Thiel’s book is as much a guide for starting a company as it is an explainer on why monopolies and mafias rose to create a techno-oligarchy.

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future. By Peter Thiel (2014)

The Read

Peter Thiel, who co-founded PayPal and Palantir and became one of the leading venture investors on the planet, writes concisely on his vision of what makes a successful company. The book, which was co-written with one of his many acolytes, in this case, Blake Masters, is a quick read.

Zero to One covers many concepts, but three salient ones are worth highlighting. The first is captured within the title, and relates to bringing new technology into existence – i.e., innovation. Thiel then highlights that what enables a company to win or capture an industry is being a late mover, not necessarily the first entrant.

The third concept is perhaps the most controversial, and that is his praise, if not his belief in the necessity, of monopoly over competition to drive success and ultimately innovation. Whether this is true or not, it is how much of Silicon Valley has operated, as seen with Microsoft, Google, Meta, Apple, Tesla, and so on. There are additional notes throughout the book on founder dynamics, teams, and the future.

Between the Lines

Zero to One is as relevant today as it was when it was first released over a decade ago. Many of the characters remain, partly due to the PayPal mafia’s dominance in the landscape. That group includes divergent figures like Hoffman and Musk, who remain at odds with one another. One could argue that this group is driving today’s politics, in addition to shaping Silicon Valley’s direction.

Yet what is clearest when re-reading this book today is that techno-oligarchy is a feature of the vision, not a bug. Perhaps a sequel needs to be written to understand the implications across the technology industry within the context of the wider American economy, as capital accrues to a narrow band of companies. Today, the ‘Magnificent Seven,’ as they are known, have led to the largest concentration at the top within the S&P 500.

Finally, while Thiel acknowledges that the last four decades saw limited technology gains, mostly in IT, he fails to diagnose whether that is a result of the very nature of monopolistic practices he espouses.

Long or Short?

Go short on Zero to One. This can be covered in an Audiobook or summary, even though the main points are indispensable (but they can be covered in 5 pages or less).

This is the American hawk’s red book on Chinese hawks.

The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower. By Michael Pillsbury (2015)

The Read

The Hundred-Year Marathon is written by a former intelligence official who, for decades, played a role in Sino-American relations, often meeting with key Chinese party and military officials. The book reads as part-reportage, part-memoir and part-analysis, and covers principally the period of the 1970s rapprochement to 2015.

A main part of the text explores the concept of shi as driving China’s strategic orientation towards the United States. This is partly rooted in the Warring States period. Overall, the book critically views China’s outreach efforts over the decades as a form of deception in a long marathon that will culminate in 2049.

Overall, the chapters explore covert weapons development, the charade of Chinese capitalism, and the attempts to project Chinese influence abroad. The final part of the text provides high-level recommendations for American policy officials.

Between the Lines

Pillsbury’s book was controversial when it was published, but today it seems quaint. It is now widely accepted that China and the United States are rivals and that China is openly ready for confrontation with America, at the very least as a contingency. But when it was released, there was still the thought that China could be part of an American-led global order, and economic integration was getting tighter, not being driven apart.

In that sense, The Hundred-Year Marathon is a seminal book because of its timing. It reoriented the thinking on China and firmly rooted a skepticism in some corners of Washington about Chinese intentions. Regardless of the veracity of the book’s claims, it makes for one of the more unique reads on the world’s rising power.

Long or Short?

Go long on The Hundred Year Marathon, but make sure you read it with more contemporaneous texts, including those with opposing views.

The most salient book on revolutionary Iran and its civilizational depth.

The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran. By Roy P. Mottahedeh (1985)

The Read

The Mantle of the Prophet traces the history of Iran through the lens of an Islamic cleric who left the country after the revolution. Ali Hashemi is the name the author, Roy Mottahedeh, used for him. Interspersed in his experiences from childhood to adulthood are historical vignettes from throughout the 20^th century that led up to the Islamic revolution, including the tug-and-pull of nationalism, imperialism, and monarchial rule.

This is a dense read, extremely detailed across all scenes. It is expertly written on the subject, and when it was released in 1985, it became a ‘starter’ book in many university courses. Notable in the book is the interplay between clerics and nationalist revolutionaries from the constitutional revolution in 1906 through the 1950s, and then into the 1970s.

Between the Lines

The book has retained its relevance after all these years. Roy Motahedeh drew heavily on Hossein Modarressi, who came to Princeton as a scholar and has remained a professor. The history that is covered feels very authentic and authenticated. Unlike many books today, it does not descend into a simplistic overview of U.S.-Iran relations or into pithy phrases written for the average reader. The academic weight, combined with Hashemi’s personal perspective, makes you feel as if you are in Iran, immersed in its civilizational tapestry.

Long or Short?

Go long on The Mantle of the Prophet. It is well worth the read – but it will take you multiple sittings. Keep The Mantle, on your mantle.