

The one book you need to read to get in YC - pepeto
http://www.entrepreneur2be.com/2008/02/13/book-founders-at-work/
Did I forget to say you may be quizzed on this book on the interview... ;-)
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a-priori
Picked it up about a year ago, and I've read it twice now. I lent it to my
partner when we went into business together... she hasn't returned it yet. I
don't know if that's a good sign or not. :)

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watmough
Wow, my copy of this arrived 30 minutes ago from Amazon. Talk about topical.

In the same pile of boxes was "Software Engineering for Internet Applications"
which may well be a bit dated now, but I'm sure that the basic idea of using
the fewest and fastest components available still holds good.

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simianstyle
Cannot wait for Livingston's new one. I heard it follows the same theme, but
focuses more on engineering.

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jl
The next book will be quite similar to the first, but with different founders.
Founders at Work actually isn't affiliated with Coders at Work, other than
having similar names and the same publisher.

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staunch
I've read FAW at least 6 times cover to cover and some of the individual
interviews even more. Dying for more. Thank you.

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yters
Excellent job.

Would it be fair to say that the advice centers around a few principles?

1\. Maximize possible courses of action.

2\. Allow the environment (users, VCs, etc) to select the best course at the
time.

3\. Select the environment most representative of your goals.

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andr
yeah, it's quite a fun book. i read it before last investor day.

the only part i didn't like was the Lycos story. basically, a guy gets a call
from a VC: "hey, we've got the idea, the technology, and the funding. can you
please run the company?"

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davidw
I liked that there were a variety of stories... it gives you a sampling of how
differently things work out. The RIM guy, for instance, sounds like an order
of magnitude better engineer than some other people in the book. Others
definitely got lucky because they were in the right place in the right time,
and were smart enough to take advantage of it.

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aneesh
Yeah, definitely a must-read. I'd just open up the book randomly and start
reading wherever I was. The particularly memorable ones were Max Levchin,
Sabeer Bhatia, Josh Schachter, and TripAdvisor .

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dkokelley
Good analysis. I'm half way through reading F.A.W. but I have a bad habit of
switching books. Right now I'm on _How to Win Friends and Influence People_
and then I'll go to _7 Habits of Highly Successful People_ and then I'll read
a few more cases. It keeps my mind fresh for each book.

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anupamkapoor
burning a copy of "7 habits ..." would be a greater symbolic gesture.

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jgrahamc
I agree. "How to win friends..." is great, but "7 habits..."| sucks.

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edw519
Yes! Put down 7 Habits right now! Pick up FAW! Both can change your life. One
for the better. The other for the worse.

FWIW, one is full of theoretical fluff from someone who earns through selling
books and tapes. Do what he says and you make actually take your focus OFF the
ball. The other is about the best of us who have achieved remarkable things.
Now which one do you really want to read?

(As far as habits are concerned, I just changed ONE HABIT to be more like some
guy named Wozniak. This changed my entire thinking about my project and has
made all the difference. I would name the habit something like "Loading all of
the details about one thing into my head's main memory at the same time".
Reread Chapter 3 to see what I'm talking about.)

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dkokelley
It's funny that you all say that about 7 Habits. It's the hardest for me to
get through. I only got through the first chapter and I haven't learned
anything that I can really use.

FAW is great for case studies of other startups (both successful and
otherwise).

HTWF I've also only gone through the first chapter but I've gotten a lot more
out of it than 7 Habits.

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edw519
I love the whole self-help genre. I love anything that helps people to think
more positively. For many people, that's half the battle.

I just don't think that hackers are affected nearly as much as others. Do
affirmations, examine past lives, move your body, make lists, think good
thoughts, everything will be alright, etc., etc., etc. All good stuff.

The problem is that it's just too easy to get caught up "doing all that good
stuff" that you lose focus from your project.

OK, I'll compromise a little. Read HTWF and Think and Grow Rich. Then get back
to work.

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dkokelley
Here's an interesting question: What informational books could NOT be
considered "self-help?"

+1 for the final sentence, "get back to work."

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gibsonf1
I would be very interested in a digital copy (pdf) to read on my Iphone
(usually in places where a book is very incvonvenient) I'd be willing to pay
(to the author of course) :)

I was just recently reading about Macros in PG's _On Lisp_ on my Iphone -
excellent work PG.

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jgrahamc
What places is a book inconvenient?

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danw
Founders at work is quite bulky whilst an iPhone fits in your pocket. When
you've got 10 mins free on the bus you can whip out your phone and read an
interview or two.

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pchristensen
I read Practical Common Lisp and OnLisp on my Windows Mobile phone while
commuting.

Incidentally, being able to manipulate the file system is the biggest
advantage I see in WM vs iPhone. At least for geeks.

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trekker7
Wow, I really admire your initiative in bookmarking sentences, taking notes,
etc. If I can ask, what's your motivation for doing a startup? What drives
you?

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pepeto
Money Ego Women FOOD! :)

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edw519
2 chicks

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pepeto
Organic pls :}

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willarson
Good article, but its unfortunately also a good example of how misspelling and
using the wrong words can really hurt public writing.

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pepeto
Hopefully the only one hurt will be the author(me) for his spelling and
awkward wording.

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misterbwong
Agree with the rest. FAW is a must-read. My copy has so many notes you can
barely read the text anymore. :P

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redorb
great book picked it up and about a month ago, when i get down i read it. .rb

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xirium
hussle + luck = opportunity

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dhimes
hustle + opportunity + preparation = luck

