Podcast
MD MEETS book list: the books mentioned on the show
Books from the latest episodes
Most recommended on MD MEETS
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Deng Xiaoping
On MD MEETS, Alex Karp mentioned to Mathias Döpfner that he reads books on Deng Xiaoping, along with books on Mao, to learn from various political figures.
Discussed“I am reading books on Deng Xiaoping. I read a book on I'm reading books on Mao.”
Where to get it
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Dune
On MD MEETS, Sam Altman brought up Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune. He cited it as an example in science fiction where society resorts to destroying technology as a drastic method to prevent rogue artificial intelligence.
Discussed“There are things like this in sci-fi. Dune is an example where people say this is the only way to prevent the rogue AI.”
Where to get it
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Faust
On MD MEETS, Peter Thiel brought up Christopher Marlowe's version of Faust to contrast it with Goethe's version while discussing historical narratives of good, evil, and human competence.
Discussed“In, if you contrast the Faust books of Marlow versus Goethe, in Marlow's Faust, that was the 16th century Faust story,”
Where to get it
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Homo Deus
Yuval Noah Harari's book Homo Deus was brought up on MD MEETS in October 2025. Mathias Döpfner mentioned the book during a conversation with Sam Altman, describing Harari's vision of the next era of mankind where humans become almost godlike, and asked Altman whether he shared that perspective.
Discussed“Yuval Harari, the Israeli writer, wrote a fascinating book called Homo Deus where he basically describes the next era of mankind where we become almost like gods.”
Where to get it
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Mao
On MD MEETS, guest Alex Karp discussed his reading habits during the episode Palantir CEO Alex Karp: AI Fears, Rise of the Far Right & Germany's Crisis. He mentioned that he was reading books on Mao, specifically noting that he was learning a lot from studying figures like Mao and Deng Xiaoping regardless of political agreement.
Discussed“I read a book on I'm reading books on Mao. I I've read a lot of books on I learn I've I'm learning a lot from Mao and Deng Xiaoping.”
Where to get it
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Mindset
Mindset by Carol S. Dweck was discussed on MD MEETS in November 2025 by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella brought up Dweck's work on the growth mindset to illustrate a core philosophy at his company: the importance of cultivating a learn-it-all attitude rather than a know-it-all mentality in order to maintain long-term professional relevance.
Discussed“We the one of the metaphors we use a lot coming out of this child psychology and Carol Dwek's work of growth mindset is uha when you say skill set there's I think the most important skill set for long-term relevance is you know how do you be be a learn it all and not a knowit all right that”
Where to get it
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Statecraft
During an episode of MD MEETS titled UK Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch: Western Weakness, Mass Migration & Far-Lef, released on April 15, 2026, Kemi Badenoch discussed Statecraft by Margaret Thatcher. Badenoch mentioned that she had been given a copy of Charles's book, but noted that the book she had read a long time ago was Statecraft, and expressed her feeling that now was the time she needed to read it again.
Discussed“I do have Charles has given me a copy. I haven't read his, but she No, what the one I have, which I read a long time ago, was Statecraft, [music] which I think now is the time I need to read it again.”
Where to get it
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Technology and the Rise of Great Powers
On MD MEETS in November 2025, Satya Nadella referenced Jeffrey Ding's book Technology and the Rise of Great Powers. Nadella used Ding's theories on technology diffusion to argue that the ultimate winners in the artificial intelligence sector will be those who scale and diffuse technology broadly across their economies.
Discussed“I think if you think back I I'm a big believer in the Jeffrey Ding uh you know school which is all about diffusion of technology right everybody today is more about the hype of one AI technology quite frankly the country or that is going to really win is going to be the one that can scale up broadly”
Where to get it
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The Double Bass
Patrick Süskind's book "The Double Bass" was discussed on MD MEETS on September 6, 2026. Mathias Döpfner brought up the successful German work during an interview, describing how it centers on a classical orchestra bass player and deals with psychological challenges and inferiority complexes stemming from never being in the forefront of attention.
Discussed“There is a famous a very successful book in Germany written by Patrick Zuskint. Uh it's called the double bass and it's basically about a bass player from a classical orchestra and the book is dealing with his inferiority complexes that he is never in the forefront of attention that he's always in the background.”
Where to get it
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray was discussed on MD MEETS in October 2025. Mathias Döpfner brought up the novel during a conversation with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, asking him about a statement he previously made regarding his fondness for the book and its themes of eternal youth.
Discussed“But I think you once said that Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray is a book that you particularly like.”
Where to get it
Guests who recommended books
Latest mentions
“In, if you contrast the Faust books of Marlow versus Goethe, in Marlow's Faust, that was the 16th century Faust story,”
“There is a famous a very successful book in Germany written by Patrick Zuskint. Uh it's called the double bass and it's basically about a bass player from a classical orchestra and the book is dealing with his inferiority complexes that he is never in the forefront of attention that he's always in the background.”
“I am reading books on Deng Xiaoping. I read a book on I'm reading books on Mao.”
“I read a book on I'm reading books on Mao. I I've read a lot of books on I learn I've I'm learning a lot from Mao and Deng Xiaoping.”
“I do have Charles has given me a copy. I haven't read his, but she No, what the one I have, which I read a long time ago, was Statecraft, [music] which I think now is the time I need to read it again.”
“We the one of the metaphors we use a lot coming out of this child psychology and Carol Dwek's work of growth mindset is uha when you say skill set there's I think the most important skill set for long-term relevance is you know how do you be be a learn it all and not a knowit all right that”
“I think if you think back I I'm a big believer in the Jeffrey Ding uh you know school which is all about diffusion of technology right everybody today is more about the hype of one AI technology quite frankly the country or that is going to really win is going to be the one that can scale up broadly”
“Yuval Harari, the Israeli writer, wrote a fascinating book called Homo Deus where he basically describes the next era of mankind where we become almost like gods.”
“But I think you once said that Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray is a book that you particularly like.”
“There are things like this in sci-fi. Dune is an example where people say this is the only way to prevent the rogue AI.”
Episodes
Link to this list from your show notes
Host or produce MD MEETS? Give your listeners every book mentioned on the show, with the episode and the minute it came up. New episodes are added as they come out.
