Festive Reading: The Latest Books
The conversations shaping AI, tech, and ambition. Discover the latest books to expand your thinking.
As the festive season approaches, one conversation is dominating every boardroom, group chat, and dinner table: AI.
To cut through the noise, we’ve curated the most recommended books from our community across AI, tech, and entrepreneurship — 45+ reads that explain where we’ve been, where we’re going, and what really matters next.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Before we begin, a quick word from our partner: Vanta
Knowledge Gaps = Security Gaps
AI is advancing faster than security teams can keep up — 59% say AI risks are outpacing their expertise.
That’s according to Vanta’s new State of Trust report, based on a survey of 3,500 business and IT leaders worldwide.
Discover the report to learn how organizations are addressing this gap — and what early adopters are doing to stay ahead.
The Latest Books
1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin
1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin revisits the financial crash that reshaped the modern world, tracing how unchecked speculation, fragile banking systems, and human greed collided. With a storyteller’s eye, Sorkin draws sharp parallels between the Great Depression and today’s financial markets, reminding readers how easily history can repeat itself.
Seven Tenths Of A Second by Zak Brown
Zak Brown is a motorsport executive and CEO of McLaren Racing, known for transforming the team through sharp commercial strategy and bold leadership. A former professional racer turned deal-maker, Brown exemplifies how vision, culture, and execution can revive a legacy brand in a hyper-competitive sport.
Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love by Bill Gurley
Runnin’ Down a Dream by Bill Gurley is a candid guide to building a career driven by curiosity, independence, and long-term thinking rather than titles or hype. Drawing on lessons from venture capital and personal missteps, Gurley shows how aligning work with genuine interests leads to more durable success and satisfaction.
The Atomic Habits Workbook by James Clear
The Atomic Habits Workbook by James Clear turns the ideas of small, consistent improvements into practical, hands-on exercises for real change. Clear focuses on systems over goals, helping readers build better habits — and break bad ones — through simple, repeatable actions that compound over time.
The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna
The AI Con by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna challenges the hype surrounding artificial intelligence, exposing how inflated promises often mask real risks and power imbalances. With clear, critical analysis, the authors argue for more honest language, accountability, and human-centered technology in shaping AI’s future.
Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao
Empire of AI by Karen Hao offers a deeply reported look inside OpenAI, tracing its soaring ambitions alongside the ethical, political, and human costs of building powerful AI systems. The book explores how idealism, competition, and concentration of power collide in the race to define the future of artificial intelligence.
The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future by Orly Lobel
The Equality Machine by Orly Lobel examines how digital technology can either widen inequality or become a powerful tool for inclusion, depending on how it’s designed and governed. Blending law, economics, and technology, Lobel argues for smarter policies and innovation that expand opportunity rather than entrench advantage.
The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman
The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman explores the accelerating rise of AI and biotechnology and the profound disruption they will bring to society. Combining insider insight with caution, Suleyman argues that humanity’s defining challenge is not building these technologies—but learning how to contain and govern them responsibly.
Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato
Superagency by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato reframes the AI debate around possibility rather than fear, arguing that the right use of AI can dramatically expand human capability. The book explores how individuals and institutions can harness AI as a tool for empowerment, productivity, and problem-solving — if guided with intention and responsibility.
The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity by Tim Wu
The Age of Extraction by Tim Wu examines how dominant tech platforms shifted from innovation to rent-seeking, capturing value rather than creating it. Wu warns that this extractive model threatens competition, wages, and long-term prosperity — and calls for renewed antitrust and policy action to restore balance.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou is a gripping investigation into the rise and collapse of Theranos, revealing how charisma, secrecy, and Silicon Valley hype enabled a massive fraud. The book is a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked ambition and the cost of believing bold narratives without evidence.
AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor
AI Snake Oil by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor cuts through inflated AI claims, clearly separating real capabilities from marketing-driven myths. The authors equip readers with practical frameworks to evaluate AI promises, helping policymakers, leaders, and consumers make informed, skeptical decisions.
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari
Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari traces the evolution of information networks — from early myths and writing systems to modern algorithms and AI — and how they shape power, truth, and society. Harari argues that understanding these networks is essential to navigating an age where information moves faster than human judgment.
2034: How AI Changed Humanity Forever by Kunal Gupta
2034: How AI Changed Humanity Forever by Kunal Gupta offers a forward-looking narrative on how artificial intelligence could reshape work, governance, and daily life within a single decade. Blending foresight with practical insight, the book explores the choices society must make today to steer AI toward broadly shared progress rather than disruption.
Atlas of AI by Kate Crawford
Atlas of AI by Kate Crawford reveals the hidden environmental, human, and political costs behind artificial intelligence systems. By mapping AI’s global supply chains — from data labor to energy extraction — the book reframes AI not as abstract software, but as a deeply material and power-laden industry.
The Last Economy by Emad Mostaque
The Last Economy by Emad Mostaque argues that AI will fundamentally rewrite how value is created, distributed, and owned—marking the end of traditional economic models. The book explores how decentralized AI and open systems could shift power away from institutions toward individuals, reshaping work, wealth, and global opportunity.
See the full list here
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Greetings Ollie, I hope you’re well, wishing you a merry Christmas.
And with the sprit of Christmas at heart, I thought you may enjoy a historic look at Christmas!
A look at 17th century festive beliefs:
https://open.substack.com/pub/jordannuttall/p/a-complaint-at-christmas?r=4f55i2&utm_medium=ios
Good mix of books here. Lists that include both the critical takes, like The AI Con, and the more practical guides are useful. Gives you a range of perspectives to pull from.