7 Uncommon Books for Startup Engineers
These books will help you become a valuable engineer. Spoiler: None of them are technical.
Special notice! I’m taking vacation this week so there won’t be a post next Sunday, October 22, 2023.
Everyone recommends Lean Startup, Clean Code, Design Patterns by the Gang of Four, and so on. And those are all great books which you should read.
But here are 7 not-so-common books that every startup engineer should also read:
Company of One by Paul Jarvis
Audience: Entrepreneurs
Teaches you to treat yourself as your own company.
His overarching message is "bigger != better". Sadly, you will find VC-backed startups violate every piece of Jarvis's advice.
That's not always a signal for you to jump ship (but it could be).
Startups often become victim to the "Disease of More." AKA the pursuit of growth at all costs.
But this book will teach you the warning signs.
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
Audience: Product and Sales
Teaches you how to cut through the bullshit and find the truth about your product.
As an engineer, you should grow the same skills. You will work with product stakeholders to build and deliver features. And you should question those features to ensure they will move the company forward.
You are not a monkey that writes code on demand. You should challenge decisions because you are capable of thinking like an entrepreneur.
If your leadership or sales team thinks every meeting "went well," then you may want to dust off that resume.
Developer Hegemony by Erik Dietrich
Audience: Developers
A skeptical outlook on company and corporate culture (which is why I loved it).
I would enjoy a 2nd edition after the dust settles from AI-assisted programming. (But I doubt it since Dietrich seems to be busy on his SEO keyword business.) There is a reasonable chance AI empowers less-skilled developers to be top-notch, which may dampen Dietrich's message.
In any case, Dietrich takes a hard look at what it's like to work in a company. He claims your ability to write code gives you a leg up. Anyone can be a manager, but not anyone can write complex software. (By the way, hegemony = dominance.)
Like Jarvis, he recommends being a company of one, working as a partner to other companies of one.
His section on "carnival cash" is eye-opening and fantastic.
He unveils some hard truths. Read at your own risk!
Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
Audience: Managers
These authors excel at delivering both qualitative AND quantitative evidence to support their advice. (The other books are qualitative for the most part.)
There are so many good lessons in this one I don't want to spoil them all.
Do you focus on fixing weaknesses or improving strengths?
Does your company matter? Or does your team matter more?
What's the real purpose of "company culture"?
Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Audience: Managers
I know, I know. Many people recommend this one. I'm putting it here to highlight the most important lesson from it. And it has nothing to do with being “candid in a radical fashion.”
The author's ideation process is unrivaled: idea → debate → decision. All startups should ideate in this manner (but few do).
Inspired by Marty Cagan
Audience: Product Managers
It teaches you to have a product mindset and how to work with product managers.
Can you see a theme of these books yet? The best startup engineers are also skilled at product and thinking like an entrepreneur.
I quote Marty Cagan all the time with this golden nugget:
"Fall in love with problems, not solutions."
If you can define and uncover as much as you can about the problem, your life as an engineer will be easier and more impactful.
Skin the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Audience: Anybody
Taleb is the only person in the 21st century who sees reality.
His books are dense and often seem like stream of consciousness. But I was able to read Skin in the Game without taking breaks. (His other work, I often have to take a break, read another book, and come back later.)
As a probability expert, Taleb also teaches you how to see reality and not to be blinded by your environment (or indeed, blinded by your own brain).
Warning: He may uncover some "asymmetries" in your company or life which will make you squirm.
Lucky for us: He teaches tinkering is true intelligence. And we engineers are natural tinkerers. (Don't ask Taleb what he thinks about academics and theory.)
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