Episode · Lenny's Podcast · 2025-10-10

Lenny Rachitsky & Robby Stein: books mentioned on Lenny's Podcast

Inside Google's AI turnaround: The rise of AI Mode, strategy behind AI Overviews, and their vision for AI-powered search | Robby Stein (VP of Product, Google Search)

4 books · With Robby Stein · Listen · Watch on YouTube

Robby Stein is VP of Product at Google, where he oversees the core products of Google Search—including the new AI Overviews, AI Mode, search ranking, Google Lens, and more.

Robby Stein recommended Competing Against Luck by Clayton M. Christensen and others, The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman, and Aurora by David Koepp. Lenny Rachitsky recommended Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

Books mentioned, in the order they came up

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1. 

   Competing Against Luck

   Clayton M. Christensen; Taddy Hall; Karen Dillon; David S. Duncan · at 36:42 · mentioned 2 times

   Competing Against Luck by Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan is a business and innovation book that introduces the concept of the jobs-to-be-done framework.

   Recommended

   “I'm a big fan of and, you know, Clayton Christensen's book on competing against luck um is one of my favorite books on this topic”

   Robby Stein Inside Google's AI turnaround: The rise of AI Mode, strategy behind AI… 2025-10-10 Listen at 36:42

   Where to get it

   Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon
2. 

   The Design of Everyday Things

   Don Norman · at 54:54 · mentioned 2 times

   The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman is a foundational text that explores usability, human-centered design, and why certain objects are frustrating to use while others feel intuitive.

   Recommended

   “And I think on this one there's this great book, Don Norman's book, obviously design of everyday things is a is a big one. But he has this incredible chapter in there about doors”

   Robby Stein Inside Google's AI turnaround: The rise of AI Mode, strategy behind AI… 2025-10-10 Listen at 54:54

   Where to get it

   Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon
3. 

   Aurora

   David Koepp · at 1:15:11

   Recommended

   “but I also really love this for, um, fiction, Aurora, which is this book David Cop wrote. It's about uh it's like electromagnetic pulse in the sun that like knocks out it's like fiction for just fun”

   Robby Stein Inside Google's AI turnaround: The rise of AI Mode, strategy behind AI… 2025-10-10 Listen at 1:15:11

   Where to get it

   Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon
4. 

   Project Hail Mary

   Andy Weir · at 1:15:39

   Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a science fiction novel about an astronaut tasked with saving humanity from an extinction-level threat.

   Recommended

   “There's a book along those lines that I love. They're making a movie of it right now called Hail Mary. Oh, I'm in the middle of reading that right now.”

   Lenny Rachitsky Inside Google's AI turnaround: The rise of AI Mode, strategy behind AI… 2025-10-10 Listen at 1:15:39

   Where to get it

   Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon