Brian Armstrong on Ready Player One
"A compelling picture of how VR might play out."
Brian Armstrong on Loonshots
"Enjoyed reading [this book]."
Brian Armstrong on The Female Brain
"Was recommended to me by a female executive who suggested all male CEOs read it. It was quite good."
Brian Armstrong on Sperm Wars
"Many human behaviors and feelings can be explained by evolutionary psychology."
Brian Armstrong on Good to Great
"The scientific method can be applied to business. This book draws powerful lessons from data."
Brian Armstrong on The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive
"About building teams, creating clarity in organizations, etc."
Brian Armstrong on Made to Stick
"How to make your message memorable so it will spread."
Brian Armstrong on The Sovereign Individual
"Was really ahead of it's time, a lot of original thinking (some really out there stuff too)."
Brian Armstrong on The God Delusion
"Many people believe simply based on how they grew up, without ever questioning."
Brian Armstrong on The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
"A collection of stories from physicist Richard Feynman."
Brian Armstrong on The Economics of Microfinance
"Much of this book was too dense, but it describes what works (and doesn’t work) when giving small loans to people in developing countries."
Brian Armstrong on The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
"Discusses a way of approaching work where you are curious, eager to learn, and open, instead of focusing on blame, criticism, and commitment to being right."
Brian Armstrong on The Selfish Gene
"Famous book about how our bodies are vehicles to replicate our genes (even though we occasionally defy them)."
Brian Armstrong on The Network State
"[The author] is a visionary, and one of the most original thinkers of our time."
Brian Armstrong on Hackers & Painters
"A printed version of some of his essays."
Brian Armstrong on Lying
"How [to live] life with radical honesty."
Brian Armstrong on The Wright Brothers
"A worthwhile read for all builders."
Brian Armstrong on Atlas Shrugged
"Celebrate the creators in the world (even when they struggle). They may be more valuable than we think."
Brian Armstrong on The Dip
"Made me move to Silicon Valley and double down on being a tech entrepreneur."
Brian Armstrong on The New One Minute Manager
"It was entertaining and easy to read, but I’m struggling to recall many of the lessons from it, which says something."
Brian Armstrong on The Alliance
"I found the central concept to be pretty helpful, and it changed how we approach a few things at Coinbase."
Brian Armstrong on Don't Make Me Think
"A framework to simulate how customers experience your product, especially the moments of confusion."
Brian Armstrong on High Growth Handbook
"[The author]'s advice has been key for Coinbase as we go through hypergrowth, from hiring executives to improving M&A."
Brian Armstrong on The Outsiders
"Stories about eight CEOs and how they mastered capital allocation."
Brian Armstrong on Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
"I’m reading this is as part of getting my private pilot’s license."
Brian Armstrong on The Inmates Are Running the Asylum
"Products fail by trying to be all things to all people."
Brian Armstrong on The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
"Most brands try to do and be too much, but the customer can only remember you for one thing."
Brian Armstrong on High Output Management
"Surprisingly, I found I was already using many of the management ideas in this book (1:1, OKRs, etc) which is a testament to just how influential this book is."
Brian Armstrong on Flash Boys
"An interesting book."
Brian Armstrong on Strengths Based Leadership
"Find what you’re good at, and focus there. I didn’t find this book particularly helpful."
Brian Armstrong on How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
"Really about how to communicate with all people. I found this book quite helpful and it changed how I communicate."
Brian Armstrong on Learning To Love Yourself
"Was a bit out there."
Brian Armstrong on Becoming Steve Jobs
"A biography of the famous Apple CEO. I read the Walter Isaacson biography last year, but found this one slightly better."
Brian Armstrong on When I Say No, I Feel Guilty
"Life is better when you only agree do the things you really want to do."
Brian Armstrong on The Singularity Is Near
"Many major problems, like education and disease, will be totally transformed by this in our lifetimes."
Brian Armstrong on Eisenhower in War and Peace
"Biography about the general who led the European allied forces in World War II (arguably, saving the free world) who later became president of the United States."
Brian Armstrong on Shoe Dog
"Memoir by the Nike founder and CEO."
Brian Armstrong on Turn the Ship Around!
"About enabling leaders in your organization written by the former U.S. Navy Captain of a nuclear submarine."
Brian Armstrong on The Psychology of Achievement
"You can create any life you want, and are not at the effect of your circumstances."
Brian Armstrong on The Changing World Order
"A really well researched book."
Brian Armstrong on Humans Need Not Apply
"About how AI will take people’s jobs. I don’t think it argued that successfully."
Brian Armstrong on Startups
"A collection of insights about startups strategies."
