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Every book David Senra recommended on podcasts
Across 6 podcasts. Every show David Senra appears on, in one place — not just one.
David Senra’s most recommended books
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel
- Hard Drive by James Wallace
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
- Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
- Becoming Steve Jobs by Brent Schlender, Rick Tetzeli
- Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda
- How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis
- The Snowball by Alice Schroeder
- The Little Kingdom by Michael Moritz
- The Mind of Napoleon by Napoleon I (Emperor of the French)
David Senra is a podcast host and entrepreneur known for studying biographies of historic achievers and business icons on his show Founders. Throughout his podcast episodes, Senra frequently discusses, recommends, and reviews books detailing the lives and methods of prominent historical figures and titans of industry. On Founders, he urged listeners to read Candice Millard's The Destiny of the Republic, praising her remarkable writing and storytelling in weaving together a compelling narrative about James Garfield. Senra also introduced Charles R. Morris's The Tycoons, a book that uses the lives of Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J.P. Morgan to examine the expansion of the American economy. Additionally, he discussed Peter Thiel and Blake Masters's Zero to One to illustrate business principles derived from first principles. Senra highlighted Ari Emanuel's autobiography Roll the Calls as an entertaining and crazy memoir, and he recommended Vance H. Trimble's book on Sam Walton alongside Walton's own autobiography. On his self-titled podcast, Senra recommended Geoffrey Cain's Steve Jobs in Exile, and on Founders, he concluded an episode on Michael Bloomberg by recommending Bloomberg by Bloomberg.
Books recommended by David Senra
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Zero to One
Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters is a prominent business and technology book that challenges conventional startup thinking.
Discussed“I found one of my all-time favorite quotes when I was reading the book Zero to One. That is the single most powerful pattern I have noticed is that successful people find value in unexpected places.”
Where to get it
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Hard Drive
Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson is a biography detailing the early years of Microsoft and the relentless rise of Bill Gates.
Discussed“I reread Hard Drive, Overdrive, which is also written by the same guys that wrote Hard Drive.”
Where to get it
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Shoe Dog
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight is a famous memoir chronicling the founding and incredible rise of the global athletic brand Nike.
Discussed“I think my favorite quote about belief comes from Phil Knight. And he talks about, in Shoe Dog, trying to sell encyclopedias...”
Where to get it
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Extreme Ownership
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin is a practical leadership guide rooted in military combat experiences that emphasizes personal accountability and execution.
Recommended“Actually the the name Yes. the concept is not exactly the same. There are similarities, but I thought the terminology extreme ownership was so immediately evocative of what you look for that I said, "Okay, we need to use that for sure." Obviously, you know, I only read biographies and in history, but I don't read business books, but I”
Where to get it
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Becoming Steve Jobs
Becoming Steve Jobs by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli is an insightful biography examining the evolution of Steve Jobs from a reckless upstart into a visionary leader.
Recommended“I remember, there's this great line in this biography of Steve called 'Becoming Steve Jobs,' which I actually think is the best biography written about him.”
Where to get it
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Creative Selection
Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda is an insider account of Apple's software engineering and product design culture written by a veteran developer who worked closely with Steve Jobs.
Recommended“One's in this book called, "Creative Selection," which is excellent. I read three times. It's from this guy named Ken Kocienda”
Where to get it
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How to Get Rich
Felix Dennis's book How to Get Rich is a candid and unconventional guide offering pragmatic advice on building wealth from the perspective of an experienced magazine publishing mogul.
Recommended“There's this great book called How to Get Rich. Have you read that one? Felix Dennis, episode 129.”
Where to get it
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The Snowball
The Snowball by Alice Schroeder is an extensive biography of legendary investor Warren Buffett that chronicles his business acumen, lifelong learning habits, and the personal trade-offs of extreme career dedication.
Discussed“I'm rereading the book "The Snowball."”
Where to get it
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The Little Kingdom
The Little Kingdom by Michael Moritz is a classic business book detailing the early history and meteoric rise of Apple.
Discussed“Your partner I I quote this on my other podcast all the time. Uh Morris has that great so he wrote obviously the Little Kingdom in whatever the ' 80s or '7s whenever it was and then he updated in I think 2009 to the return of Little Kingdom”
Where to get it
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The Mind of Napoleon
The Mind of Napoleon by Napoleon I is a historical compilation edited and translated by J.
Discussed“have you ever read this book called the mine in napoleon no okay so mine in napoleon published in 1957 um i found it because i saw this interview i think tyler cowen interviewed sam altman and uh i think this is 2019 and he asked him like what's the most important book that you read this year and he”
Where to get it
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Michael Jordan
Why people recommend it: This comprehensive 700-page biography by Roland Lazenby explores the extraordinary life, relentless competitive drive, and career of basketball legend Michael Jordan.
Recommended“And uh there's this great book called Michael Jordan: The Life. It's like 700 pages long. Uh it's by this guy named Roland Lazenby. And I read that book twice. It it fundamentally changed my life.”
Where to get it
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Scientific Advertising
Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins is a foundational business and marketing text from the early twentieth century that outlines fundamental principles of direct-response marketing, consumer psychology, and accountability in advertising.
Discussed“I read scientific advertising. Yes. In the very beginning.”
Where to get it
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The Creative Act
The Creative Act: A Way of Being is a guide to harnessing artistic perspective and spiritual approaches to creativity by legendary music producer Rick Rubin.
Discussed“So, I write biographies about him. I read his book Creative Act. You read Creative Act? Yes. Okay.”
Where to get it
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Against the Odds
Against the Odds by James Dyson is the first autobiography of the British inventor and industrial designer, chronicling his relentless struggles, financial pressures, and eventual triumph in creating the dual-cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner.
Recommended“If I If you only read one book, it'd be his first autobiography, which is called Against the Odds, an autobiography by James Dyson. Cuz it's not about today, you fast forward he's 78 years old, he owns 100% of one of the most successful private companies in the world, he wouldn't sell it.”
Where to get it
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Make Something Wonderful
Make Something Wonderful by Steve Jobs is a compelling compilation of the iconic entrepreneur's own words, collected through speeches, emails, and personal writings.
Recommended“I just finished rereading "Make Something Wonderful," which is this book put out by his widow. It's an excellent book.”
Where to get it
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Endurance; Shackleton's incredible voyage
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing is a gripping historical account of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated 1914 Antarctic expedition and the crew's remarkable survival against impossible odds.
Recommended“that's the best book I've read in probably three years endurance yeah yeah it's excellent”
Where to get it
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Beat the Dealer
Beat the Dealer by Edward O.
Discussed“He wrote a book called beat the dealer which tells you how to count cards like the 1960s sold millions of copies.”
Where to get it
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Creativity, Inc.
Creativity, Inc.
Discussed“and he tells a story about what a meeting with uh in his autobiography Creativity Inc. what a meeting with Steve Jobs is like.”
Where to get it
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James Dyson's History of Great Inventions
James Dyson's History of Great Inventions by James Dyson is a retrospective exploration of pivotal technological breakthroughs and the historical context of innovation.
Discussed“But then people might know about this but they don't know that you actually wrote, "A History of Great Inventions."”
Where to get it
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Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson is an exhaustive, deeply researched biography that explores the boundless curiosity, artistic genius, and scientific experimentation of the Renaissance polymath.
Discussed“I was like, I read Isaacson's biography of Da Vinci, which is great, but it's like 800 pages. And I was like, give me the best Da Vinci book that you ever read. And I'm in Tuscany, it was so bad. I literally left it at the hotel.”
Where to get it
- Outsiders, The by William N. Thorndike Jr.
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- The Everything Store by Brad Stone
- The Lessons of History by Will Durant
- In the Company of Giants by Rama Dev Jager
- Bloomberg by Bloomberg by Michael Bloomberg
- The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story by Michael M. Lewis
- Driven by Larry H. Miller, Doug Robinson
- The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
- Overdrive by James Wallace
- Sam Walton by Vance H. Trimble
- The destiny of the republic by Candice Millard
- Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
- Finding the Next Steve Jobs by Nolan Bushnell
- Play Nice but Win by Michael Dell
- A Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp
- Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely
- Almanac and Weather Forecaster by Eric Sloane
- Endurance by Alfred Lansing
- Estee by Estee Lauder
- Frames of Reference by Eric Jorgensen
- Hackers & Painters by Paul Graham
- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham
- Hardball by Chris Matthews
- How will you measure your life? by Clayton M. Christensen
- I'm All In by Lyle Berman
- Insisting On The Impossible by Victor K. McElheny
- Invent and Wander by Walter Isaacson
- Land's Polaroid by Peter C. Wensberg
- Liftoff by Eric Berger
David Senra’s latest episodes with books
David Senra’s book recommendations by year
All 111 books David Senra recommended or discussed across 54 episodes, filed by the year each episode came out. Each year goes episode by episode, with the minute every book came up.