a book
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Peter Thiel · 2014 · 195 pages
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This book delivers completely new and refreshing ideas on how to create value in the world.”—Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta
“Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.”—Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla
The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things.
Thiel begins with the contrarian premise that we live in an age of technological stagnation, even if we’re too distracted by shiny mobile devices to notice. Information technology has improved rapidly, but there is no reason why progress should be limited to computers or Silicon Valley. Progress can be achieved in any industry or area of business. It comes from the most important skill that every leader must master: learning to think for yourself.
Doing what someone else already knows how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But when you do something new, you go from 0 to 1. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. Tomorrow’s champions will not win by competing ruthlessly in today’s marketplace. They will escape competition altogether, because their businesses will be unique.
Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places.
recommended by 49 people
sourced from public statements
Eric Weinstein
“If you really understand something that the rest of the world is confused about, and it’s an important truth, Zero to One says here are all the ways you might want to make that work.”↗
Max Levchin
“Q. - What's your favourite business book you'd advise to young entrepreneurs and why? M.L. -Some good ones from the "pure business" category: Zero to One, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, The Innovator's Dilemma, Good to Great, etc. Personally, I prefer less advice, more history. From my favorite business segment: Too Big To Fail, Ascent of Money, When Genius Failed, etc. Books on applied psychology (Influence, Predictably Irrational, etc) are another way to round out primarily technological education :)”↗
Bryan Johnson
“Just finished @peterthiel's Zero to One. A must read.”↗
Matt Mullenweg
“This book was excellent.”↗
Luis von Ahn
“I love Zero to One.”↗
Rupert Murdoch
“Enjoying brilliant, often provocative, Peter Thiel book, Zero to One. Will buy many and distribute to all senior execs.”↗
Lee Stranahan
“Zero to One is a great business book.”↗
Trevor Ncube
“This week I finished reading these two books. Grateful to @ChadMhako who recommended Zero to One - a must read for all thinking of starting a business. @staffordmasie recommended Life After Google - a tour de force. Please share what book you are reading for the benefit of others”↗
Vladimer Botsvadze
“Some of my favorite business books, comment one book that changed your life”↗
Vivek Mashrani
“✅ Must read book for all those who are crazy enough to build the future...🏗️🏗️ And have vision to change the world for BETTER..🌍🌏 Crisp and powerful read...worth your time.. #startup #Creator #Build #futuresteps”↗
Patrick OShaughnessy
“If I could hand any five books to a would be entrepreneur, I’d pick 1. Positioning by Ries + Trout 2. Zero to One by Thiel 3. 7 Powers by Helmer 4. The Outsiders by Thorndike 5. Creativity, Inc. by Catmull Bonus: Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*T by Pressfield”↗
Ameer Rosic
“Top 5 Must Read #Business Books of All Time #startup #mindset”↗
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