Weekend Reading
Writing worth reading - 17th/18th June 2023
Ben Horowitz's Diving Catch by Meghna Rao
“Horowitz smiles big, and this feels like a stark contrast to the dark, paranoid experiences he’s described while building his startup. And yet, he has no trouble dipping back into these times. Suddenly, we’re in 2001. The Nokia 8250 had just been introduced with the world’s first monochromatic display. The year’s box office hits were Harry Potter, Shrek, Monsters Inc., and The Lord of the Rings. The Fed would cut interest rates 11 times. 9/11 and the Enron Scandal happened back-to-back …”
The Diversity Myth by Peter Thiel
“I thought I might start with a reading from the book that David O. Sacks and I wrote a few years after this, The Diversity Myth (1995). The first chapter talks about the abandonment of the great books at Stanford and describes one of the titles chosen to replace them in the wake of the protests. It is a play by Aimé Césaire called A Tempest, a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest in which Caliban becomes a kind of revolutionary hero. The magician Prospero is portrayed as an evil imperialist. The book culminates in a tirade by Caliban, and I’d like to read a few lines because I think it captures the temper of those times, which seem at once like ...”
The Oxford Kids Are Alright by Kathleen Stock
“Looking back, the younger version of me didn’t like the Union much, and I hardly ever went there. An institution completely independent of the wider university, it is mostly devoted to having debates. Back then, I thought it was an intimidating and archaic place, full of strident, cocky types who all wanted to be Prime Minister. I didn’t feel it was really for the likes of shy, awkward, comprehensive-schooled me. I certainly didn’t imagine that I’d one day be interviewed by its president about my views on gender …”
Why AI Will Save the World by Marc Andreessen
“The most validated core conclusion of social science across many decades and thousands of studies is that human intelligence makes a very broad range of life outcomes better. Smarter people have better outcomes in almost every domain of activity: academic achievement, job performance, occupational status, income, creativity, physical health, longevity, learning new skills, managing complex tasks, leadership, entrepreneurial success, conflict resolution, reading comprehension, financial decision making, understanding others’ perspectives, creative arts, parenting outcomes, and life satisfaction …”
Upcoming meals with 9others
Tuesday 20th June — Manchester — details and signup here.
Summer Party with more than 9others
Thursday, June 29th — London — details and signup here
Please book in & share with good people you know in the above cities.