BOOK · [029]
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Business / Leadership
Horowitz's unvarnished account of the decisions no one teaches you - laying off friends, firing executives, near-death pivots - drawn from running Loudcloud and Opsware. Dark in places, but candid about what running an organization actually feels like.
Endorsed By
11 People-
Andrew Ng
“It's a bit dark but it does cover a lot of useful territory on what building an organization is like”
Ng's pick for understanding the operational reality of running a company, from the Farnam Street interview.
-
Daniel Ek
“The Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz is also really good for someone who's first time journey”
Recommended in the Tim Ferriss interview as a book for first-time founders.
-
Jensen Huang
Appears on curated Huang reading lists and is frequently cited in connection with NVIDIA's wartime-CEO pivot to AI. Horowitz, Huang's contemporary, has publicly praised Huang's leadership.
-
Sharif Shameem
Featured in Sharif's startup and founder-mindset category on his bookshelf.
-
Keith Rabois
Recommended for entrepreneurs on his reading list.
-
Fred Wilson
“Chapter five in 'The Hard Thing About Hard Things' is possibly the best thing I've read about leading a tech company.”
-
Chris Dixon
“One of five business books Chris Dixon recommended on Twitter.”
-
Peter Thiel
“Every management guide presumes that all great companies follow a formula...”
-
Max Levchin
Listed on his bookmarked.club page.
-
Blake Scholl
“'The Hard Thing about Hard Things' is good.”
-
Larry Page
“Ben's book is a great read - with uncomfortable truths about entrepreneurship and how to lead to a company. It's also an inspiring story of a business rebirth through sheer willpower.”