Book · 2017 · Biography & Autobiography
A Mind at Play
How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age
A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman has been mentioned in 4 episodes across 3 podcasts (3 episodes recommend it and 1 episode discusses it), through . Most frequently brought up by David Senra (2 episodes), Max Levchin (1 episode) and Rob Goodman (1 episode) on Invest Like the Best (2 episodes), a16z Podcast (1 episode) and The Tim Ferriss Show (1 episode).
- episodes
- 4
- podcasts
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- people
- 4
- episodes recommend it
- 3
There's a great book called A Mind at Play, which is Claude Shannon's biography.
Max Levchin · The Tim Ferriss Show · Jun 2026 Questions about A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman
Who recommends A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman on podcasts?
David Senra (2 episodes) and Max Levchin (1 episode) have recommended A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman on podcasts. In all, 4 people brought it up across 3 podcasts (2 people recommended it).
Which podcasts mention A Mind at Play the most?
Invest Like the Best (2 episodes), a16z Podcast (1 episode) and The Tim Ferriss Show (1 episode).
Is A Mind at Play recommended, or only discussed?
A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman was recommended in 3 episodes and discussed without a recommendation in 1 episode, as of 2026-06-09.
What do people say about A Mind at Play?
Max Levchin on The Tim Ferriss Show (2026-06-09): "There's a great book called A Mind at Play, which is Claude Shannon's biography."
When was A Mind at Play last mentioned on a podcast?
A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman was last recommended on The Tim Ferriss Show by Max Levchin on 2026-06-09.
What they say about it
- Discovered through the podcast“two guys I discovered through the podcast”2
- Co-authors of the book“co-authors of a mind at play”2
The best things said about it
One's Claude Shannon through Jimmy Soni's fantastic book, A Mind at Play.
And one of my favorite parts of researching this book was reading some newspaper headlines in this tiny town of Gaylord.
By the way we actually published the puzzles in the book so for anybody who wants to try to solve what Claude Shannon was solving you're welcome to try.
Where and when it comes up
Most episodes, by podcast
4 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman is a biography of the pioneering mathematician, engineer, and computer scientist Claude Shannon. On The Tim Ferriss Show, Max Levchin mentioned the work as a great biography detailing Shannon's life and intellectual contributions. David Senra discussed the book across multiple episodes of Invest Like the Best, citing it as the fascinating source through which he first discovered Claude Shannon while reflecting on execution, inspiration, and entrepreneurial ideas. On the a16z Podcast, Steven Sinofsky moderated a conversation with the authors, Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman, who shared insights into their research and writing process. During the podcast appearance, Rob Goodman recalled finding amusing local newspaper headlines in Claude Shannon's hometown of Gaylord during the book's research phase. Goodman also noted that the biography includes mathematical puzzles that Shannon originally worked on, inviting listeners to attempt solving them. Furthermore, Goodman mentioned a specific clarification the authors included regarding the Nobel-like award that Shannon's engineering paper received. Finally, Steven Sinofsky introduced several telling quotations from the text during the episode to help listeners reflect on both Shannon's legacy and contemporary culture.
Every mention
David Senra So there's two guys I discovered through the podcast. One's Claude Shannon through Jimmy Sonny's fantastic… 2
“So there's two guys I discovered through the podcast. One's Claude Shannon through Jimmy Sonny's fantastic book, A Mind at Play.”
“So there's two guys I discovered through the podcast. One's Claude Shannon through Jimmy Sonny's fantastic book, A Mind at Play. And another guy called Alfred Lee Loomis.”
Max Levchin There's a great book called A Mind at Play, which is Claude Shannon's biography. 1
“There's a great book called A Mind at Play, which is Claude Shannon's biography.”
Rob Goodman and one of my favorite parts of researching this book was reading some newspaper headlines in this tiny tow… 1
“and one of my favorite parts of researching this book was reading some newspaper headlines in this tiny town of Gaylord some of our favorites were meeting held to discuss artichokes and Vern Matz loses finger”
“by the way we actually published the puzzles in the book so for anybody who wants to try to solve what Claude Shannon was solving you're welcome to try”
“it won the Nobel Prize which was different in the Nobel Prize we had to point that out in the book which is an award for engineering papers”
Steven Sinofsky but I really wanted to pull a couple of quotes about him from the book because I I found them just so telli… 1
“but I really wanted to pull a couple of quotes about him from the book because I I found them just so telling and also to help us to reflect on our own culture”
“and so this was Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman co-authors of a mind at play how Claude Shannon invented the Information Age thank you very much for being here”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“This conversation is moderated by a 16 Z board partner Steven Sinofsky with special guests Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman authors of a new biography of Shannon just out called a mind app play”
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“So there's two guys I discovered through the podcast. One's Claude Shannon through Jimmy Sonny's fantastic book, A Mind at Play.”