Books Recommended by Balaji Srinivasan
Seeing Like a State
How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed
James C. Scott
Source: "There’s a sense in which the term 'real name' is a misnomer. A better term is a state name — a name which makes you legible to the state." - Balaji Srinivasan
History Has Begun
The Birth of a New America
Bruno Macaes
Source: "[The author's] thesis is that America is increasingly becoming a virtual society, focused on make-believe above all. I have to agree." - Balaji Srinivasan
Unelected Power
The Quest for Legitimacy in Central Banking and the Regulatory State
Paul Tucker
Source: "Decent book — by a central banker! — on the lack of legitimacy of central banking and the regulatory state writ large." - Balaji Srinivasan
China Coup
The Great Leap to Freedom
Roger Garside
Source: "Makes the case that Xi could be felled by his internal enemies (possible!) and that this will lead to democratization (IMO implausible)." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Truth Machine
The Blockchain and the Future of Everything
Paul Vigna
Source: "An accessible explanation of how blockchains allow us to establish certain kinds of truths even in adversarial environments." - Balaji Srinivasan
Netflixed
The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs
Gina Keating
Source: "Blockbuster tried to buy Hollywood Video, but the FTC called this off on antitrust (!) grounds. By 2010 Blockbuster was bankrupt and Netflix was soaring." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Cold Start Problem
How to Start and Scale Network Effects
Andrew Chen
Source: "Useful for anyone trying to bootstrap a new community or network, which is virtually every founder these days." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Kill Chain
Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare
Christian Brose
Source: "The US military has a perfect record in its war games with China. China has won every round." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Little Bitcoin Book
Why Bitcoin Matters for Your Freedom, Finances, and Future
Bitcoin Collective
Source: "Was written in a few days by N people, one chapter each, and then published on Amazon." - Balaji Srinivasan
Working in Public
The Making and Maintenance of Open Source Software
Nadia Eghbal
Source: "[The author] is very smart and it’s worth reading anything she writes on open source." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Journalist And The Murderer
Janet Malcolm
Source: "Short and well worth reading. Presages much of today's train crash on social media." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Future Is Asian
Commerce, Conflict, and Culture in the 21st Century
Parag Khanna
Source: "The American century is ending. The Asian century is beginning." - Balaji Srinivasan
Physics from Finance
A gentle introduction to gauge theories, fundamental interactions and fiber bundles
Jakob Schwichtenberg
Source: "A lot of fun. Not exactly art, but novel approach with a lot of visual inspiration." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Great Wave
Price Revolutions and the Rhythm of History
David Hackett Fischer
Source: "Gold from the Americas did flood Europe in the 1500s, which helped cause inflation." - Balaji Srinivasan
End the Fed
Ron Paul
Source: "[The author] was to Bitcoin what Andrew Yang is to startup societies." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Forgotten Man
A New History of the Great Depression
Amity Shlaes
Source: "Useful as an alternate perspective on the era." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Great CEO Within
The Tactical Guide to Company Building
Matt Mochary
Source: "[Brian Armstrong] and I used parts of this at Coinbase." - Balaji Srinivasan
Has China Won?
The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy
Kishore Mahbubani
Source: "One may have to set aside ego to read it." - Balaji Srinivasan
The Gray Lady Winked
How the New York Times's Misreporting, Distortions and Fabrications Radically Alter History
Ashley Rindsberg
Source: "I put it up there with the top five books I recommend." - Balaji Srinivasan
Where Is My Flying Car?
A Memoir of Future Past
J Storrs Hall
Source: "Don't judge this self-published book by its cover, just read it." - Balaji Srinivasan
FAQ
Did Balaji Srinivasan recommend all these books?
Not necessarily. This book list has Balaji Srinivasan must-read recommendations, but it also has a mix of mentions and suggestions.
How do you know Balaji Srinivasan mentioned these books?
Every suggestion made by Balaji Srinivasan is validated by our editors. You can find the sources to the recommendations linked next to the books.
Did Balaji Srinivasan actually create this list?
No. This reading list was curated by our editors based on confirmed mentions from Balaji Srinivasan, the sources are made available under each recommendation.
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