The Hard Thing About Hard Things

“I hand out more copies of this book than any other.”

a16z's official book page (Horowitz is a16z co-founder); the original aggregator quote was actually Peter Thiel's blurb, not Andreessen's.

Luis von Ahn has read this book twice.

“It's a bit dark but it does cover a lot of useful territory on what building an organization is like”

Ng's pick for understanding the operational reality of running a company, from the Farnam Street interview.

“The Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz is also really good for someone who's first time journey”

Recommended in the Tim Ferriss interview as a book for first-time founders.

Appears on curated Huang reading lists and is frequently cited in connection with NVIDIA's wartime-CEO pivot to AI. Horowitz, Huang's contemporary, has publicly praised Huang's leadership.

Recommended for entrepreneurs on his reading list.

“Chapter five in 'The Hard Thing About Hard Things' is possibly the best thing I've read about leading a tech company”

From a 2014 tweet by Fred Wilson.

“One of five business books Chris Dixon recommended on Twitter.”

Listed in a tweet by Chris Dixon recommending five business books.

“Every management guide presumes that all great companies follow a formula...”

Thiel's blurb ('The most valuable book on startup management, hands down') is a listed editorial review on the book's Amazon page.

Cited as one of Levchin's favorite business books in a Product Hunt blog interview.

“The Hard Thing about Hard Things is good.”

Blake Scholl recommended the book in a Y Combinator library interview.

“Ben's book is a great read - with uncomfortable truths about entrepreneurship and how to lead to a company. It's also an inspiring story of a business rebirth through sheer willpower.”

Page is a confirmed jacket endorser; exact blurb wording is uncertain (one source attributes it to Zuckerberg), so Goodreads is used as the verified book source.

Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg.

Recommended in the cited tweet.

Tech reading on the brutal realities of leading a company through crisis.

“The Hard Things About Hard Things is the best book about being a CEO and managing your own psychology as you set out to do this crazy hard thing.”

Chen recommended it on Twitter/X, calling it the best book about being a CEO.

“A favorite book that's more about the experience of running a company is Ben Horowitz's book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, which kind of just shows you kind of a mess and adventure.”

Named on The Tim Ferriss Show #334 (2018).

“Hard Things About Hard Things is a classic”

From an X/Twitter reply recommending foundational management reading for founders.

Listed on Hustler's Library's Mark Pincus recommended-books page.