PendentiveReading
Books and essays that have shaped how I think about technology, organizations, and science.
On Technology and Society
Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity
The core argument: technological progress doesn't automatically produce broad-based prosperity. What matters is how technologies are deployed—whether they augment human capability and create new tasks, or merely substitute for labor without creating commensurate value.
AI as Normal Technology
A skeptical, historically-grounded perspective on AI exceptionalism.
LLMs as a New Kind of Cultural Technology
Large language models understood not as intelligent agents but as a new way to access accumulated human knowledge—analogous to writing, print, or markets.
On Organizations and Systems
Team Topologies
How to design team structures that align with system architecture. The key insight: organizational structure and technical architecture are not independent choices.
Domain-Driven Design
Aligning software architecture with business domains. Essential for any integration work in complex organizations.
On Defense and Technology Policy
The Pentagon's Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA
How the institution that invented the internet, stealth aircraft, and GPS actually works—and how it fails.
Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War
The clearest thinking I've encountered on autonomy, human judgment, and machine decision-making in high-stakes contexts.
On AI and Alignment
The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values
A comprehensive survey of the challenges in making AI systems behave as intended. Useful background for anyone evaluating AI investments.
On Thinking and Communication
Thinking, Fast and Slow
The foundational text on cognitive biases and the two-systems model of human reasoning. Essential for understanding why smart people make predictable mistakes.
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
Practical guidance on how conversations actually work—useful for consulting, leadership, and any role that involves understanding what people actually need.