Reading

Books I'm reading, finished, or sitting with.

by Clayton M. Christensen

My boss kept saying jobs-to-be-done and I got curious about what it actually means, which is what led me here. The argument is that nobody buys a product for its features, they hire it to make progress on something in their life. Pairs well with The Mom Test: one is how to ask, this is what to listen for.

The Mom Test finished

by Rob Fitzpatrick

Gave me a taste of how to actually talk to a prospective client, which is not something you pick up sitting on the engineering side. Most of what people tell you about your idea is flattery, and the fix is asking about their life instead of pitching. Holding on to this one for when I build my first business.

★★★★★

by Robert C. Martin

Solid foundation for thinking about software architecture. Read it even if you don't like his tweets. Especially then.

★★★★★

by Morgan Housel

Rearranged how I think about money more than anything else I'd read on the subject. Less about tactics, more about why humans are just weird with money. Wish I'd read it earlier.

★★★★★

by Shoshana Zuboff

Heavier read than I expected. Most of the ideas feel like common knowledge now, but Zuboff was mapping this territory before the discourse existed. On hold for now, will come back to it.

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