Episode · Big Technology Podcast · 2026-08-05
Books mentioned on How The AI Bet Pays Off + AI Lab Strategy Game — With David Cahn
David Cahn is a partner at Sequoia Capital. Cahn joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss how much revenue the AI industry must generate to pay back its massive infrastructure investments and why the pursuit of AGI is driving companies to keep spending.
David Cahn recommended Engines That Move Markets by Alasdair Nairn, and discussed The player of games by Iain M. Banks, The Torah by David J. Zucker, Quran by Talal Itani, and The Mahabharata.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The player of games
The Player of Games is a critically acclaimed science fiction novel by Iain M.
Discussed“And then the last metaphor I used in this post was Azod which is this fictional game in Ian Banks The Player of Games. He imagines a civilization where you literally play a strategy game and whoever wins becomes emperor.”
Where to get it
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Engines That Move Markets
Recommended“Like in some ways if you do the old school, you know, there's the Alistair Marn who I love and think very highly of and who wrote the book The Engines That Move Markets, which is like the great book on technology investing, who says it's easier to short the canal than it is to be like figure out which”
Where to get it
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The Torah
The Torah by David J.
Discussed“Like you can read the Quran, you can read the Torah, you can read the Gospels, you can read the Mahabharata. Like there's kind of one truth in the universe.”
Where to get it
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Quran
The Quran by Talal Itani is an English translation of the sacred Islamic text that outlines the foundational beliefs, laws, and spiritual guidance of Islam.
Discussed“Like you can read the Quran, you can read the Torah, you can read the Gospels, you can read the Mahabharata. Like there's kind of one truth in the universe.”
Where to get it
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The Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is a monumental ancient Indian epic detailing the great Kurukshetra War, dynastic struggles, and profound philosophical teachings, including the embedded text of the Bhagavad Gita.
Discussed“Like you can read the Quran, you can read the Torah, you can read the Gospels, you can read the Mahabharata. Like there's kind of one truth in the universe.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I just read Hyperion, which is the name of Meta's new data center.”