Episode · This Week in Startups · 2020-06-19
Books mentioned on E1077: "Alchemy" Author Rory Sutherland on the Darwinian approach to business, analyzing outliers, why eccentric CEOs have a psychological advantage with customers & more!
1:00 Jason intros "Alchemy" author Rory Sutherland 3:45 Architecture is the cheapest way to buy art 6:01 How Rory is dealing with quarantine, why he prefers working from home, and will businesses be more efficient post-COVID?
Jason Calacanis discussed Alchemy by Rory Sutherland and Zero to One by Peter Thiel and others, and read The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger and The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen for a book club. Rory Sutherland recommended THE ECONOMIC NATURALIST by Robert H. Frank, The Darwin Economy by Robert H. Frank, and Influence by Robert B. Cialdini.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Ride of a Lifetime
The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger is a business memoir by the former Disney CEO detailing his professional journey, leadership philosophies, and strategies for navigating massive corporate transformations and creative challenges.
Book club“we did Bob iger's ride of a lifetime”
Where to get it
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The Fish That Ate the Whale
The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen is a biographical non-fiction book that chronicles the extraordinary life of Samuel Zemurray, an immigrant fruit peddler who rose to become the powerful head of the United Fruit Company.
Book club“we just did fish that ate the whale the story of the banana King”
Where to get it
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Alchemy
Alchemy by Rory Sutherland is an insightful exploration of behavioral economics, psychology, and the hidden irrational forces that drive consumer behavior in business and everyday life.
Discussed“and then in between those two somebody said hey there's a really interesting book called alchemy and I said alchemy oh it's my favorite word or one of my favorite word's as many of you know I'm a dire straits fan and the greatest rock and roll album ever recorded live is alchemy and this book alchemy the dark art”
Where to get it
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THE ECONOMIC NATURALIST
The Economic Naturalist by Robert H.
Recommended“Robert H Frank at Cornell who wrote who's written various books for example the Darwin economy and the economic naturalist I think is one of his as well”
Where to get it
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The Darwin Economy
The Darwin Economy by Robert H.
Recommended“Robert H Frank at Cornell who wrote who's written various books for example the Darwin economy and the economic naturalist I think is one of his as well”
Where to get it
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Zero to One
Why people recommend it: Peter Thiel and Blake Masters's Zero to One offers a provocative guide to startup creation, arguing that true economic progress comes from building entirely new things rather than copying existing models.
Discussed“and zero to one is one of the few people who gets it emphatically”
Where to get it
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Influence
Influence by Robert B.
Recommended“didn't if you've read his great book influence he's in many ways the sort of godfather he's at the University of Arizona he's kind of the Godfather of a virile science in many ways”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“you had films like The Manchurian Candidate you had books like the hidden persuaders and there was a widespread paranoia about manipulation”
“you had films like The Manchurian Candidate you had books like the hidden persuaders and there was a widespread paranoia about manipulation”