Books both Paul Graham and Sam Altman recommend

twitter.com

“I wish I could get as excited about anything I read now as I used to get about science fiction novels when I was 15.”

web.archive.org · 24 good books to read heres what sam altman of y combinator is reading

The page cites an archived Shelfie article listing Altman's bookshelf.

Source note

Has cited this as an influence on how he thinks about Lisp and program design.

web.archive.org · 24 good books to read heres what sam altman of y combinator is reading

The page cites an archived Shelfie article listing Altman's bookshelf.

x.com

From PG's April 2019 tweet listing obscure favorites; appears on his RAQ history list as well.

twitter.com

“It really is great.”

The page cites a Sam Altman tweet about the book.

paulgraham.com

“I strongly recommend Elizabeth Marshall Thomas's 'The Old Way'”

Page cites Paul Graham's essay on property where he recommends the book.

web.archive.org · 24 good books to read heres what sam altman of y combinator is reading

The page cites an archived Shelfie article listing Altman's bookshelf.

paulgraham.com

From PG's RAQ history list; technology-first causal reasoning about European expansion.

twitter.com

“It was excellent!”

The page cites a Sam Altman tweet about the book.

paulgraham.com

Listed on paulgraham.com/raq.html.

goodreads.com

One of the most distinctive picks in the AMA, signaling Altman's interest in competitive strategy through history; he has noted that military history is underrated reading for founders.