The Hard Thing About Hard Things
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Ben Horowitz
Marty Cagan
Trust me: if you're a leader in tech, the best thing you can do in 2014 for your company is to read [this book]. - Marty Cagan
Blake Scholl
Good. - Blake Scholl
Chris Dixon
Chris Dixon recommended this book on Twitter.
Keith Rabois
Reflects 2000-2003. - Keith Rabois
Peter Attia
One of Peter Attia's answers to "any books you feel would make your reading list?"
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The Hard Thing About Hard Things

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers: Straight Talk on the Challenges of Entrepreneurship

Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz
By
Ben Horowitz
4.2
4067
ratings on Goodreads

In "The Hard Thing About Hard Things," Ben Horowitz, a Silicon Valley titan and co-founder of the prestigious venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, embarks on a no-holds-barred exploration of the brutal realities of steering a business through its darkest times. With an unfiltered honesty rare in business literature, Horowitz delves into the thorny challenges that entrepreneurs face but are seldom prepared for by traditional business education. Drawing from his own tumultuous journey through the tech industry— from launching the pioneering cloud service Loudcloud to establishing a venture capital powerhouse—Horowitz offers not just stories, but hard-earned wisdom on the art of survival in the business world. This book transcends the typical success narrative to focus on the gritty, uncomfortable, and often overlooked aspects of building and leading a company. Horowitz addresses the dilemmas that keep founders up at night, from firing close friends to wrestling with the decision to sell the company they've poured their heart into. His advice is peppered with references to his passion for rap music, adding an unexpected vibrancy to the lessons on leadership and resilience. Through candid anecdotes and insightful analysis, "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" stands as an essential guide for navigating the tumultuous journey of entrepreneurship, offering both solace and practical advice for those brave enough to venture into the unforgiving terrain of building a business.

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Released
2014
1 Oct
Length
304
Pages

22

recommendations

recommendation

I like this one, but it’s not for very new entrepreneurs. - Luis von Ahn
Reframes your mind: hard doesn’t mean bad. Seeking the easy route is a trap. - Jodie Cook
Candidly talks about the very real thrills and perils of starting a business.- Michael Dell
Trust me: if you're a leader in tech, the best thing you can do in 2014 for your company is to read [this book]. - Marty Cagan
Good. - Blake Scholl
A bit dark but it does cover a lot of useful territory on what building an organization is like. - Andrew Ng
One of the great things that [the author] wrote in [this book] is the hardest part of being a CEO is managing your psychology. - Drew Houston
An inspiring story of a business rebirth through sheer willpower. - Larry Page
Chris Dixon recommended this book on Twitter.
Most Recommended Books reached out to Kathryn Minshew directly.
Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book during a Stanford lecture in 2014.
One of the best business books I've picked up in years. - Andrew Wilkinson
Chapter five in [this book] is possibly the best thing I've read about leading a tech company. - Fred Wilson
By far, the best, most brutally honest and incredibly useful book about the realities of starting and running a company. - Raoul Pal
Entertaining more than anything. I read [this book], I was like: I would never work for this guy. But entertaining and some good lessons. - Matt Mullenweg
One of Max Levchin's answers to "what's your favourite business book you'd advise to young entrepreneurs?"
[The author] has written the first true guide for protecting a startup from self-sabotage. - Peter Thiel
One of Peter Attia's answers to "any books you feel would make your reading list?"
For anyone insterested in building, growing, or leading a great company, this book is an incredibly valuable resource. - Mark Zuckerberg
Reflects 2000-2003. - Keith Rabois
Let’s just say, we started out relationship with vigorous disagreement, and we’ve continued that to this day. - Marc Andreessen
A great book. - Tim Ferriss
Every time I read a management or self-help book, I find myself saying, “That’s fine, but that wasn’t really the hard thing about the situation.” The hard thing isn’t setting a big, hairy, audacious goal. The hard thing is laying people off when you miss the big goal. The hard thing isn’t hiring great people. The hard thing is when those “great people” develop a sense of entitlement and start demanding unreasonable things. The hard thing isn’t setting up an organizational chart. The hard thing is getting people to communicate within the organization that you just designed. The hard thing isn’t dreaming big. The hard thing is waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat when the dream turns into a nightmare.
— Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things

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