Weekend Reading
Writing worth reading 16th/17th Aug 2025
If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used by Karl T. Compton
“…I had, perhaps, an unusual opportunity to know the pertinent facts from several angles, yet I was without responsibility for any of the decisions. I can therefore speak without doing so defensively. While my role in the atomic bomb development was a very minor one, I was a member of the group called together by Secretary of War Stimson to assist him in plans for its test, use, and subsequent handling. Then, shortly before Hiroshima, I became attached to General MacArthur in Manila, and lived for two months with his staff. In this way I learned something of the invasion plans and of the sincere conviction of these best-informed officers that a desperate and costly struggle was still ahead. Finally, I spent the first month after V-J Day in Japan, where I could ascertain at first hand both the physical and the psychological state of that country. Some of the Japanese whom I consulted were my scientific and personal friends of long standing.”
The One and the Many by Stephen Fry
“I remember being very struck by this despite not having the faintest idea who Winwood Reade might be. A Scottish explorer and secular thinker of independent means, Wikipedia now tells me, who died aged 37, but was admired by figures as varied as Winston Churchill, George Orwell, H. G. Wells, A. A. Milne, Christopher Robin Milne (and, it is to be hoped, Tigger, Piglet and Pooh). But not by William Gladstone, who considered him ‘irreligious’…”
A Look Back at Our Letters to our LPs and Capital Exuberance by Michael A. Eisenberg
“This is creating different dynamics in the venture industry. The headline of this shift is obviously Softbank. Never in history has more capital been deployed in this short amount of time into innovation or hyper-growth tech companies. It would be foolish to try to understand its long-term implications or consequences. However, we can discern some short-term consequences…”
Founders (need) Focus
This week we shared that we’re starting Founders Focus, a new membership program from 9others; a space for you to carve out time to work on the hard things that really matter. Check out the announcement here.
What does it do?
Founders Focus keeps you focused, accountable and connected.
Who it’s for?
Founders Focus will suit Solo Founders, Remote (Co) Founders, and Freelancers, CxOs and Side Hustlers.
Qs?
Read more and check out the FAQs on the 9others Notion, here.
We hope you’ll join us.