#119
Mentioned in 118 episodes

The hard thing about hard things

building a business when there are no easy answers
Book • 2014
In this book, Ben Horowitz shares his personal and often humbling experiences in the tech industry to offer essential advice and practical wisdom.

He addresses various hard decisions and challenges that business leaders face, such as firing friends, managing company culture, handling layoffs, and making tough strategic decisions.

Horowitz emphasizes the importance of honesty, resilience, and adaptability in leadership, drawing from his experiences with companies like Loudcloud and Andreessen Horowitz.

Mentioned by

Mentioned in 118 episodes

Referenced by
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Mike Krieger
when recalling hard times at Instagram.
3,236 snips
Anthropic’s CPO on what comes next | Mike Krieger (co-founder of Instagram)
Mentioned by
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Lenny Rachitsky
as one of
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Ben Horowitz
's books that is about the struggle and pain of being a CEO.
2,767 snips
$46B of hard truths from Ben Horowitz: Why founders fail and why you need to run toward fear (a16z co-founder)
Mentioned by
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Shaan Puri
when discussing valuable skills for business success.
1,611 snips
I got rejected from YC (4x)…. now my side hustle is worth $1.16B
Mentioned by
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Garrett Lord
as one of the classics books, and noted that Ben Horowitz will be on the podcast.
928 snips
Inside the expert network training every frontier AI model | Garrett Lord (Handshake CEO)
Mentioned by
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David Senra
in the context of a similar experience to one described in the book.
817 snips
#233 Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin (PayPal)
Mentioned by
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Lenny Ritschitsky
as one of
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Ben Horowitz
’s New York Times bestselling books.
804 snips
Ben Horowitz: Why Hesitation is a CEO’s Worst Enemy
Mentioned in passing as the source of the saying, "Market always trumps team."
738 snips
How to Build a Successful Company in an Era of Disruption
Recommended by
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Sachin Kansal
to teach resilience, highlighting the hard and lonely aspects of corporate and product leadership.
651 snips
Why Uber’s CPO delivers food on weekends | Sachin Kansal
Mentioned by
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Ali Ghodsi
as the best business book he's read, influencing Databricks' approach to difficult situations.
486 snips
Ben Horowitz and Ali Ghodsi: How to Run a Billion-Dollar Business
Mentioned by
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David Senra
while discussing an exchange between Mark Andreessen and Ben Horowitz about the emotional rollercoaster of startups.
444 snips
#50 Marc Andreessen's Blog Archive
Mentioned by
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Christian Idiodi
as a book describing the mindset and culture of good product work.
405 snips
The essence of product management | Christian Idiodi (SVPG)
Mentioned by
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Drew Houston
in relation to the product CEO paradox.
389 snips
Behind the founder: Drew Houston (Dropbox)
Mentioned by
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Marc Andreessen
as a book that sells consistently well.
288 snips
Marc Andreessen: It’s Time To Write
Mentioned by
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Oprah Winfrey
as one of the two New York Times bestsellers authored by Ben Horowitz.
278 snips
How to Be Free: Shaka Senghor, Oprah Winfrey, Ben Horowitz

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