Person
Every book Joe Lonsdale recommended on podcasts
Key facts
- Joe Lonsdale has recommended or discussed 6 books on podcasts, as of April 28, 2025.
- Joe Lonsdale has talked about books on 4 podcasts, as of April 28, 2025.
- Those books came up in 4 episodes, as of April 28, 2025.
- The 3 books Joe Lonsdale has mentioned in the most episodes, as of April 28, 2025: 2034, The Shield of Achilles and How to Be an Antiracist.
- The latest episode with a book mention from Joe Lonsdale aired on April 28, 2025.
Updated
Across 4 podcasts. Every show Joe Lonsdale appears on, in one place — not just one.
Joe Lonsdale’s most mentioned books
- 2034 by Elliot Ackerman
- The Shield of Achilles by W. H. Auden
- How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- Seveneves / Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
- Study Guide by SuperSummary
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
Joseph Lonsdale is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He co-founded Palantir, Addepar, and OpenGov, and co-founded and works as the managing partner at the technology investment firm 8VC. Lonsdale appeared on several podcasts to discuss geopolitics, national security, history, and social issues. On This Week in Startups, he recommended the book 2034 by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis, describing it as a useful read to prompt new thinking about how cyber conflicts might unfold, even if his own perspective differed. During an episode of Modern Wisdom, he discussed W. H. Auden's The Shield of Achilles, using the thousand-page work on European constitutional government to illustrate how new forms of warfare historically transform political structures. On The Shawn Ryan Show, Lonsdale examined Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations while outlining the core traditions that shaped Western civilization and the mechanics of modern trade. Additionally, during an appearance on The Realignment, he discussed reading books by Ibram X. Kendi, including How to Be an Antiracist, explaining his desire to understand contemporary anti-racism discourse while sharing his reflections and frustrations regarding systemic racism.
Books Joe Lonsdale recommended or discussed
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2034
Recommended“there's a good book called 2034 that has one example of a cyber person it's like it's not exactly yeah it's not exactly how i see it playing out but i think it's worth people reading”
Where to get it
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The Shield of Achilles
Recommended“One of my favorite books was a shield of Achilles, which is like this thousandpage book on constitutional government in Europe and it shows how every time there's like a new form of warfare that's best.”
Where to get it
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How to Be an Antiracist
Discussed“so it's like i just read his books i kind of want to know what's going on when you read the book”
Where to get it
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Seveneves / Seveneves
Discussed“And uh when I read Seven Eves and I think about that and they're talking about [ __ ] orbital dynamics, dude. Holy [ __ ] like trying to think about the the zenith and the apogee and the way that oh well we've got to do this two more loops in order for us to come back around at”
Where to get it
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Study Guide
Discussed“So it’s like I just read his books; I kind of want to know what’s going on when you read the book; there are some things that get you really pissed off with racist white people.”
Where to get it
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The Wealth of Nations
Discussed“and then on top of those two Traditions you have the scientific Enlightenment and the philosophical Enlightenment which you know really started in 17th 18th centuries they kind of gave us this understanding of the modern world with with Adam Smith and The Wealth of Nations and how trade works with Scientific Revolution”
Where to get it
Appearances
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“This is something I think a lot of people just get very, very wrong, is it like censorship is political; like human nature is like Aristotle means a political animal.”