Episode · Lenny's Podcast · 2026-01-11
Books mentioned on Why most AI products fail: Lessons from 50+ AI deployments at OpenAI, Google, and Amazon
Aishwarya Naresh Reganti and Kiriti Badam have helped build and launch more than 50 enterprise AI products across companies like OpenAI, Google, Amazon, and Databricks. Based on these experiences, they’ve developed a small set of best practices for building and scaling successful AI products.
Aishwarya Naresh Reganti recommended When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Kiriti Badam recommended The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Lenny Rachitsky recommended A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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When Breath Becomes Air
Recommended“For me, it's this book called When Breath Becomes Air, Lenny. It was written by Paul Kalaniti. I think he was um um an Indian origin neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with lung cancer at 31 or 32 and the whole book is his memoir”
Where to get it
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The Three-Body Problem
Recommended“I I like more of science fiction books. So, I uh really like this three body problem series. Uh it's like a three book series. It's it's like has it has elements of like grander than science fiction uh life outside earth”
Where to get it
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A Fire Upon The Deep
Recommended“Uh, if you love sci-fi and you're an AI, you got to read this book called A Fire Upon the Deep by uh, Vernon Vege. Mhm. Check it out. It's incredible.”
Where to get it
