Zero to One

After Into Thin Air, I didn’t have any books on my reading list. I downloaded a bunch that sounded interesting, but nothing was enticing. I asked to borrow my coworker’s copy of Zero to One, by Peter Thiel, and breezed through it.

Zero to One is a quick collection of tips about how to build a successful startup, backed primarily by Thiel’s personal anecdotes. As reviews on Amazon attested to, a substantial portion of the book I found to be contrived storytelling/analogies. There were some good takeaways, however:

• The concept of globalization vs technology
• Monopolies are good
• War is costly
• Valuation is sum of all profits in future (growth and durability)
• Proprietary technology, network effect, economies of scale, branding
• You are not a lottery ticket
• Power law
• Secrets exist
• CLV > CAV, sales matters

I enjoyed reading Zero to One, because it helped to kindle a bit of ambition in me once again, if only, perhaps, because it explores so many influential and successful companies that have actually managed to build things of worth to humanity’s future. While the number of substantial takeaways isn’t high, the book is short and pleasant enought that I didn’t mind.