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Every book Tim Wu recommended on podcasts
Tim Wu appeared on The Ezra Klein Show to discuss the evolution of the internet, modern technology platforms, and the regulatory challenges of the digital age. In the course of the episode, Wu offered a series of curated book recommendations addressing economics, manipulation, and historical power dynamics. He began by recommending E.F. Schumacher's classic economic text Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered. Wu then recommended a more recent work, Manipulation: What It Is, How to Stop It by Cass R. Sunstein, describing it as an underrated and vital resource for understanding modern psychological influences and digital culture. For a broader historical perspective on tech platforms and global power, he recommended The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy, noting that it helped shape his own macro-level views on technology. Additionally, Wu referenced an early twentieth-century text by Joseph Alois Schumpeter regarding entrepreneurs, reinforcing his deep engagement with economic history and technological disruption.
Books recommended by Tim Wu
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Manipulation
Manipulation by Cass R.
Recommended“A second book um is more recent. Cass Sunstein wrote a book on manipulation that uh I think has been um it is underrated and is really good for understanding what we have allowed to happen. It's called Manipulation: What It Is, How to Stop It.”
Where to get it
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Rise and Fall of the Great Power
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy is a sweeping historical analysis examining how economic growth and military overextension have shaped the dominance and decline of global empires over the past five centuries.
Recommended“The last book, I guess this is where I got some ideas about uh tech platforms and the big picture is from Paul Kennedy, Rise and Fall of the Great Powers.”
Where to get it
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Small Is Beautiful
Small Is Beautiful by E.F.
Recommended“And And Tim, why don't we begin with you? Sure, I'd start with uh E.F. Schumacher's uh Small Is Beautiful, Economics As If People Mattered.”
Where to get it
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The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy is a major historical and economic study examining the economic and strategic decline of leading global empires over the centuries.
Recommended“The last book, I guess this is where I got some ideas about uh tech platforms and the big picture is from Paul Kennedy, Rise and Fall of the Great Powers.”
Where to get it
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Essays of J.A. Schumpeter
Discussed“You know, Joseph Schumpeter back in 1911 wrote a book about entrepreneurs basically.”
Where to get it
Books Tim Wu wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| We Didn’t Ask for This Internet | The Ezra Klein Show | The Ezra Klein Show | 2026-02-06 | 5 |