Neal Stephenson · 1999
A historical techno-thriller connecting World War II codebreakers with modern data encryption pioneers.
Max Levchin recommends it as an incredible, prescient read that felt like it described the early PayPal team.
A speaker recommends a book written by someone else.
“Something I always wondered is that we all had Cryptonomicon as required reading. So I want you to explain that. I love that book.”
Why: It is an incredible, prescient read that felt like it was describing the early PayPal team.
Max Levchin, Guest on The Tim Ferriss Show#869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism)
Other books cited in the same episodes.
7 Powers
Hamilton Helmer
Discussed together in: #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism) (The Tim Ferriss Show)
A Mind at Play
Jimmy Soni
Discussed together in: #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism) (The Tim Ferriss Show)
Neuromancer
William Gibson
Discussed together in: #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism) (The Tim Ferriss Show)
Titan
Ron Chernow
Discussed together in: #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism) (The Tim Ferriss Show)
A Failure of Nerve
Edwin H. Friedman
Discussed together in: #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism) (The Tim Ferriss Show)
Influence
Robert B. Cialdini
Discussed together in: #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism) (The Tim Ferriss Show)
Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson
Discussed together in: #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism) (The Tim Ferriss Show)
The Master and Margarita
Mikhail Bulgakov
Discussed together in: #869: Max Levchin, PayPal and Affirm — The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies (Plus: Real-World Socialism vs. Capitalism) (The Tim Ferriss Show)