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dr.Pep
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Copyright © 2025 Pepijn van der Laan.
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Set your own standards and use the power of commitments to raise the bar

Set your own standards and use the power of commitments to raise the bar

Jason Jaggard – Beyong high performance

The shameless pursuit of excellence is inspiring.

“It is essential to understand the underpinnings of the technology so you have an intuition for how the industry is going to change” – Jensen Huang

“It is essential to understand the underpinnings of the technology so you have an intuition for how the industry is going to change” – Jensen Huang

Tae Kim – The NVIDIA way

A juicy founder story if there ever was one.

The failure to recognize the implicit philosophical hypotheses underlying a naive scientific triumphalism can be harmful for humanity and the planet

The failure to recognize the implicit philosophical hypotheses underlying a naive scientific triumphalism can be harmful for humanity and the planet

Adam Frank – The blind spot

Delightfully broad perspective, although with a far too anthropocentric perspective on intelligence and consciousness.

Make sure to start with many ideas, and to test them early.

Make sure to start with many ideas, and to test them early.

Jeremy Utley and Perry Klebahn – Ideaflow

A rather traditional book on the innovation process, but with the merit of a Stanford stamp of approval.

If you want to start a $1M business: be sure to get over your fear for starting and your fear for asking

If you want to start a $1M business: be sure to get over your fear for starting and your fear for asking

Noah Kagan – Million Dollar Weekend

Surprisingly simple, indeed – just like it said on the cover.

The flaws of Cartesian dualism become apparent when people have to make decisions in high-stakes environments

The flaws of Cartesian dualism become apparent when people have to make decisions in high-stakes environments

John Coates – The hour between dog and wolf

The perspective with a trading desk during the credit crisis provides a nice backdrop for the argument.

You should relentlessly apply the Pareto principle to how you spend your time!

You should relentlessly apply the Pareto principle to how you spend your time!

Dan Sulivan and Benjamin Hardy – 10x is easier than 2x

Motivational books are typically easy to misinterpret.

The only way to control the power of tech power houses and defend the rights of ordinary citizens is stricter regulation

The only way to control the power of tech power houses and defend the rights of ordinary citizens is stricter regulation

Marietje Schaake – The tech coup

Although the book makes valuable points, the full focus on legislation risks overlooking the importance of thriving innovation for defending long term competitiveness in geopolitical context.

Capitalism has fallen: not due to a communist revolution, but by the hand of a new elite of rent-extracting technology companies that has grabbed power

Capitalism has fallen: not due to a communist revolution, but by the hand of a new elite of rent-extracting technology companies that has grabbed power

Yanis Varoufakis – Technofeudalism

A surprising blend of philosophical reflections, personal dialogues, the retelling of a Netflix series, and a Marxist polemic pamphlet.

Effective networking needs a system

Effective networking needs a system

Judy Robinett – How to be a power connector

A pragmatic and actionable apprach.

The coupling of personal and economic freedom increasingly appears to be a thing of the past

The coupling of personal and economic freedom increasingly appears to be a thing of the past

Martin Wolf – The crisis of Democratic Capitalism

After a slow start, the book provides interesting analyses, which after the 2024 US elections is more relevant than ever.

There are a lot of ways in which venture capitalists put their thumb on the scale when funding start-ups

There are a lot of ways in which venture capitalists put their thumb on the scale when funding start-ups

Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson – Venture Deals

Helpful guide to demystifying terminology, but more of a reference work than a book to read end-to-end.

Capitalism is the best economic system, as long as you assume that the marginal utility if incremental individual wealth is not diminishing

Capitalism is the best economic system, as long as you assume that the marginal utility if incremental individual wealth is not diminishing

Johan Norberg – The capitalist manifesto

Some interesting fact and figures around happiness in different countries support the thesis, but the question of redistribution is treated in a shallow way.

It is great if you can set your own success criteria, achieve them, become financially independent, and have fun in the process

It is great if you can set your own success criteria, achieve them, become financially independent, and have fun in the process

Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith – iWoz

It is amazing how passionate this guy can be about a universal remote control.

The ability to quantify and appreciate risks provides a competitive edge, but in the face of existential risks many models break down

The ability to quantify and appreciate risks provides a competitive edge, but in the face of existential risks many models break down

Nate Silver – On the edge

Entertaining, but in-all, the book reads as a manifesto written for those who already agree.

We are not just living in a simulation: our brain is running the simulation and emotions are its predictions

We are not just living in a simulation: our brain is running the simulation and emotions are its predictions

Lisa Feldman Barrett – How emotions are made

Nice and usefull re-interpretation of what emaotions are, but I the anthropocentric way in which it contrasts emotions of humans and animals read as ‘goal seek’ that under-estimates the animal brain’.

Be a connector

Be a connector

Bob Burg anohn David Mann – The go-giver

Typical business allegory: not wrong, but quite cheesy

There are so many guises in which intelligence manifests itself that it truly blows the mind

There are so many guises in which intelligence manifests itself that it truly blows the mind

James Bridle – Ways of being

Enjoyable expansive thinking, unafraid of the pathetic.

You better accept change, because it will happen anyhow

You better accept change, because it will happen anyhow

Spencer Johnson – Who moved my cheese?

Typical business allegory: not wrong, but quite cheesy

AI will not take our jobs, but creep into our workflows and contribute as intern, coach, and idiot savant

AI will not take our jobs, but creep into our workflows and contribute as intern, coach, and idiot savant

Ethan Mollick – Cointelligence

Not wrong, but misses true depth and is overly-reliant on the author’s conversations with Chat-GPT.

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Copyright © 2025 Pepijn van der Laan.
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