Experts > Thomas Hellmann

Thomas Hellmann's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Thomas Hellmann recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Thomas Hellmann's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1
Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.

Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business.
more

Sheryl SandbergProvides a great inside look at how the tech industry approaches building products and businesses. (Source)

Tim O'ReillyThe Lean Startup isn't just about how to create a more successful entrepreneurial business, it's about what we can learn from those businesses to improve virtually everything we do. I imagine Lean Startup principles applied to government programs, to healthcare, and to solving the world's great problems. It's ultimately an answer to the question 'How can we learn more quickly what works, and... (Source)

Jeffery ImmeltI make all our managers read The Lean Startup. (Source)

2

Steve Jobs

From the author of the bestselling biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein, this is the exclusive, New York Times bestselling biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal...
more
Recommended by Bill Gates,  Elon Musk,  John Doerr,  and 41 others.

Elon MuskQuite interesting. (Source)

Bill Gates[On Bill Gates's reading list in 2012.] (Source)

Brian CheskyFor Chesky, a source may come in the form of a biography of a business hero such as Steve Jobs or Walt Disney. His primary book source on management technique is Andy Grove’s High Output Management. (Source)

3
An original history of man's greatest adventure: his search to discover the world around him. more

Lloyd BlankfeinGoldman Sachs CEO has been reading this sweeping history book for years. (Source)

Ryan Petersen@Juanfrayala Yes, The Discoverers. Probably my favorite history book. Takes a while to develop bc it’s the full history of mankind’s quest for knowledge, so the geography section isn’t til about 100 pages in but worth it! (Source)

Thomas HellmannIt is the book that I often recommend to students who come to me with a true curiosity. (Source)

4
Often downplayed in the excitement of starting up a new business venture is one of the most important decisions entrepreneurs will face: should they go it alone, or bring in cofounders, hires, and investors to help build the business? More than just financial rewards are at stake. Friendships and relationships can suffer. Bad decisions at the inception of a promising venture lay the foundations for its eventual ruin. The Founder's Dilemmas is the first book to examine the early decisions by entrepreneurs that can make or break a startup and its team.


Drawing on a...
more
Recommended by Cody McLain,  Thomas Hellmann,  and 2 others.

Cody McLainWill assume career path is running a startup, getting clients and managing a team of employees or collaborating with founders. These are some of the best books to cover these areas. It’s hard running a startup, let alone being the person who has to make the highest decisions in the organization. These books help provide the framework in how to run a successful organization but also share some of... (Source)

Thomas HellmannIt looks at the human or personal aspect of entrepreneurship. (Source)

5
Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tel Aviv--the global hubs of entrepreneurial activity--all bear the marks of government investment. Yet, for every public intervention that spurs entrepreneurial activity, there are many failed efforts that waste untold billions in taxpayer dollars. When has governmental sponsorship succeeded in boosting growth, and when has it fallen terribly short? Should the government be involved in such undertakings at all? "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is the first extensive look at the ways governments have supported entrepreneurs and venture capitalists across decades and... more
Recommended by Thomas Hellmann,  and 1 others.

Thomas Hellmann‘Is entrepreneurship something good? And, if so, should the government do something about it? (Source)

Don't have time to read Thomas Hellmann's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.