Garry Tan's Books for Visionary Builders

Alexis Kerry Ohanian is the bestselling author of Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed and a pioneering figure in tech entrepreneurship. A University of Virginia graduate with degrees in history and business, Ohanian co-founded Reddit in 2005, transforming it into a cornerstone of internet culture and a platform valued at billions. His memoir blends startup advice with advocacy for internet freedom, drawing from his firsthand experience battling restrictive legislation like SOPA and PIPA.

As a venture capitalist through Initialized Capital, Ohanian has backed over 100 startups, including Instacart and Patreon, cementing his role in shaping Silicon Valley’s innovation landscape. He’s a frequent TED speaker and has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, and NPR for his insights on digital communities and decentralized governance. Beyond tech, Ohanian’s advocacy extends to gender equality in sports as a founding investor in Angel City FC.

Without Their Permission reflects Ohanian’s contrarian ethos, urging readers to challenge legacy systems and build inclusive digital futures. The book’s principles have influenced tech policy debates and entrepreneurial education globally. Reddit, under his early leadership, now serves over 50 million daily users, underscoring his enduring impact on internet culture.

1. Permissionless innovation lets creators launch ideas without gatekeepers’ approval
2. Build communities first—user-driven platforms thrive on authentic engagement
3. Solve your own problems to create solutions others need
4. Internet freedom fuels global entrepreneurship—protect open access for future innovators
5. Launch early, iterate fast: Reddit succeeded through relentless user feedback
6. Rejection fuels motivation—let “rounding error” dismissals drive your ambition
7. Volunteer for visibility: show up consistently to build credibility and opportunities
8. Growth beats perfection—focus on scalable solutions over polished products
9. Network strategically: founder communities provide crucial support for startup survival
10. Maintain creative control—sell ventures without sacrificing core values or mission
11. Digital advocacy works: social media mobilizes change faster than traditional systems
12. Embrace pivots—success often comes through unexpected market adaptations

Steve Krug, bestselling author of Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, is a pioneering user experience (UX) consultant and advocate for intuitive digital design. His seminal work, a cornerstone in web usability literature, distills complex UX principles into accessible, actionable guidance for creating user-friendly interfaces.

With over 25 years of experience, Krug has advised major clients like Apple, NPR, and the International Monetary Fund through his firm Advanced Common Sense, blending practical insights with humor.

The third edition of Don’t Make Me Think (2014) expands on mobile usability and reaffirms its status as a go-to resource for designers and developers. Krug’s follow-up, Rocket Surgery Made Easy, offers a hands-on guide to DIY usability testing, cementing his reputation as a leader in pragmatic UX education. His books, praised for their clarity and wit, have collectively sold over 700,000 copies worldwide and are widely used in tech curricula and professional training programs.

1. Prioritize mindless clicks over thoughtful decisions for effortless navigation.
2. Self-evident design trumps consistency when improving interface clarity.
3. Eliminate half your page’s text twice to boost scannability.
4. Mobile usability demands ruthless prioritization of core tasks and features.
5. Test monthly with three users to uncover top frustrations.
6. Users scan pages—structure content with bullet points and bold headers.
7. Happy talk costs credibility—cut filler text to keep sharks moving.
8. Persistent navigation requires a visible home button for reset reassurance.
9. Steve Krug’s back button principle: users prefer familiar undo over memorizing paths.
10. Fix by subtracting—remove distractions before adding explanations or features.
11. Labeled search bars satisfy search-dominant users’ instinctive hunt behavior.
12. Treat usability as ongoing hygiene, not a final pre-launch checkbox.

Gino Wickman, bestselling author of Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, is a renowned entrepreneur and organizational leadership expert. As the founder of EOS Worldwide, he created the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a transformative framework helping businesses achieve clarity, accountability, and growth.

His work in Traction distills decades of hands-on experience turning struggling companies into thriving enterprises, rooted in his early success rescuing his family’s debt-ridden real estate business and later selling it profitably.

Wickman has authored multiple influential books, including Rocket Fuel, Get a Grip, and Entrepreneurial Leap, which collectively have sold nearly 3 million copies.

A sought-after speaker and podcast guest, he equips leaders with practical tools through EOS, now implemented by over 100,000 companies globally. Traction remains a cornerstone for entrepreneurial teams, blending actionable strategies with Wickman’s signature focus on operational excellence.

1. Implement EOS to align vision with execution across all company levels.
2. Solve the “Five Frustrations” (control, people, profit, growth ceilings, stagnation) systematically.
3. Use the Vision/Traction Organizer (VTO) to break long-term goals into 90-day action plans.
4. Build teams with “right people in right seats” using values-based hiring and accountability charts.
5. Conduct Level 10 Meetings to maintain focus, resolve issues, and drive weekly progress.
6. Prioritize disciplined execution over ideas—traction comes from consistent 10X action steps.
7. Simplify decision-making by clarifying core values, niche markets, and differentiation strategies.
8. Adopt the Six Key Components (vision, people, data, issues, process, traction) for holistic growth.
9. Eliminate entrepreneurial chaos with the Accountability Chart and 90-Day Rhythm tools.
10. Shift from working in your business to working on it through systems and delegation.
11. Increase profitability by identifying and solving your business’s “#1 constraint” every quarter.
12. Gino Wickman’s EOS solves entrepreneurial growing pains with practical, scalable frameworks.

Kamal Ravikant is the bestselling author of Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It, a self-help memoir that blends personal transformation with actionable wisdom. A Silicon Valley venture capitalist and founder of Evolve VC, Ravikant draws from his extraordinary life experiences—serving as a U.S. Army Infantry soldier, trekking the Himalayas, meditating with Tibetan monks, and walking 550 miles across Spain—to craft his message of radical self-acceptance.

His work, rooted in overcoming profound personal adversity, has resonated globally, earning endorsements from thought leaders like Tim Ferriss and appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience.

Ravikant’s follow-up book, Live Your Truth, expands on his philosophy of inner resilience. Known for his concise, emotionally raw writing style, he bridges Silicon Valley innovation with spiritual introspection. Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It became a viral sensation after its 2013 self-publication, with over a million copies sold and translations in 15+ languages.

The book remains a cornerstone of modern mindfulness practices, frequently cited by mental health advocates and tech entrepreneurs alike.

1. Kamal Ravikant’s "I love myself" mantra reprograms negative mental loops permanently
2. Self-love softens the ego; fear hardens it into chronic suffering
3. Write your self-love vow daily to reprogram subconscious beliefs
4. Loving yourself first isn’t selfish—it’s oxygen for helping others
5. Combat coasting by asking "What would self-love demand now?"
6. Mental loop technique: Replace fear stories with "I love myself"
7. Emotional threshold breakthrough requires radical self-compassion commitments
8. Life reflects self-love back: Your inner state drives external results
9. Instead of chasing happiness, anchor in relentless self-acceptance practices
10. Kamal Ravikant’s vow method transforms self-talk into life-changing commitment
11. Physicalize self-love through mirror work: Eyes reveal truth absorption
12. Crisis-to-clarity path: Bedrock self-love prevents future emotional freefalls

Shunryu Suzuki (1904–1971), author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, was a pioneering Soto Zen monk and pivotal figure in bringing Zen Buddhism to the West.

A Japanese priest of the Soto lineage, he founded the San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, establishing the first Buddhist monastery in the United States. His seminal work blends spiritual guidance with practical Zen philosophy, emphasizing mindfulness, presence, and cultivating a "beginner’s mind"—an open, curious approach to life.

Suzuki’s teachings, rooted in decades of monastic practice in Japan, resonated deeply with 1960s counterculture, cementing his reputation as a bridge between Eastern wisdom and Western seekers. His other works, including Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness and Zen Is Right Here, further explore Zen principles through commentaries and teaching stories.

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind remains a cornerstone of modern spiritual literature, translated into numerous languages and inspiring millions worldwide.

1. Shunryu Suzuki's "shoshin" means embracing curiosity over expertise in Zen practice
2. "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" teaches Right Practice through posture, breathing, and daily rituals
3. True Zen mastery comes from routine concentration—not spiritual excitement or special techniques
4. Suzuki's zazen method: straight spine, relaxed shoulders, and breathing as gateway to emptiness
5. "The worst horse becomes best" – struggle deepens Zen understanding more than natural talent
6. Beginner's mind dissolves ego by releasing achievement goals and self-centered narratives
7. Zen flourishes in "not-doing" – stopping mental labels of good/bad creates clarity
8. Suzuki's Zen rejects idealism: "True being emerges from nothingness in each moment"
9. Right Attitude means practicing zazen without expectations – expression beats acquisition every time
10. "Mind weeds" grow through repetition; daily Zen practice cultivates acceptance over control
11. Suzuki redefines enlightenment: already present in mindfulness of mundane activities
12. "Zen Mind" paradox: empty mind becomes ready mind through breath-focused meditation

Paulo Coelho de Souza, the bestselling Brazilian author of The Alchemist, is celebrated for his spiritually resonant philosophical fiction. The novel, a cornerstone of modern inspirational literature, explores themes of destiny, self-discovery, and the pursuit of one’s personal legend.

These themes are shaped by Coelho’s own transformative 500-mile pilgrimage along Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, Coelho’s early struggles, including institutionalization during his youth and a brief career in law, deeply inform his works, such as Veronika Decides to Die and The Pilgrimage.

His globally acclaimed titles, including Brida and Eleven Minutes, blend allegory with introspection, cementing his reputation as a guide for seekers of meaning. Translated into over 80 languages, The Alchemist alone has captivated 225 million readers worldwide, making it one of the most translated and best-selling books in history.

1. Your Personal Legend is the universe’s purpose encoded in your heart
2. Fear of failure destroys dreams faster than any external obstacle
3. Omens guide those fully committed to their Personal Legend journey
4. Maktub: Destiny demands action despite its prewritten nature
5. True alchemy transforms self-awareness, not lead into gold
6. The desert teaches what books cannot—listen to the Language of the World
7. Love supports destiny when rooted in mutual growth, not possession
8. Beginner’s luck precedes the universe’s final tests of resolve
9. Treasure lies not in the destination but the journey’s soul lessons
10. The Soul of the World connects all beings through shared purpose

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was a Renaissance political philosopher and diplomat, best known as the author of The Prince. This seminal political treatise explores power dynamics and statecraft with unparalleled insight.

For 14 years, Machiavelli served as a senior official in Florence’s Republic. His diplomatic career and subsequent exile under the Medici family deeply influenced his pragmatic analysis of leadership, morality, and realpolitik.

Often hailed as the "father of modern political theory," Machiavelli's other notable works include Discourses on Livy and The Art of War. These writings further explore republican governance and military strategy. Beyond his political works, Machiavelli's plays, such as the satirical The Mandrake, critique societal corruption, while his Florentine Histories chronicle Italy's turbulent political landscape.

The Prince, written in 1513 and published posthumously, remains a cornerstone of political philosophy. It meticulously dissects the intricate balance between fear, ambition, and ethical governance. Its unflinching realism popularized the term "Machiavellian" and has profoundly influenced leaders and thinkers across centuries. Translated into over 50 languages, The Prince is routinely studied in political science and philosophy curricula worldwide.

1. Prioritize military strength over moral virtue to maintain political power
2. Balance cruelty and generosity strategically to avoid being hated by subjects
3. Control perceptions of power through calculated displays of strength and mercy
4. Destroy enemies completely or risk revenge from partial punishments
5. Maintain authority by fostering dependence on your leadership during crises
6. Study historical conquerors like Cesare Borgia for effective statecraft models
7. Adapt leadership style to circumstance rather than following rigid ethical codes
8. Consolidate new territories through decisive action before opposition can organize
9. Manipulate appearances of virtue while being ready to act immorally
10. Neutralize potential threats preemptively through ruthless political maneuvering
11. Maintain public support by avoiding excessive taxation and visible cruelty
12. Use religious and cultural symbols to legitimize authority while retaining control

Alain de Botton, a Swiss-born British philosopher and the bestselling author of Status Anxiety, is renowned for blending philosophical insights with everyday life.

His exploration of societal pressures and self-worth in Status Anxiety aligns with his broader focus on modern existential challenges, informed by his MA in Philosophy from King’s College London.

A prolific writer, de Botton’s works like Essays in Love, The Architecture of Happiness, and How Proust Can Change Your Life have cemented his reputation for making complex ideas accessible. As the founder of The School of Life, he champions practical wisdom through books, talks, and media appearances on platforms like TED and the New York Times.

Status Anxiety, a staple in social psychology discourse, has been translated into over 20 languages and continues to resonate globally for its incisive critique of ambition and validation.

1. Status anxiety stems from fearing societal judgment on success and dignity.
2. Meritocracy fuels anxiety by equating self-worth with measurable achievements.
3. Capitalism and democracy amplify status comparisons through unequal rewards and visibility.
4. Philosophy teaches inner worth over external validation to reduce anxiety.
5. Bohemian lifestyles reject material success for creativity and authenticity.
6. Art reframes value beyond wealth, offering solace from status obsession.
7. Snobbery and dependence on others’ opinions deepen feelings of inadequacy.
8. Modern democracy fuels anxiety through egalitarian promises and capitalist realities.
9. Christianity’s humility teachings counter materialism’s relentless status competition.
10. Love deprivation intensifies status-seeking as a substitute for emotional security.
11. Political activism channels status anxiety into collective social change efforts.
12. Rejecting “fear of missing out” requires redefining success through personal values.

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944) was a French aviator, adventurer, and celebrated author of the timeless philosophical novella The Little Prince.

Drawing from his daring career as a pioneering mail pilot across the Sahara and Andes, Saint-Exupéry infused his works with themes of solitude, camaraderie, and the search for meaning in a fragmented world. His aviation memoir Wind, Sand and Stars earned the U.S. National Book Award and France’s prestigious Grand Prix du Roman, while Night Flight became an international bestseller adapted into a Hollywood film.

A decorated WWII reconnaissance pilot, Saint-Exupéry vanished during a 1944 mission over the Mediterranean—a mystery solved only in 2004 when his plane’s wreckage was discovered near Marseille.

Translated into over 300 languages, The Little Prince remains among history’s top four bestselling books, with universal appeal spanning children’s literature and philosophical discourse.

1. Tame relationships to make them unique, as the fox taught the Little Prince.
2. Essential truths are invisible—see with your heart, not just your eyes.
3. Break addiction cycles by confronting root shame, not masking despair.
4. Judge others by their nurturing actions, not vain words like the rose.
5. Cherish planetary stewardship—weed baobabs daily to prevent existential threats.
6. Seek hidden wells in deserts: solutions exist where hope seems lost.
7. Avoid adult narrow-mindedness by preserving childlike wonder about worlds.
8. Love requires responsibility: care for your rose despite its thorns.
9. Value time invested in connections over star-counting materialism.
10. Escape loneliness through meaningful bonds like the prince and aviator.
11. Reject bitter generalizations—one thorn doesn’t condemn all roses.
12. Saint-Exupéry urges prioritizing imagination over numerical 'serious matters'.

Bessel van der Kolk, MD, is the acclaimed psychiatrist and trauma researcher behind The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, a groundbreaking exploration of how trauma reshapes the brain and body.

A pioneer in post-traumatic stress research since the 1970s, van der Kolk founded Boston’s Trauma Center and serves as a professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.

His work with Vietnam War veterans and decades of clinical practice informed his development of innovative trauma treatments like sensorimotor psychotherapy and neurofeedback, detailed in this New York Times bestseller.

Van der Kolk’s authoritative works, including Traumatic Stress and Psychological Trauma, have shaped modern trauma therapy and earned global recognition. Translated into 43 languages, The Body Keeps the Score has sold over 2 million copies and remains a foundational text for mental health professionals and survivors worldwide.

1. Trauma reshapes both brain and body as the body keeps the score
2. Childhood adversity triggers hyperactive threat detection systems lasting decades
3. Yoga and neurofeedback rewire trauma’s impact on mind-body pathways
4. Trauma survivors often re-enact past wounds through present relationships
5. Mindfulness disrupts fight-or-flight cycles by grounding in bodily sensations
6. EMDR therapy helps reprocess trauma memories through eye movements
7. Van der Kolk proves talk therapy alone fails somatic wounds
8. Emotional numbness stems from trauma’s shutdown of bodily awareness
9. Bessel van der Kolk reveals trauma’s hidden role in chronic pain
10. Trauma survivors’ brains show reduced activity in speech centers
11. Play and theater rebuild agency in traumatized children and adults
12. Attachment wounds manifest as inflammation and autoimmune disorders over time