Atlas Shrugged

“Travis Kalanick [mentioned 'Atlas Shrugged' in a Washington Post interview.]

“Brian Armstrong's Book Recommendations (updated 2025) | Good Books

“Very appealing if you’re a sophomore in college. It’s a counterpoint to communism and useful as such, but should be tempered with kindness.

“When the Ayn Rand books were written in the 1950s, it felt like it was crazy. It's so bleak, so pessimistic, I think, or so busted, so broken. When I first read them in the late 80s, it still felt pretty crazy, and then the last decade, it's it.

“Examples: Atlas Shrugged, Walden, The Trial

“Those are the all time most recommended books on the Lex Fridman Podcast.

“Since a few people asked - I rated 2/5 not because of the implied philosophy (which I am obviously sympathetic to), but because the actual presentation is overly cartoonish, 10X too long, and highly tedious. 2/5

“Uncover the philosophical underpinnings found in _“Atlas Shrugged”_ by Ayn Rand and the timeless themes in classics like _“Moby Dick”_ by Herman Melville.

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“While I’m not an Ayn Rand fanatic, every entrepreneur (or aspiring entrepreneur) must read this book to better understand the morality of self-interest (which is at the root of Rand’s Objectivism philosophy).

“Explores individualism and capitalism.