Person
Every book Molly Wood recommended on podcasts
Molly Wood’s most recommended books
- Venture Deals by Brad Feld
- The World After Capital by Albert Wenger
- Apex by Ramez Naam
- Crux by Ramez Naam
- Nexus by Ramez Naam
- Speed & Scale by John Doerr
- Burn Rate by Andy Dunn
- From Here to Equality by William A. Darity (Jr.)
- How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
- The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Molly Wood is a technology podcaster who frequently shares book recommendations on This Week in Startups. Discussing the future of artificial intelligence tools and companion devices, she recommended Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age as a perfect depiction of those concepts in everyday life. For Juneteenth reading choices, Molly recommended From Here to Equality by William A. Darity Jr. and Kirsten Mullen, highlighting its discussion of financial and policy decisions contributing to racial income inequality, and she shared a recommendation from a colleague for Hannibal B. Johnson's Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District. She also brought up Andy Dunn's Burn Rate, praising the author's openness about personal experiences and mental illness. When evaluating carbon-removal technology, Molly encouraged listeners to read Bill Gates's book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster for its digestible explanations, and she recommended Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future when describing a blockchain-based social network imagined in the story. Additionally, at the close of an interview with Ramez Naam, she advised listeners to read all of his fiction and non-fiction books, including Nexus and Apex.
Books recommended by Molly Wood
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Venture Deals
Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson is a comprehensive guide designed to help entrepreneurs understand the intricate legal and financial mechanics of venture capital negotiations.
Discussed“because there was one chapter in Venture deals early on that really kept me up at night which is this idea of clawbacks”
Where to get it
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The World After Capital
Discussed“I know you have a new book out which I have completed and I'm excited to discuss with you because there's a lot of really provocative ideas in there. first though I have to in deference to our segment ask you about USB's 162 million dollar climate fund”
Where to get it
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Apex
Apex by Ramez Naam is a science fiction novel that concludes a futuristic trilogy exploring advanced technologies and human augmentation.
Discussed“i first came to ramez through his sci-fi nexus it's true crux nexus the trilogy nexus apex and crux that's correct”
Where to get it
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Crux
Crux by Ramez Naam is a science fiction novel that serves as the middle installment of a thrilling futuristic trilogy exploring human enhancement and the societal impacts of advanced technology.
Discussed“i first came to ramez through his sci-fi nexus it's true crux nexus the trilogy nexus apex and crux that's correct”
Where to get it
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Nexus
Nexus by Ramez Naam is a science fiction novel that explores transhumanist concepts and advanced biotechnology through a compelling narrative.
Discussed“i first came to ramez through his sci-fi nexus it's true crux nexus the trilogy nexus apex and crux that's correct”
Where to get it
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Speed & Scale
Speed & Scale by John Doerr is a comprehensive blueprint and field manual designed to tackle the global climate crisis through measurable action and accountability.
Discussed“VC legend John Doerr is back on This Week in Startups for his second appearance and he joins us with his co-author Ryan to talk about their new book Speed and Scale.”
Where to get it
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Burn Rate
Burn Rate by Andy Dunn is a memoir and business book by the Bonobos founder detailing his journey building a startup while living with bipolar one disorder and experiencing severe mental health crises.
Recommended“because one of my favorite books that i've read recently was burn rate um and the founder came on our podcast he the author is andy dunn the founder of i think it's pronounced pronounced bonobos”
Where to get it
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From Here to Equality
From Here to Equality by William A.
Recommended“So anyway, to a book I read that was amazing from here to equality reparations for black Americans in the 21st century. I interviewed these co-authors William Darity and Kirsten Mullen who just talk about all the financial and policy decisions”
Where to get it
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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster is a comprehensive book by Bill Gates that outlines practical technological and policy strategies for eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and addressing global climate change.
Recommended“and this is also in the bill gates book it's a really everybody should go read i can't remember what it's called but the the climate book that bill gates wrote is just profoundly digestible”
Where to get it
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The Diamond Age
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson is a visionary cyberpunk novel exploring nanotechnology, interactive education, and a future society shaped by advanced computing.
Recommended“you have to all go read a diamond age or Diamond age by Neil Stevenson because it is like the perfect it shows you what this is going to look like when we all have what is effectively a tablet it's called a ladies primer that's just our like constant companion and informational Butler”
Where to get it
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The Ministry for the Future
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is a gripping speculative science fiction novel that chronicles a near-future world grappling with the escalating and devastating consequences of climate change through the efforts of a newly established UN subsidiary.
Recommended“it exists in um ministry for the future which is kim stanley robinson's book that all the climate people are reading you should read this it's really really good”
Where to get it
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Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District
Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District by Hannibal B.
Recommended“And then there anyway There's a second recommendation here. This one actually is from Nick who read Black Wall Street from Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa's historic Greenwood district and this is the you know it's until Watchmen came out”
Where to get it
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Energy
Energy by Vaclav Smil is a sweeping, highly detailed examination of how energy systems have evolved alongside human civilization, charting power sources from ancient biomass to modern industrial grids.
Discussed“i was reaching over to my bookshelf to grab this book because i feel like you must be one of the few people who has read the energy in civilization”
Where to get it
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Fire & Blood
Fire & Blood by George R.
Discussed“i really like the book version of this i just read the recaps because i can't stomach it i can't apparently any trauma in your life”
Where to get it
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New York 2140
Discussed“but the other thing was sci-fi this world that imagined these possibilities you know kim stanley robinson in new york 2140 where there's like diamond coating on the bottom of buildings”
Where to get it
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Termination Shock
Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson is a near-future science fiction novel exploring the drastic consequences of rogue geoengineering and global climate change.
Discussed“the company's mission was inspired by this recent Neil Stevenson book that I read which was super interesting called termination shot about a Texas an eccentric texas-based billionaire who decides to do some Rogue Geo engineering”
Where to get it
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The Business of Venture Capital
Discussed“i have been reading the textbook the business of venture capital and one of the things that talks about”
Where to get it
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The Cold Start Problem
The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen provides a strategic framework for understanding how modern software networks overcome initial growth hurdles to achieve massive scale and sustainable market dominance.
Discussed“I think there's a great book by one of the ex-founders from ex people working at Uber basically saying how to build a network effect you need to build this first atomic Network in one city it works kind of well”
Where to get it
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The Dark Forest
Discussed“the idea of the dark forest like if you're in a dark forest and you don't know what's out there but you assume there are probably things that are out there that can kill you”
Where to get it
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The Peaceful Pill Handbook
Discussed“the recommendation was that the purchaser of SN also by Tagamet which is uh to avoid vomiting up the poison so chemical to keep down the chemical a personal use scale to measure the proper quantity and the Amazon edition of the Peaceful Pill handbook a suicide manual with an entire chapter on how to die by SN”
Where to get it
The other 4 books Molly Wood recommended or discussed, ranked
- The Power Law by Sebastian Mallaby
- The Third Rail by William Fleming
- The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
- Variety Deal Memo by Unknown
Appearances
Other mentions (10: passing, ad reads, own books)
“she's actually either in a dream or in a supernatural and they're I don't buy that like they're also those people who who have you read the really really upsetting theory that like all of the Harry Potter story are actually this poor kid in a mental institution is horrible”
“is that named after Dune by the way do we think that it might very well be”
“I know you must have read eat like a fish which is I found myself on a podcast sometime earlier this year saying almost the exact words you just did about how in 10 years it was the obvious podcast”
“both parents are law professors not ethics professors but they are law professors and the father is focused on tax law and then second yeah there that was one of the chapters I particular that's actually in J Cal's book in Angel”
“Jason interviewed AOL co-founder Steve case for the second time on his new book The Rise of the rest how entrepreneurs in surprising places are building the new American Dream”
“and the earlier you start you're talking about time of day thinking about Literal time of day yeah five would be better ten to five would be perfect for kids and teenage brains right in their biology but the thing is like I read that in that Freakonomics guys book 20 years ago before I even had a kid”
“I do want to go back to because I love the idea of a bot for all it was very like Neil Stevenson it reminded me of a diamond age yes this idea that you would have an agent a digital agent acting on your behalf”
“i'm listening to all the gray man books and then i just i binged that uh on my rainy day”
“you see me jason you see him i do see you i see you and william gibson and just all tomorrow's parties”
“and then ex-disney ceo and author of the amazing ride of a lifetime and guess my producers have not been able to get on the show yet zing pao uh ceo bob iger has joined the nft avatar company”