Episode · The Tim Ferriss Show · 2026-06-09
Books mentioned on #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism)
Max Levchin (@mlevchin) is a serial entrepreneur and investor in 100+ startups. He's the founder and CEO of Affirm, the payment network powering consumer purchases and merchant growth.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Ronin
Discussed“And one of the layers of explanation that you added to it, which I ended up applying, it made it very concrete for me, which I think you've already done, but it was when you aren't sure, I'm quoting from what you put in the book here, is when you aren't sure about a key employee or a co-founder, odds”
Where to get it
-
Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is a sprawling, visionary novel that weaves together World War II codebreaking with a modern quest to build a secure, data-haven-backed cryptocurrency.
Discussed“And something I always wondered is that we all had cryptonnomicon as required reading. So I want you to explain that. I love that book. It's a great book.”
Where to get it
-
Snow Crash
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is a seminal cyberpunk science fiction novel that envisions a futuristic, privatized dystopia while popularizing the concept of the metaverse.
Discussed“My college life was shaped by Snow Crash with probably the thing that really put him on the map.”
Where to get it
-
Neuromancer
Neuromancer by William Gibson is a seminal 1984 cyberpunk novel credited with popularizing the concept of cyberspace and heavily influencing modern science fiction and internet culture.
Discussed“So, Thorrash basically presented an alternative to Neurommancer. Neurommancer was this dark dystopian. Also, by the way, first book I read when I came to the US. Neurommancer.”
Where to get it
-
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov is an acclaimed satirical masterpiece of twentieth-century Russian literature that intertwines the story of Satan visiting Moscow with a parallel narrative about Pontius Pilate.
Discussed“I'm very embarrassed to say this is the Master and Margarita.”
Where to get it
-
7 Powers
7 Powers by Hamilton Helmer outlines the foundational strategic factors that enable a business to achieve persistent differential returns and secure long-term market dominance.
Recommended“There is this book called Seven Powers by Hamilton Hemler.”
Where to get it
-
Influence
Influence by Robert B.
Recommended“I am sure it's in your list and everyone's list, but if you haven't read it, if you're trying to start a business, you should read Influence by Chelini because that is probably the most important social science book published in the last 50 years.”
Where to get it
-
Titan
Titan by Ron Chernow is the definitive, exhaustive biography of oil tycoon John D.
Discussed“Titan is a huge one. Titan is probably the one that's closest to like business advice.”
Where to get it
-
A Mind at Play
A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman is a comprehensive biography detailing the life, work, and legacy of Claude Shannon, the father of information theory.
Recommended“There's a great book called A Mind at Play, which is Claude Shannon's biography.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“And I wanted to kick this off with a thank you, believe it or not, from what you put into my last book, Tribe of Mentors.”
“I asked you what book or books you've given the most as a gift and why.”