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One of tech and media’s most influential investment bankers shares the 21 books that he read in 2018 – Business Insider


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LionTree’s Aryeh B. Bourkoff shared his 2018 reading list in a memo to staff.
source
LionTree
  • One of tech and media’s biggest bankers, Aryeh B. Bourkoff,
    shared his 2018 reading list in a memo to staff.
  • Bourkoff’s reading list is filled with business books on
    management and investment strategy, as well as a few on tech
    trends. But there’s also quite a bit of history and one piece of
    fiction.
  • Here’s what Bourkoff read.

Every year, prominent figures in the tech industry release their
predictions for what they see coming in 2019.

Aryeh B. Bourkoff, the tech, media, and telecom banker who
founded LionTree Advisors, is one of those figures.

At the end of December, Bourkoff sent a letter to his staff
outlining the trends he anticipates as having a huge impact on
the work he and his team does in the upcoming year. This year,
that’s all against the backdrop of ongoing market volatility,
which means bankers need to stay on their toes and be ready to
change course at a moment’s notice.

Still, there are reasons to be optimistic, as we see emerging
technologies including 5G in mobile, new tools in the audio
space, big developments in space technology, plus brand new
industry competition in the direct-to-consumer video space.

You can read Bourkoff’s full memo here.

While working in the tech industry and rubbing elbows with its
movers and shakers is certainly one way to keep your finger on
the pulse, Bourkoff shared with his staff another big influence
on his world view: books.

Here are the 20 books (and one speech) that informed
Bourkoff’s thinking in 2018, along with their summaries from
Amazon:

See more:
The 33-year-old millionaire founder of $3.75 billion Box thinks
everyone needs to read these 2 books


“The Messy Middle” by Scott Belsky

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Amazon

Summary: “The Messy Middle is the indispensable
guide to navigating the volatility of new ventures and leading
bold creative projects by Scott Belsky, bestselling author,
entrepreneur, Chief Product Officer at Adobe, and product advisor
to many of today’s top start-ups.”


“Small Wars, Big Data” by Eli Berman

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Amazon

Summary: “How a new understanding of warfare can
help the military fight today’s conflicts more effectively.”


“The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age” by James Crabtree

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Amazon

Summary: “A colorful and revealing portrait of
the rise of India’s new billionaire class in a radically unequal
society.”


“The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos” by Christian Davenport

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Amazon

Summary: “The historic quest to rekindle the
human exploration and colonization of space led by two rivals and
their vast fortunes, egos, and visions of space as the next
entrepreneurial frontier.”


“Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs” by John Doerr

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Amazon

Summary: “Legendary venture capitalist John
Doerr reveals how the goal-setting system of Objectives and Key
Results (OKRs) has helped tech giants from Intel to Google
achieve explosive growth-and how it can help any organization
thrive.”


“The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook” by Niall Ferguson

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Amazon

Summary: “A brilliant recasting of the turning
points in world history, including the one we’re living through,
as a collision between old power hierarchies and new social
networks.”


“The House of Rothschild Vol. 1: Money’s Prophets 1798-1848” by Niall Ferguson

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Amazon

Summary: “In his rich and nuanced portrait of
the remarkable, elusive Rothschild family, Oxford scholar and
bestselling author Niall Ferguson uncovers the secrets behind the
family’s phenomenal economic success.”


“The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea, at the Right Time” by Allen Gannet

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Amazon

Summary: “Big data entrepreneur Allen Gannett
overturns the mythology around creative genius, and reveals the
science and secrets behind achieving breakout commercial success
in any field.”


“Silicon States: The Power and Politics of Big Tech and What It Means for Our Future” by Lucie Greene

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Amazon

Summary: “In Silicon States, renowned futurist
and celebrated international think-tank leader Lucie Greene
offers an unparalleled look at the players, promises, and
potential problems of Big Tech. Through interviews with corporate
leaders, influential venture capitalists, scholars, journalists,
activists, and more, Greene explores the tension inherent in
Silicon Valley’s global influence.”


“B is for Bitcoin” by Sam Lessin

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The Information

Summary from the website: “A lovingly written
and illustrated children’s primer on Bitcoin from Algorithm to
Zero knowledge proof.”

Yes, it’s a children’s book.


“Lexicon: A Novel” by Max Barry

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Amazon

Summary: “Stick and stones break bones. Words
kill.”

This one is fiction.


“Mastering the Market Cycle” by Howard Marks

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary: “The legendary investor shows how to
identify and master the cycles that govern the markets.”


“Edge of Chaos: Why Democracy is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth—and How to Fix It” by Dambisa Moyo

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Amazon

Summary: “From an internationally acclaimed
economist, a provocative call to jump-start economic growth by
aggressively overhauling liberal democracy.”


“Verizon Untethered: An Insider’s Story of Innovation and Disruption” by Ivan Seidenberg and Ram Charan

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Amazon

Summary: “A history of the transformation of
Verizon and the telecommunications industry told through the eyes
of founding CEO Ivan Seidenberg and his leadership team, with
highlights and commentary from bestselling global leadership guru
Ram Charan.”


“Becoming Ageless: The Four Secrets to Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever” by Strauss Zelnick

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Amazon

Summary: “How would you like to have the mind,
body, and spirit of someone half your age, and add more years to
your life? Or have people stare in disbelief when they discover
how old you really are? How would you like to become…ageless?”


“Churchill: Walking with Destiny” by Andrew Roberts

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Amazon

Summary: “In this landmark biography of Winston
Churchill based on extensive new material, the true genius of the
man, statesman and leader can finally be fully seen and
understood-by the bestselling, award-winning author of Napoleon
and The Storm of War. ”


“Caesar Life of a Colossus” by Adrian Goldsworthy

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Amazon

Summary: “Tracing the extraordinary trajectory
of the great Roman emperor’s life, Goldsworthy covers not only
the great Roman emperor’s accomplishments as charismatic orator,
conquering general, and powerful dictator but also lesser-known
chapters during which he was high priest of an exotic cult,
captive of pirates, seducer not only of Cleopatra but also of the
wives of his two main political rivals, and rebel condemned by
his own country. Ultimately, Goldsworthy realizes the full
complexity of Caesar’s character and shows why his political and
military leadership continues to resonate some two thousand years
later.”


“When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi

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Amazon

Summary: “For readers of Atul Gawande, Andrew
Solomon, and Anne Lamott, this inspiring, exquisitely observed
memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds
as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the
question What makes a life worth living?”


“The Second Mountain: The Next Big Challenge in Your Life” by David Brooks

source
Aspen Institute

This one is actually a presentation Brooks gave at the Aspen
Ideas Festival on what comes after you’ve achieved success.

You can watch it here
. He included it as a book, though.


“Jewish Libya: Memory and Identity in Text and Image” by Jacques Roumani

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Amazon

Summary: “Jewish Libya collects the work
of scholars who explore the community’s history, its literature
and dialect, topography and cuisine, and the difficult
negotiation of trauma and memory. In shedding new light on this
now-fragmented culture and society, this collection commemorates
and celebrates vital elements of Libyan Jewish heritage and
encourages a lively intergenerational exchange among the many
Jews of Libyan origin worldwide.”

Bourkoff said he read one this “in honor and
memory” of his late uncle.


“Leadership and Self-Deception” by the Arbinger Institute

source
Amazon

Summary: “This third edition of an
international bestseller…details how its powerful insights on
motivation, conflict, and collaboration can benefit organizations
as well as individuals.”

“I try to re-read this every year as I find its lessons
always relevant,” Bourkoff wrote in the letter.





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