Blake Masters

Peter A. Thiel

The billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneur behind such companies as PayPal and Facebook outlines an innovative theory and formula for building the companies of the future by creating and monopolizing new markets instead of competing in old ones. 200,000 first printing.

Notes on Startups, Or how to Build the Future

Zero to One

Keven Wang

Just re-read this book. Thiel is well read and his perspective is priceless

Madhuri jain

This was my first read on startups. Hence i could not compare it with other books but its a nice read for those who have ideas which they think they can convert to make some money. Nowadays startups have emerged like mushrooms. Everyone with a little idea think that they will become an entrepreneur but one should consider several parameters before stepping into a startup journey and this book brilliantly answers the questions one should ask themselves in order to become the next successful entrepreneur...Overall an informative read.

I wouldn't call this book an ingenious one, it is just a collection of thoughts around what makes a good startup, are there any commonalities among companies and their founders that could predict a success. It is pretty small and reads very fast but for those who read business literature often, it won't add anything new, in my opinion.
Thiel mentions 4 keys to success of a startup: new technology/offer that is 10 times better than the one on the market today, network effect (which is stronger when you start on a smaller market), scalability, strong brand. These things are the foundation for any new product building.

Obada Mu

Every king was a living god, and every god a murdered king. Perhaps every modern king is just a scapegoat who has managed to delay his own execution.

Nick Gracilla

Peter's experiences -- founder of PayPal and Palantir, investor in hundreds of startups, head of the PayPal Mafia who went on to create great companies and great value -- give him a unique perspective on the startup world. Read this as an smart counter position to "agile, incremental improvement"; the title, 0 to 1, refers to creating something genuinely new, something that provides 10x the value. His take on the recent economic history of booms and dot com busts was equally insightful; he puts together a good argument for how timing is critical. His key position -- is success luck, or skill? -- warrants re-readings.

Arturo Hernández

Here Peter Thiel talks about his findings on the startup world, the highs and lows. It’s an interesting start and a good build up, however the plot of the book gets lost when there are three chapters left to go. The ending chapters attempt to conclude a point that never was fully developed and leave the reader with hunger for more consistency. The first part is good though.

Sierra Nguyen

Going from 0 to 1 means creating something new, whereas going from 1 to n is making more copies of something that already exists. If you want to create a successful start-up, then aim to go from Zero to One, to create a unique business, and to avoid as much competition as possible.

This book also offers some insights (or notes) on how to start and run a start-up in the current world where new start-ups appear constantly but only a few last. There are definitely great points that can make you think more deeply about the goal of creating a business if that's what you are going for.

Neil Murray

Reread (in one sitting!) 

It remains my favorite ever “business” book.

Ahmed Salem

This is a mind changing book.

There is no list of what you have to do to start your Start-Up.

There is just a punch of mandatory questions that must be answered clearly before taking your first steps forward in your project.

I loved the part that was answering the questions, like why we are more economically pessimistic rather than earlier generation, and why are not any more into trying to create something new, or starting a new company.

Todd Luallen

Probably one of my favorite entrepreneurial books thus far. I love reading books by founders, and this book is written by a “Founder of Founders.” Peter Thiel is essentially the “Don” of the *PayPal Mafia, *which is a group of former PayPal employees that have since gone on to start 7 companies that are now each worth over a billion dollars. So reading this book was like getting the wisdom from a guy that had advised some of the best and most successful founders in the last 15 years. A fascinating read that does not disappoint. 
It's probably not the best book for starting a small business, but I only say that because all the examples and points are geared toward people starting businesses that have huge potential. This is definitely not a *$100 Start-Up* competitor, but there are bits of wisdom that can be applied to any business out there. Having said that, there are some fantastic questions in this book that every founder of a new business needs to consider. I will definitely be coming back to read these questions again and again. In addition, Peter questions the status quo and challenges the beliefs of many in ways that might surprise you.

alali moe

brendan sudol

A small book jam-packed with insights and ideas

Ethan Ding

was better than i expected, but felt a little arrogant or overconfident

Ugis

I expected more, but I guess this is what you get when the book is formed out of lecture notes. Still many good ideas. [4h38m]

jack morris

This book is a summary a course about startups that the author, Peter Thiel, used to teach to college students. It’s more resemblant of a collection of wise aphorisms that have been expanded into chapters (rather than an actual structured course). In any case, Thiel is a sharp, incisive outside in Silicon Valley and I’m happy to take his advice.

This book answers some unspoken questions for “founders” of startups: how do you define your market? pick your founders? What’s a monopoly, and does google count? Thiel normalizes some Silicon Valley parlance (founder, startup, VC) but rejects some, too (he doesn’t like the word “disrupt”).

I used to wonder why some individual who founded a successful Internet business in 1995 gets to make major investment decisions that determine whether startups make it or break it in the Valley. I’m not talking about Thiel, or any other specific investor— just the idea that success 25 years ago somehow translates to insight into today‘s market. Thiel founded PayPal, and Palantir, but has spent most of the last 20ish years as a VC. However, he changed my view on this point. With such well-defined principles, it’s no surprise that he was able to build PayPal into a commercial success, or that he remains a shrewd and effective VC in 2020. If I ever decide to found a company, I’ll definitely reread this book.

Chris Raastad

I read this ages ago early in my startup life. I can't remember the key takeaway, but I know do know it's a collection of lessons and thoughts from a legend in the startup world inspiring my entrepreneurial thinking. Economies of scale, powers of exponential, don't sell if you're a market leader in a growing market, and the mechanics of mafia are particularly interesting.

Vedat Güven

PayPal'ın kurucularından, Facebook'un yatırımcılarından ve Homo Deus kitabında "2050 yılında sağlıklı olursanız ve zengin iseniz, ölümü unutun diyen kişi. Mevcut bir şeyi daha iyi, daha verimli yapmak, 1'den n'ye götürür. Ama yeni bir şey yapmak 0'dan 1'e götürür. Kitapta çeşitli çarpıcı görüşler var. Bunlardan birisi de "ilerleme sağlamak için tekelleşmeye izin vermeliyiz bir yere kadar". Değişimin olmadığı dünyada tekelcilik kötüdür. Günümüz dünyasında tekelcilik gelişimin, ilerlemenin gereğidir. 2013'te Twiter $24milyara halka arz edildiğinde Times'ın değeri $2milyar idi. Times yılda $133milyon kar açıklarken, Twitter zarar açıklıyordu. Hadi, gel de açıkla. Herhalde en uygun cevap "nakit akışı".

Donald

This was a lot more interesting and political than I thought it would be.

Andrew Kerr

Listened to the audio book on the flight, very interesting. Really enjoyed the description of the types of optimism

Mumluk

Time spent studying this book: 18h54m
Reading Sessions: 19

What I liked: I initially delayed reading this book because of what I heard and read about Peter Thiel. I shouldn't have. Reading somebody is a great way to create at least sympathy – not empathy – to their mindset. Reading Zero to One gave me a much better understanding of how some of the most successful VCs think about the world surrounding them. I understood how they choose the companies they invest in and build their team. It was both informative and helpful as I evolve in that universe. I don't agree with all he is saying and that's okay. I also took this book to better understand Peter Thiel and people like him. In that regard, I wholly got my investment in time back and I am sure it will pay dividends in the future.

What I disliked: Taking innumerable examples from history, there were some shortcuts taken to suit his discourse. It wasn't too bad but still, you have to be cautious stepping into the mind of someone, you might end-up trapped inside it. I also disliked the very PR feeling from some chapters, which make sense as the inception of this book was teaching/recruiting at Stanford.

Comic book analogy: Peter Thiel closer comic-book parallel in my head is Ozymandias. Billionaire contrarian who sees humans on a very macro-level, ready to take the heat and make extremely bold and controversial moves, all for what he believes is “the greater good”. Peter, I know you enjoy Tolkien work, but isn't that analogy great too?

Vedant Jain

it's a quick and informative read. would recommend.

Pranav Mutatkar

4 1/2 reviews. Anything super new? No. But a great reminder of the things we should know about what it means to be a challenger and a scrappy startup to take on the big dogs. In terms of cutting through the noise this helps me reframe with the questions he poses in the book.

Peter Thiel

Wir leben in einer technologischen Sackgasse. Zwar suggeriert die Globalisierung technischen Fortschritt, doch das vermeintlich Neue, sind vor allem Kopien des Bestehenden. Peter Thiel, Silicon-Valley-Insider und in der Wirtschaftscommunity bestens bekannter Innovationstreiber ist überzeugt: Globalisierung ist kein Fortschritt, Konkurrenz ist schädlich und nur Monopole sind nachhaltig erfolgreich. Er zeigt: Wahre Innovation entsteht nicht horizontal, sondern sprunghaft - from Zero to One. Um die Zukunft zu erobern, reicht es nicht, der Beste zu sein. Gründer müssen aus dem Wettkampf des Immergleichen heraustreten und völlig neue Märkte erobern. Wie man wirklich Neues erfindet, enthüllt seine beeindruckende Anleitung zum visionären Querdenken. Ein Appell für einen Startup der ganzen Gesellschaft.

Wie Innovation unsere Gesellschaft rettet

Nat Welch

I'll probably never finish this book. I like a lot of what I've read, but it wasn't compelling enough for me to finish.

Zero to One Notes on Startups, Or how to Build the Future

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