book he’d read in years and that it would “help people understand that energy is as fundamental as information.”

I hope you find something in this list that sparks your curiosity. As always, I’m curious to hear what you’ve been reading. Are there any books that have fundamentally shifted your perspective lately? Let me know in the comments!

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