Books

Books that have influenced my thinking and personal growth.

The Bhagavad Gita

Vyasa•Ancient

Philosophy

A 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata, dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE and is typical of the Hindu synthesis.

Key Takeaways

•Duty without attachment to results

•The nature of consciousness

•Path to self-realization

Deep Learning

Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, Aaron Courville•2016

Technical

An introduction to a broad range of topics in deep learning, covering mathematical and conceptual background, deep learning techniques used in industry.

Key Takeaways

•Fundamentals of neural networks

•Advanced optimization techniques

•Modern deep learning architectures

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Ben Horowitz•2014

Business

Building a business when there are no easy answers. Ben Horowitz offers essential advice on building and running a startup—practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn't cover.

Key Takeaways

•Embrace the struggle of entrepreneurship

•Make decisions with incomplete information

•Focus on what you need to do, not what you want to do

Zero to One

Peter Thiel•2014

Business

Notes on startups, or how to build the future. Peter Thiel reveals how we can find singular ways to create those new things that will make the future not just different, but better.

Key Takeaways

•Create new value, don't compete in existing markets

•Monopoly businesses capture lasting value

•Technology is about creating the future