Recommended Reading from Tech Founders

Most compelling recommendation: fasting-induced ketogenesis as a lever for antibiotic sensitivity

Fasting-induced ketogenesis sensitizes bacteria to antibiotic treatment

• Content type: Research paper (PubMed listing) @tferriss
• Author/creator: Not specified in the shared post @tferriss
• Link/URL (as shared): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40315854/@tferriss
• Recommended by: Tim Ferriss @tferriss
• Key takeaway (as shared): Ferriss summarizes that fasting-induced ketogenesis can alter host metabolism in ways that increase antibiotic sensitivity in bacteria and modulate immune and inflammatory responses; he adds that, in principle, these effects could enhance standard Lyme disease treatment by strengthening antibiotic efficacy and improving host immune function @tferriss. He also notes that Borrelia burgdorferi is “an obligate glycolytic (e.g. no TCA/ETC),” which he argues makes the rationale for Lyme management stronger @tferriss.
• Why it matters: This is a concrete, mechanism-oriented paper recommendation that Ferriss explicitly frames as relevant to improving how standard antibiotic treatment might work in Lyme disease contexts (via host metabolism and immune/inflammatory modulation) @tferriss.

A second, adjacent mechanism: ketosis disrupting pathogen development (malaria model)

β-hydroxybutyrate inhibits Plasmodium falciparum development and confers protection against malaria in mice

• Content type: Research paper (PMC full text) @tferriss
• Author/creator: Not specified in the shared post @tferriss
• Link/URL (as shared): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12286851/@tferriss
• Recommended by: Tim Ferriss @tferriss
• Key takeaway (as shared): Ferriss notes that while the study is not about Lyme disease, it demonstrates that ketosis can disrupt pathogen development and modulate host immune/inflammatory pathways, creating an environment less favorable for the pathogen while enhancing host immune and mitochondrial resilience @tferriss.
• Why it matters: It’s a clearly scoped “mechanism reference” Ferriss uses to support the broader idea that ketosis can shift host-pathogen dynamics through immune/inflammatory and resilience pathways (even though the specific pathogen differs) @tferriss.

Most compelling recommendation: a research-backed case that housing constraints suppress growth

Hsieh & Moretti paper on housing constraints and US economic growth (growth.pdf)

• Content type: Research paper
• Author/creator: Hsieh & Moretti @garrytan
• Link/URL (as shared): https://eml.berkeley.edu/~moretti/growth.pdf@garrytan
• Recommended by: Garry Tan
• Key takeaway (as shared): Tan argues the paper shows that blocking housing lets incumbent homeowners “privatize the gains of the American economy” and enforces a “geographic caste system” that locks talent out of opportunity @garrytan. He also cites claims that housing bans in SF and NYC “strangled 36% of all US economic growth for decades,” costing “$8,775” per American worker each year @garrytan.
• Why it matters: If you’re tracking policy bottlenecks that affect labor mobility and opportunity, this is a direct pointer to a single, canonical paper that investors and operators are using to frame the macro cost of local housing restrictions@garrytan +1.

Education standards, talent pipelines, and what “support” looks like

“There Really Was a Mississippi Miracle in Reading. States Should Learn From It”

• Content type: Article
• Author/creator: Not specified in the shared post
• Link/URL (as shared): https://www.the74million.org/article/there-really-was-a-mississippi-miracle-in-reading-states-should-learn-from-it/?utm_source=perplexity@garrytan
• Recommended by: Garry Tan
• Key takeaway (as shared): Tan frames the story as evidence that there are real benefits to holding real standards rather than “rubber stamping” grades upward @garrytan. He summarizes the principle as “High expectations plus real support equals real results” and argues that lowering standards “to be kind” ultimately betrays vulnerable students @garrytan.
• Why it matters: It’s a concrete, outcomes-oriented recommendation in an area where debates often stay abstract—Tan is pointing readers to a specific example and a clear operating rule (standards + support) @garrytan +1.

“China’s Genius Plan” (FT Magazine feature)

• Content type: Article / magazine feature
• Author/creator: @zijing_wu @zijing_wu
• Link/URL (as shared): https://as.ft.com/r/c8abb097-a2c5-4b7a-953e-f46a99ec5076@zijing_wu
• Recommended by: Bill Gurley
• Key takeaway (as shared): Gurley highlights a program in China where 100K teenagers are funneled each year into a special “genius” track, contrasting it with US school districts canceling “gifted” programs @bgurley.
• Why it matters: For readers trying to understand how countries build durable technical advantage, this is flagged as a detailed look at an education pipeline explicitly connected (by the recommender) to AI talent development @bgurley +1.

Foundational software: another strong signal that “OS reimagination” is trending among builders

Breakdown of the architecture behind OpenClaw/Clawdbot (X article / thread)

• Content type: X article / thread
• Author/creator: @hesamation (as shared) @scottbelsky
• Link/URL (as shared): http://x.com/i/article/2016908271227953152@Hesamation
• Recommended by: Scott Belsky; also boosted by Vinod Khosla @scottbelsky +1
• Key takeaway (as shared): Belsky calls it a “good breakdown” of the OpenClaw/Clawdbot architecture and says it makes clear that operating systems are “overdue for reimagination,” adding that “the big OS companies need to lean in hard…this is the future” @scottbelsky. Khosla adds: “Worth understanding…” @vkhosla.
• Why it matters: This is a multi-leader recommendation converging on the same meta-point: emerging architectures like OpenClaw/Clawdbot are being treated as evidence that the OS layer is due for a redesign @scottbelsky +1.

Video: a “worth a watch” interview (shared in a liberalism critique thread)

Interview video (YouTube link)

• Content type: Video interview
• Author/creator: Not specified in the shared post
• Link/URL (as shared): https://youtu.be/pGiNrIxxpe8?si=HlIMDc3riQHFcful@garrytan
• Recommended by: Garry Tan
• Key takeaway (as shared): Tan says the “Original interview is worth a watch” @garrytan in a thread highlighting arguments about whether “formally equal rules” that produce unequal outcomes are unjust, whether groups (vs individuals) should be the unit of moral concern, and whether past injustice creates present moral debt regardless of individual guilt @garrytan +1.
• Why it matters: If you’re tracking what ideas are shaping current debates among tech leaders, this is a direct pointer to a primary-source interview that Tan explicitly endorses watching @garrytan +1.

Most compelling recommendation: an architecture breakdown that argues for rethinking the OS

Breakdown of the architecture behind OpenClaw/Clawdbot

• Content type: X article
• Author/creator: Not specified in the shared post (shared via @hesamation)
• Link/URL (as shared): http://x.com/i/article/2016908271227953152@Hesamation
• Recommended by: Scott Belsky
• Key takeaway (as shared): Belsky calls it a “good breakdown” of OpenClaw/Clawdbot’s architecture and says it “makes it perfectly clear that our operating systems are overdue for reimagination,” adding that “the big OS companies need to lean in hard here…this is the future.” @scottbelsky
• Why it matters: This is a clear, high-conviction pointer from Belsky toward OS-level change prompted by emerging architectures like OpenClaw/Clawdbot—useful if you’re tracking where foundational shifts in computing may be headed. @scottbelsky

Shared via:https://x.com/hesamation/status/2017038553058857413@scottbelsky

Most compelling recommendation: a case for “excellence” in education (with concrete operating principles)

No One Wants to Talk About Excellence

• Content type: Article (Substack)
• Author/creator: Center for Educational Progress
• Link/URL (as shared): https://open.substack.com/pub/educationprogress/p/no-one-wants-to-talk-about-excellence?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web@garrytan
• Recommended by: Garry Tan (Y Combinator President & CEO) @garrytan
• Key takeaway (as shared): Tan highlights the Center for Educational Progress’ goals, including:
  • “Meet students where they are”: ability grouping, acceleration for advanced learners, remediation for those who need it @garrytan
  • “Embrace the science of learning”: explicit instruction in foundational skills, systematic phonics for reading, practiced fluency for math; defer discovery-based approaches until basics are mastered @garrytan
  • “Measure what matters”: regular assessment to inform instruction, honest reporting of results, accountability for outcomes; resist lowering standards “in the name of closing gaps” @garrytan
• Why it matters: This is a clear, principles-driven recommendation—Tan frames the Center itself as “what we need,” and the excerpted goals make the piece useful as a concrete checklist of instructional and accountability priorities @garrytan.

Also recommended: a founder/operator podcast conversation on AI-era product building and durability

Gokul Rajaram on Invest Like the Best (with Patrick O’Shaughnessy)

• Content type: Podcast episode
• Author/creator: Invest Like the Best (Patrick O’Shaughnessy); guest: Gokul Rajaram @gokulr
• Link/URL (as shared): https://x.com/gokulr/status/2016897077293568266@garrytan
• Recommended by: Garry Tan @garrytan
• Key takeaway (as described): The episode discussion topics include:
  • How AI has transformed product development @gokulr
  • Durability in the age of AI @gokulr
  • Which companies will thrive vs. be challenged @gokulr
  • Lessons from building multiple large ads businesses @gokulr
• Why it matters: The topic list is tightly scoped to product strategy and company resilience under AI-driven change—useful if you want an operator-oriented pass across what shifts, what endures, and what business lessons generalize @gokulr.

Most compelling recommendation: a modern, systems-level read on China

Breakneck

• Content type: Book
• Author/creator: Dan Wang
• Link/URL (as shared): https://a.co/d/e7hQ0Uh@bgurley
• Recommended by: Bill Gurley (Benchmark)
• Key takeaway (per Gurley): Gurley calls it a “must read,” describing it as an “eye-opening very modern look at China”—including “what works & doesn’t,” and “how that reflects on the US.” @bgurley
• Why it matters: If you’re trying to update your mental model of modern China (and what that implies for the US), this is presented as a high-conviction, perspective-shaping pick. @bgurley

Another high-signal China read: supply chain co-evolution through Apple

Apple in China

• Content type: Book
• Author/creator: Patrick McGee
• Link/URL (as shared): https://a.co/d/5jUEhW9@bgurley
• Recommended by: Bill Gurley (Benchmark)
• Key takeaway (per Gurley): A “deep-dive into Apple’s co-evolution with China over the past 20 years,” leaving readers with “a much fuller understanding” of why “modern China is quite different from many’s perception.” @bgurley
• Why it matters: A concrete lens (Apple’s 20-year arc) for understanding how modern China developed in ways that can diverge from common narratives. @bgurley

AI competition (video)

AI “vectors of competition” breakdown (X video post)

• Content type: Video / X post
• Author/creator: Dee Bosa (@dee_bosa)
• Link/URL: https://x.com/dee_bosa/status/2016565482392826059@bgurley
• Recommended by: Bill Gurley (Benchmark)
• Key takeaway (per Gurley): Gurley says “No one is going deeper on AI and all the vectors of competition than @dee_bosa,” and labels it a “Must watch!” @bgurley
• Why it matters: A strong, unambiguous endorsement that this is unusually thorough on AI competition dynamics. @bgurley

Most compelling recommendation: a sales-and-marketing operator’s scaling story (with a direct link)

Podcast featuring Tommy Mello (YouTube)

• Content type: Podcast / video (YouTube) @ShaanVP
• Author/creator: Not specified in the post (episode features Tommy Mello) @ShaanVP
• Link/URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEXoY3B1-Hw@ShaanVP
• Recommended by: Shaan Puri @ShaanVP
• Key takeaway (as described): Tommy Mello “started off painting garages” and “turned it into a $1B+ biz,” and Shaan calls him an “absolute animal when it comes to sales & marketing.” @ShaanVP
• Why it matters: This is a high-conviction recommendation—Shaan says the podcast is “really really good” and that he “took a lot from this one,” signaling it’s a dense source of practical learning (especially on sales/marketing). @ShaanVP

Productivity framework referenced in an AI tooling context

Maker’s vs. manager’s schedule (Paul Graham essay)

• Content type: Essay / article @garrytan
• Author/creator: Paul Graham @garrytan
• Link/URL: https://paulgraham.com/makerschedule.html@garrytan
• Recommended by: Garry Tan @garrytan
• Key takeaway (as described): In the context of “maker’s vs. manager’s schedules,” Tan frames Claude Code as a lever that “lets you squeeze 5 maker’s schedules into your one manager’s schedule.” @garrytan
• Why it matters: It’s a pointer to a foundational scheduling framework, shared as the conceptual backdrop for thinking clearly about time fragmentation vs. long, uninterrupted maker blocks—especially when adopting new productivity tooling. @garrytan +1

Balaji’s recommended reads (politics + historical analogy)

California wealth tax billionaires proposal (Tax Foundation article)

• Content type: Article @balajis
• Author/creator: Not specified in the post (Tax Foundation) @balajis
• Link/URL: https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/state/california-wealth-tax-billionaires-proposal/@balajis
• Recommended by: Balaji @balajis
• Key takeaway (as described): Balaji suggests reading it “to get a sense of the seizures underway,” and then “extrapolate that out a few years to realize what’s in store for Silicon Valley.” @balajis
• Why it matters: Offered as a lens for interpreting current policy moves and their potential downstream implications for Silicon Valley, as Balaji frames them. @balajis

Russian Cosmism (MIT Press book)

• Content type: Book @balajis
• Author/creator: Not specified in the post @balajis
• Link/URL: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262037433/russian-cosmism/@balajis
• Recommended by: Balaji @balajis
• Key takeaway (as described): He recommends reading about Russia prior to the 1917 Communist Revolution, claiming it had “a thriving stock market” and a “technologist class (the cosmists)” before “their society was destroyed by the Bolsheviks.” @balajis
• Why it matters: Positioned as historical background that supports Balaji’s broader line of comparison about societal/political disruption and what he believes could rhyme with the present. @balajis

Most compelling recommendation: a clear-eyed AI risk essay (with a direct link)

The Adolescence of Technology

• Content type: Essay
• Author/creator: Dario Amodei
• Link/URL: https://www.darioamodei.com/essay/the-adolescence-of-technology@DarioAmodei
• Recommended by: Patrick O’Shaughnessy
• Key takeaway (as described): An essay on risks posed by powerful AI to national security, economies, and democracy, and “how we can defend against them.” @DarioAmodei
• Why it matters: It’s presented as a must-read, high-level framing of societal and geopolitical risk from frontier AI—directly endorsed as “essential reading.” @patrick_oshag

Markets, liquidity, and Bitcoin as “monetary technology”

Frowny Cloud

• Content type: Article (Substack)
• Author/creator: Arthur Hayes
• Link/URL: Not provided
• Recommended by: Jack Mallers
• Key takeaway (as quoted in the recommendation context):
  • Hayes argues that “technology growth stocks rise exponentially… during periods of excess liquidity,” and frames Bitcoin as “monetary technology.”THE JACK MALLERS SHOW
  • He also claims Bitcoin’s value is tied to “fiat debasement,” and connects Bitcoin’s rise to “an explosion in the supply of dollars post the 2008 global financial crisis.” THE JACK MALLERS SHOW
• Why it matters: A compact macro narrative that explicitly links risk appetite/liquidity cycles with tech multiples—and positions Bitcoin inside that same mental model. THE JACK MALLERS SHOW

Tim Ferriss’s recent “queue-worthy” reads (skill-building, perspective, and relationships)

Of Wolves and Men

• Content type: Book
• Author/creator: Barry Lopez
• Link/URL: Not provided
• Recommended by: Tim Ferriss
• Key takeaway (as described): A “beautiful” work about “the history of wolves and man,” diving into wolf biology, mythological significance, and how wolves are viewed by “various indigenous cultures.” Shawn Ryan Show
• Why it matters: Ferriss’s endorsement centers on writing quality and breadth—he says it “redefined what was possible within nonfiction writing.” Shawn Ryan Show

Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming

• Content type: Book
• Author/creator: Stephen LaBerge
• Link/URL: Not provided
• Recommended by: Tim Ferriss
• Key takeaway (as described): One of the most “impressive” books Ferriss has found for teaching a skill systematically—specifically, how to induce lucidity and become conscious in dreams; he notes it’s not “mysterious,” and that the ability can be cultivated (within laboratory confines). Shawn Ryan Show
• Why it matters: A rare recommendation framed explicitly around systematic skill acquisition rather than inspiration. Shawn Ryan Show

Tribe

• Content type: Book
• Author/creator: Sebastian Junger
• Link/URL: Not provided
• Recommended by: Tim Ferriss
• Key takeaway (as described): Ferriss calls it a “great book” and says he recommends everyone read it. Shawn Ryan Show
• Why it matters: A strong, broad endorsement—useful as a short-list candidate if you’re looking for a widely recommended, non-technical read. Shawn Ryan Show

The 80/20 Principle

• Content type: Book
• Author/creator: Richard Koch
• Link/URL: Not provided
• Recommended by: Tim Ferriss
• Key takeaway (as described): A straightforward “read that” recommendation from Ferriss. Shawn Ryan Show
• Why it matters: A classic prioritization lens—flagged here with zero hedging. Shawn Ryan Show

The Comfort Crisis

• Content type: Book
• Author/creator: Not specified
• Link/URL: Not provided
• Recommended by: Tim Ferriss
• Key takeaway (as described): Ferriss says it “really delves into this” (context not expanded in the excerpt). Shawn Ryan Show
• Why it matters: Included as a pointer for further reading, but the specific lesson Ferriss drew from it isn’t detailed in the excerpt. Shawn Ryan Show

Relationships & communication (practical toolkit)

Fierce Intimacy

• Content type: Audiobook
• Author/creator: Not specified (named in the excerpt only as the title)
• Link/URL: Not provided
• Recommended by: Tim Ferriss
• Key takeaway (as described): Ferriss recommends it as an audiobook (he notes it “doesn’t even have a print version”) and highlights that it includes “a toolkit for communicating and intimate relationships.” Shawn Ryan Show
• Why it matters: A concrete “toolkit” framing for relationship communication—recommended in a format designed for immediate consumption (audio). Shawn Ryan Show

Most compelling recommendation: Bryan Johnson’s “Don’t Die” personal notes (longevity)

• Title: Don’t Die (personal notes, as referenced)
• Content type: Personal notes / longevity guidance (shared with a founder cohort)
• Author/creator: Bryan Johnson @garrytan
• Link/URL: Not provided (Tan references the notes being shared with the new YC batch) @garrytan
• Recommended by: Garry Tan (YC President & CEO) @garrytan
• Key takeaway (as described): Tan frames longevity as enabling optionality: with “superintelligence around the corner,” we can “choose new games,” and those games “require longevity” @garrytan.
• Why it matters: This is a direct, practical recommendation in a high-trust context (materials shared to help a new YC batch), emphasizing longevity as foundational—not as an end in itself, but as a prerequisite for future ambition @garrytan.