Things I recommend reading and listening to

Last month, I spent a lot of time trying to grow in my understanding of principles, society beliefs and labels, and the applications to decisions that we make and the businesses/organizations/people we want to become. Here's a short list of things I found interesting, novel and insightful. 

Some themes are: (1) Understand how your beliefs that you implicitly agree to may shape your current and future state, (2) Identify your first principles to live and operate by, (3) How can you learn from history and others to gain insights to increase your likelihood of being right, and reduce your doubt and risk of being wrong.

 Articles

Why Facebook Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Buy tbh | Stratechery

An interesting evaluation of FB's acquisition of tbh.

 There Are Two Types of Performance — but Most Organizations Only Focus on One | HBR

"In sum, it’s tempting to focus only on the tactical, to believe that to ensure success all we need to do is track whether people follow the process. But high-performing organizations realize the world is full of volatility — and they need to prepare their people to adapt.:

 The Hidden Forces Behind Toutiao: China’s Content King | Y Combinator

Using Machine and Deep Learning to Create and Serve Content, China’s Toutiao Created a Product with Engagement Similar to that of Social Networks – All without a Social Graph

How to Build a Self-Conscious Machine

"The universe is full of some very cool stuff: neutron stars that weigh a ton a teaspoon; supermassive black holes that grip even light in their iron fists; infinitesimal neutrinos that stream right through solid steel; all the bizarre flora and fauna found right here on planet Earth."

The Scale of Tech Winners | Benedict Evans

"We all know, I think, that there are now far more smartphones than PCs, and we all know that there are far more people online now than there used to be, and we also, I think, mostly know that big tech companies today are much bigger than the big tech companies of the past. It’s useful, though, to put some real numbers on that, and to get a sense of use how much the scale has changed, and what that means."

 The Digital Economy | Statista

A slide deck about the Digital Economy including Social Media, Platform Economics, Venture Capital, AI, AR & VR: Developments in the tech industry, and Forecasts from e-Commerce to Smart Home.

 Make Product Decisions Without Doubt — My Lessons from Twitter and Slack

Following some learnings of Ray Dalio, I looked at it through a lens in my role as a PM and found this article helpful. We make many decisions, but this helps to understand how to approach decisions in product to reduce doubt.

 Podcasts

Investing Wisdom from Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Chris Sacca, and Others | Tim Ferriss Show

Listen to top investors on Tim Ferris

 Ray Dalio, The Steve Jobs of Investing | Tim Ferriss Show

First time hearing about Ray Dalio's principles, some good insights on how to invest time and money. My favorite takeaway is making investments that are universal and timeless. Another principle is, 'How do I know I'm right?'

 How to Value a Cryptoasset, a Hash Power Single, w/ Chris Burniske | Invest Like The Best

"This episode is a continuation of the Hash Power series. It is the first of what we will call a Hash Power single—a series of conversations each with a single guest on a specific topic. In this case my guest is Chris Burniske, and the topic is cryptoasset valuation."

Books

Never Split the Difference | Chris Voss

"After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a hostage negotiator brought him face-to-face with a range of criminals, including bank robbers and terrorists. Reaching the pinnacle of his profession, he became the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator."

 Sapiens: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari

"Starting from this provocative idea, Sapiens goes on to retell the history of our species from a completely fresh perspective. It explains that money is the most pluralistic system of mutual trust ever devised; that capitalism is the most successful religion ever invented; that the treatment of animals in modern agriculture is probably the worst crime in history; and that even though we are far more powerful than our ancient ancestors, we aren’t much happier."

 The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom | Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements helps to understand some premises of society, and how to help gain control of your life. A brief summary can be found here.