Nov. 2017: Interesting exploration of the implications of AGI, faulted by the typical preference of Analytical Philosophy for construction of intricate, highly theoretical scenario’s, under-emphasizing basic challenges (in the case of AGI: lack of robustness / antifragility).
Jun. 2023: The writer has leveraged the recent rise of LLMs like ChatGPT to further fuel fear about an AGI break-out – even though other AI-related risks require more imminent attention.
Richard Steffy – Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks
It would be worthwhile research topic to map the development of ship building to the principles of disruptive innovation as laid out by Clayton Christensen.
Filled with highly interesting statistics about the evolution of public perception on ethical issues.
Adrian Daub – What tech calls thinking
Entertaining and polemic book, although many of the author’s points hardly need to be argued.
Richard Davies – Extreme Economies
Well chosen examples (prisons, refugee camps, declining cities, etc.) illustrate why economics is a social science
Richard Holmes – The age of wonder
Conveys lively how science was considered an undertaking for daring adventurers.
Lee Vinsel, Andrew Russel – The innovation delusion
Funny enough, the polemic narrative applies all the trick of typical innovation literature to promote a maintenance mindset.
JimMcKelvey – The innovation stack
The book is exactly what it tries to avoid: being just another entertaining founder story (in this case about Square).
The book’s set-up with multiple scenarios for the future works surprisingly well and is especiall concerning for European readers: Europe is almost completely irrelevant in all of Webb’s scenarios.
The best quote is not from the author: “Quality is the best business plan” (John Lasseter, director of Toy Story).
Jon Gertner – The idea factory
The fascinating history of Bell labs illustrates how a long-term view is essential for technological progress.
Don Norman – The design of everyday things
Elegant book full of fascinating examples of design thinking.
Ajay Argawal, Joshua Gans, Avi Goldfarb – Prediction machines
The authors see AI as just a new option for the division of labor which, although it can have rather dramatic consequences, does not support apocalyptic GAI fearmongering.
Anad Giridharadas – Winners take all
Giridharas key argument is that elites only support change to the point where their privilege is not endangered.
When a a big tech investor like McNamee argues for stricter regulation it makes the argument more convincing.
Meridith Broussard – Artificial Unintelligence
Great effort to democratize AI and peel off some layers of mistique that harm public debate (althought the case against technochauvinism seems at times a bit too shallow).
Clayton Christensen – The innovator’s dilemma
The history of disc drives and mechanical excavators showcases how difficult it is for incumbents to come out on top when technological innovation hits your market.
Geoffrey Parker, Marshall Van Olstyne, Sangeet Choudary – Platform revolution
Remember: there are many ways in which platforms can fail!
Densely written ‘how-to guide’ for executives who want to build a sustainable growth company.
Despite the unavoidable buzzwords that come with the genre, Lean and Agile are actually sane and useful management principles.
