picture of the book

From 0 to 1 by Peter Thiel

Rating: 5-Star

Date read:

🚀 The Book in 3 Sentences

  1. Thoughts on entrepreneurship by Peter Thiel
  2. Recommendations on how to start a succesfull new ventures
  3. Contradictory views on the world are what makes the world go forward

🎨 Impressions

Very good book. It delved into topics far beyond entrepreneurship. Peter Thiel took a lot of inspiration from his own life, and from history as a whole. His main thesis is that successful people in the world have contrarian views that can count as secrets. It’s talent, and a lot of hard work. In order to succeed one should have majority of a small market and breakthrough technology.

The main topic of the book is not how to found “a company”. But rather, it is how to found the type of company that leaves a mark on society. For good or for worse. The type of companies that leverage technology to make something newer, better. There are a lot of mentions to Facebook, PayPal and Palantir. And this is what the book aims for. It is not a guide to make “a business”. It is thoughts about how successful startups came to be, and went from a pair of people in a garage to be deciding on major world events.

Main recommendations:

  1. Have a monopoly → big share of a small market
  2. Build it with people you enjoy working with
  3. Make sure you have a secret. Something that is obvious to you but not to everyone else
  4. Luck is real, and hard work make things happen
  5. Selling and distribution is extremely important → the best salesman doesn’t look like a salesman. Everybody is selling

My favorite parts of the book are in the chapters:

  • The ideology of competition
  • You are not a lottery ticket
  • Seeing green

How I Discovered It

I kept hearing about it in Youtube videos. I also was very interested in it thanks to who Peter Thiel is. Successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist that has under his belt Paypal, Palantir, the founders fund, facebook, and more.

Who Should Read It?

Everyone interested in how new technologies come to society through new businesses. Moreover, through startups.

I think is an interesting window to how the mind of Peter Thiel. Always interesting thanks to his accomplishments.

☘️ How the Book Changed Me

  • I thought about the 7 questions that every business needs to answer and applied it to Valyria/F&E.

✍️ My Top 3 Quotes

  • All successful companies are monopolies
  • “You are not a lottery ticket” → value of smart work, and work ethics
    • Indefinite Pesimism → world is getting worst and we don’t know how. So just enjoy the moment
    • Definite Pesimism → world is getting worst and we know how
    • Indefinite positivism → World is getting better but we don’t know how.
    • Definite positivism → World is getting better, and we need to plan for it. ⇒ Change through action

📒 Summary + Notes

7 questions every business needs to answer:

  1. The engineering question → Can you create breakthrough technology instead of incremental improvements?
  2. The timing question → is now the right time to start your particular business?
  3. The monopoly question → are you starting with a big share of a small market?
  4. The people question → do you have the right team?
  5. The distribution question → do you have a way to not just create but to deliver your product?
  6. The durability question → ****will your market position be defensible 10 and 20 years into the future?
  7. The secret question → have you identified an unique opportunity that others don’t see?