The Hard Thing About Hard Things: A Solid Business Management Book

Definitely hard things about hard things. Extremely useful information.
Not just for CEO , but any leader and entrepreneur can benefit. Must read

I highly, highly recommend this book. Ben has experienced some amazing things and shares the criterial lessons he has learned along the way. The advice is diverse, but almost all of it is likely to be of critical importance to the CEO of a growing startup.

learned something new in a different perspective in thinking with this book

"The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers" by Ben Horowitz is a must-read for anyone facing challenging times in the business world, regardless of their role within the organization. While the book may appear to target CEOs specifically, its insights and lessons are applicable to individuals at all levels of a company.

Horowitz's candid and authentic storytelling takes readers through the ups and downs of running a business, offering valuable advice and strategies for navigating difficult situations. From managing layoffs to making tough decisions, the book provides practical guidance that can be implemented by leaders, managers, and employees alike.

What sets this book apart is its emphasis on the human side of business. Horowitz delves into the emotional toll that tough decisions and high-stakes situations can have on individuals, addressing the mental and psychological challenges that come with being a part of a struggling company.

"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" offers a refreshing perspective, reminding us that everyone has a role to play in overcoming adversity and contributing to the success of an organization. It encourages resilience, problem-solving, and a growth mindset, making it an invaluable resource for anyone facing difficult circumstances in their professional life.

Whether you're a CEO, manager, or team member, this book will equip you with the tools and mindset necessary to navigate through tough times and emerge stronger on the other side. It is an essential read for anyone seeking guidance and inspiration in the face of adversity within the business world.

This is different from many business books written from a consulting perspective because it is Ben’s story—his insights and lessons learned. It applies whether you’re a CEO or not and lead an organization, and provides a glimpse into how the CEO may be thinking.

This is a really solid business management book and it is worth reading. The author presents his points clearly and compellingly.

This book is valuable because it tells it all.
Most other books describe the process & success of its business. This book however, talk about various problems & obstacles & how he went about solving them including a lot of difficulty

If you're looking for some great business tips, I recommend this book

Great book. I know I have another 3-5 times rereading it. It's good to have the words in it fuel the journey up the mountain from business to life.

"The Hard Things about Hard Things" advises CEOs on their job. The author: Ben Horowitz of Netscape fame and founder of the Andreessen Horowitz venture capitalist firm. He has a long experience being a CEO and monitoring and advising different CEOs and that makes the book worth reading when you are in such a role.

The book consists roughly of two parts. The first three chapters contain the background of the author, then chapter four to nine contain more specific advise.

The first part, chapter one to three, tells the story of Ben Horowitz, joining Netscape, leaving Netscape and starting a cloud company (Loudcloud). Going through the dot com bubble and trying to keep his company afloat. Having to pivot the company to a completely new direction and eventually selling the company. Then after that starting his current venture capitalist firm. I enjoyed reading about the authors history and the struggles that he had to go through and it also gave a frame and some credibility to the rest of the book.

From chapter four to nine, the chapters start of with some story from the authors background and then focus on advise. Each chapter contains max 10 tips and each of these are describe in a couple of pages. For example, in chapter five, one of the tips is about "hiring executives". The tip is about 6 pages and provides a 3 step framework for hiring executives. It shares some of the criteria and pitfalls that the author has experienced. All chapters contain CEO advise like these... trying to focus on advise of the hard things that you will need to do as CEO.

I like "The Hard Thing about Hard Things." I enjoyed the autobiography of Ben Horowitz and appreciated him sharing the struggles that he had to go through with his companies. The advise that is given in this book is practical and not the usual kind of advise you find in management books. Of course, it is still the opinion of the author based on his experience, so blindly copying is probably not the best idea. That said, I think most people in a CEO or similar position will find valuable ideas in this book. Recommended for them. 4 stars.

The book is basically one man's story about how he built a high tech startup, sold it for over a billion dollars and management lessons he learned along the way. This is not a manual, reference or textbook. It's based on what Ben Horowits learned along the way and what he wanted to pass on to other entrepreneurs. It's most applicable to tech startups and the lessons are not grouped in a way that makes intuitive sense. There are 9 chapters in the Kindle version. The first two are mainly his story and the rest contains pieces of management advice. The advice is geared toward managing people rather than how to build a tech startup from scratch, though it's helpful for new entrepreneurs, regardless.

This book was not spectacular.

Too many rap song references, especially Kanye West... I mean "Ye". Wouldn't trust someone who models business ideas from "Ye". The guy doesn't even speak English well. For example, can't believe "They done stole your dreams, you dunno who did it" was quoted in this book.

Don't waste your time, grab a real business book.

Promotes workaholism as the ultimate virtue. Too many Kanye quotes.

Lots of good advice for aspiring founders and CEOs, hence the three stars. Easy to read.

Engaging, Relatable and gives experienced insight on how to take things to the next level. Well worth the reading time.

I liked the book overall. There are good lessons in here.

The reason I took a star is because of all the swearing in the book. Its hard to play this audiobook in the car because even by mistake i dont want one of those swear words playing out loud when they are in the car. case in point, as i started writing this i heard "blowing sunshine up their b**ts". And just before i decided to write this review, i heard "motherf****ng" something being said.. glad i'm listening to this on my headphones.

I was not aware nor would I think that a book would be resold as good condition that has several markings throughout. Underlines and handwritten notes. In the future I will pay a couple dollars more for a new book.

Ordered the hardcover, arrived in perfect condition. Flawless sleeve and crisp edges. Horowitz has a nice blend of anecdotes and advice. Each chapter is concise, usually only a few pages, well organized and easy to read. A great introduction for how to start and run a business, whether in Silicon Valley or elsewhere.

True story: This book was recommended to me by this insufferable guy I met at a party who couldn't stop bragging about himself to us. I guess the guy was in the software business, though not a coder himself, but he would go on and on about self-betterment, skydiving, etc. and there was not a single humble bone in his body. And of course when he scared the girl away with his nonsense, he thought the other people were coming on too strong. Why do I mention this? Because while reading this book, I could not help but read it in that guy's voice in my head!

I thought that surely there would be some universal advice in this book about dealing with impossible situations, but all that's here is about an overly confident privileged guy who was at the right place and right time to start his career and after his first job goes on to fall forward in the companies he started.

At first, I thought the history of Silicon Graphics was interesting but then he just drones on and on about the daily workings of these companies few people have ever heard of without any sort of redeeming quality. All he does is brag about ignoring advice that came to him and him essentially bullying his employees to work day and night for him and be away from their families. God forbid if those people had a sick or elderly person to care for.

Then he has the audacity to talk about a letter he saw one of those employees wrote about how that period was the greatest of his career. I'm sure for a young person it might have been but it seems like he has no ability to look inward to see that he might have hurt those people for his own benefit and profit.

So if you're looking to gain insight about how to deal with whatever is going on in your own life, I doubt this book will help. If you want read a book about a rich guy patting himself on the back like he's a mini-trump then get the book.

loved it

good. as much as you want.

I love the book and bought a bunch to keep at home so when people come over for dinner I give them one if they are business minded friends.

Horowitz gave you an incredibly honest advice on how to run a tech startup company and how to deal those thorny day-to-day management issues.

Thanks BH for this great work. I wish I'd read it long ago, but I was busy in the struggle.

This book is part memoir and part how to think about leadership and business growth in a start up environment. The leadership skills and traits discussed in this book will not apply nor appeal to all leaders or all companies, but there is value in understanding the author's thought process and lessons learned. Hard things are worth doing not because they are hard but because most people don't have the grit or persistence to do them, and therefore those who succeed stand out and have an edge over others. Horowitz went through that difficult process personally when so many other start-ups fail and he tells the story in this book.

What I most admire him for, though, is his role in the creation of a16z, a venture capital firm that started only in 2009 and has since become one of the titans in the VC world. At a16z. he has had to tackle hard things as an investor and leader of an asset management business, and I'm sure the hard things learned through his CEO days - the contents of this book - have helped the growth of his current firm as well.

Be though, book talks about hard times as CEO. Horowitz paints a nice picture of wartime CEO through his past experiences.

I am an avid reader, completing 60-80 books per year, with the significant majority being business or self improvement books. This book was the worst I’ve ever had the pleasure, or punishment in this case to read. There was no order or fluidity. The author doesn’t even seem knowledgeable or aware of why things worked for him, only telling that things worked. It seems as much lucky timing than strategy. The narrator is awful and makes this terrible book that much more excruciating. I’d give less than one star if I could.

This book deserves 5 stars for demonstrating that business books can be both great at the story part and bring precise actionable insights. Great book for people in top leadership positions wondering how to cope with the challenges.

This book does not deliver on its premise. It is a series of repetitive self-congratulatory anecdotes about one firm that he had that had a terrible reputation in the Valley for how it treated its employees (his executives executed a mass firing at his firm by pulling the fire alarm once to get everyone out the building). I am struggling to find why his ghost writers, er, ‘editors’, er, his writing generates such praise for the book. Business books are more often vapid as a genre, but there are better books on the Business shelf that do a better delivering on the promise suggested in this books subtitle.

Thank you Inspiration in embrace honesty of struggles. I love the embracing good quotes from famous people that most disagree with This shows that we all have have some true thoughts to offer.

It is unusual to find such an honest account of the struggle that is always part of a great business.

I love the approach, the honesty, the details. This is an incredible guide and support for startup CEO. After You read this book, you will feel less alone. This book will become a good friend for your daily CEO journey. Thanks Ben to share it with us.

Lo recomiemdo a todos los emprendedores y aun a los que llevan años en eso. Continuan la lucha para seguir adelante nunca es facil

Really enjoyed seeing the inner dynamics at the executive level. Will be handy when I get there. Grit and hard work, coupled with surrounding yourself with the people you need for success.

So many good pieces of advice about running a company or doing business (any business) that are hard to read but because of that so interesting as they resonate with me.

Embrace the struggle.

Just arrived and excited to read!

As a founder and CEO this was an amazing book for of hard lessons

It worth putting it to your table and constantly refer to it during hard situations at work until you fully understand it :)

I really liked the premise of the book: hard things are hard because they are so unexpected and unusual and therefore it's very difficult to prepare yourself for these situations. And then the author goes on to great lengths to brag about how you can actually prepare for these situations and he humblebrags about all the difficulties he went through and how he overcame them. He also beautifies a lot of what is wrong with Silicon Valley culture (including the bro culture). While there are nice principles in the book, it was a waste of time to read the entire book. I think it's better to read a summary or an article talking about the book.

The early chapters had me thinking - Please Quit! Your story is so painful that it hurts me to read it. And I thought that I had problems. But like Janis said - "Feelin' good was easy Lord when Bobby sang the blues " the stories were ultimately uplifting.
This book shares the inevitable problems that all of us who build companies face, but no one will discuss. It also provides great assurance and guidance though those struggles.
Easily the best advice on building a business I've read.
The only VC firm I ever thought it would make sense to work with.

Super clear and great advice. Loved how Ben mixed his experience as CEO with relatable advice. Embrace the struggle baby!

An effective weave of narrative, reflection and instruction that helps the aloneness of decision making feel less uncomfortable. Top shelf.

I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t what I expected. I wanted more tips and structure. I did enjoy most of the anecdotes.

I listened to four pages from this book on my way home from work and then closed it and deleted it. I wish I could get a refund from Amazon, but the window has closed. There are hundreds of wonderful business books on Amazon. For example, I just finished Measure What Matters. It was outstanding! Or give Trillion Dollar Coach a try; it was also excellent!

I'm 3 chapters in and already am enjoying the book -- there's a lot of interesting stories and great anecdotal advice. It's an excellent option for a company book club within the sales/marketing organization. However major flaw of this product is that there's random pages missing in the eBook. I've already experienced 2-3 instances where a sentence that stopped midway at the end of a page completely did not line up with the sentence/paragraph content of the following page.

The author said

If you are a CEO/executive this book must be brilliant.

Ben seem like a really wise and knowledgeable person who must have been really inspirational working for.

However if you currently do not have any experience in being a leader then it can be a tough read.

He has some really entertaining war stories from his various business engagement, but besides that most of the book relates to being a great executive. And I'm not there in my career yet.

Perfect transaction.

I had it recommended a year ago I just got to finish it.
There is no BS here. Very good eye opener

Those who have done a start up will love the stories and recognize the wisdom.
Those who haven't will realize the hard work, grit, determination, and honesty required to be successful.
Horowitz is brutally honest and also honest about himself and others.
The book reads like a suspense novel. Then, provides useful hands on information that CEO's can actually use....

Best parts of this book for me were lessons on growing up (boy to man) and interacting with senior people (sandwich method etc)

I like the casual way in which this book is written. Complex situations are made simple and sometime humorous for the reader. Highly recommend

I’m very fond of this book that taught the real hard things in the Start up. Everything I got from this book is absolutely valuable. I give you 10 starts without doubt. Thanks for writing the great book, Ben Horowitz

I recommend that every aspiring business owner read this because you will learn at least one thing about what it takes to be financially successful in your industry.

I'm of the belief that all business owners are life-long students at their cores. We jump into the grind with our hearts and minds despite the unpredictability of the marketplace and economy. This book has a lot to teach about the business grind so spend time with this book to learn about it!

It is primarily centered around the tech industry in Silicon Valley because of the author's expertise and experience, but the lessons and stories are applicable to all businesses in any sector. All business owners will go through the ups and downs of pleasing investors, employees, and positioning themselves as competitive in their industry. All business owners will go through the doubt of having a vision and its lack of reality in the world, and how a person's emotions will overwhelm in case of a "wartime situation." (that could be anything negative or trying to the business, particularly with regards to staying alive and financially healthy)

You will learn a lot from this book. Read it! It's also a good read to spend time with so that's a bonus upside.

I wish I had read this sooner but things only come when the person is ready. This is a book every founder must read because the truth is hard, but it’s still the truth.

From Leadership to designing an organizational structure, Ben Horowitz’s Hard things about hard things offers a pragmatic, enjoyable handbook to starting and driving a company, tech or not, through ‘peacetime’ and, for a start-up, the more relevant ‘wartime.’ This tight textbook is not a puff-piece written to extol the expertise of its author, rather it is a genuine benefit to the budding, and experienced entrepreneur.

Great condition!

Clear, targeted at the unique job, aspirations, and challenges of a CEO, and unapologetic - Ben Horowitz's book is a must read for anyone responsible for an organization, its people, and its culture. From how to hire the right-sized talent for the right time, to your job as CEO in making decisions, to what to do when directs complain about peers, this book is overflowing with concrete, real-life scenarios and a clear point of view from the author. The CEO job is lonely - this book is a great companion.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things is a combination of Ben Horowitz's interesting story and a cautionary, scared-straight tale of the challenges faced by CEOs.

This book is well written, tell the story in a compelling and interesting manner, and provides so many useful tips for not only becoming a successful CEO but to progressing in your career. Not everyone can be a CEO but there is definitely much more room to grow and develop your ideas and skills to become a successful executive.

As one reviewer already called out, just be aware that this book is not applicable to all industries, geographies, or company stages. In that sense, this book falls into the category of ‘Lean Startup’, which in my opinion is best for consumer software (internet scale) companies. Nevertheless, this book is a highly entertaining, engaging and informative read. You will learn a lot about certain ways VCs, CEOs and tech founders in Silicon Valley think and make decisions. Even if you are not (trying to become) a founder, CEO or VC dealing with Silicon Valley tech companies, you will enjoy this book. If you like Hip Hop music, you will relate to writing style (profanity, lyric verses etc.). I just wish/hope that the people managers and executives in technology roles don’t imagine themselves in the shoes of CEOs that Ben writers about and end up creating horrible workplace/culture for their employees. I disliked the book in parts where 1) Ben contradicted because of different contexts and 2) Ben discredits other styles of executives - he calls them ‘peacetime CEOs’ or management consultants (we have lot of ex-consultants driving strategy, expansion, or even execution in companies like Amazon) who have never ran a ‘fruit stand’.

This was part autobiography, past primer on m and a, part management and hiring best practices, and so on. My interest kept fading in and out as such. Parts were compelling and I took notes left and right, others I scanned searching for the change in topic. Ben has a great story to tell that anyone in business can learn something from.

Simple, insightful and covers many areas from early growth to growing up. I plan to revisit this book every 6 months.

Great lessons and great ending.. got a little repetitive and boring on some subjects but the devil is in the details.. so all's well! Must read for tech CEOs or aspiring CEOs. Loved the reading recommendations and will continue with them. Did the sales Vp write a book? Would love to read it

Arrived on time, looks great.

Thank you, great product and super fast delivery!

Practical advice and excellent storytelling based on the difficult decisions Ben Horowitz had to make as a CEO and leader. His viewpoint of business as war is apt and doesn’t feel clichéd.

A start up founder? Private equity CEO? Small business owner? Not for profit chief? You have to read this book. Addressing the “oh crap” moments that every leader deals with...and believes they’re the only one, the book takes the CEO imposter syndrome head on. You walk away with a sense of community, a sense of sanity and a sense of purpose. You’ll learn to cope and take the pragmatic steps necessary to see the mission through.

Both of Ben's books are engaging and entertaining, what's more they're extremely relevant for all sectors of business. I've worked in the public and non-profit sectors and bringing, some of his principles to my organization has led to incredible, visible growth in our leaders. No book is a perfect road map for success. Leadership is about discernment. If you can discern what fits in your organization and what doesn't from Ben's book, you'll see the value.

The Karl Marx quote is a fitting summary of Ben Horowitz’s excellent book on managing companies and through good times and bad. There are many thoughtful ideas for new CEOs on how best to navigate hiring, internal conflicts, angry shareholders, difficult clients, etc. Ben learned the hard way to be able to share these quality pieces of advice. The book should be on every startup CEOs shelf.

Very good book must read. Very good book must read. Very good book must read. Very good book must read very good book must read. Hey how longer do I need to write? Come on.... I loved it for real. Buy! Oohhhh. Liked it.

Ben does not need my endorsement but I owe it to him for his efforts & honesty and to the future readers for their conviction to read the book. It will be in my bookshelf for the rest of my life. And yes, it will be so not only for its direct application into my GM role(s) but also into my parenthood to my kids and my mentorship to the startups I am fortunate to work with.

It's my number one most recommended book for startup founders. So many great lessons.

The mindset and lessons in this book helped me through tough times in business. If such a highly regarded and successful person went through very tough times, there is no reason for you to feel sorry for yourself when (not if) you go through hard times. Incredible combination of practical advice and entertainment, because it reads like a novel.

I never had an interest in becoming a CEO. After reading this book, I've found that you don't need to sell your soul, or be a sleazy car salesman type to be a great businessman.

Instead, embracing your desire to do what's right, may be an asset rather than a hindrance - to have "the right kind of ambition".

This book is perfect for my liking as it cuts short on unnecessary information or stories. The whole book is solid , content rich, and very inspiring.

There are some books, that as you read them, you say to yourself, "Man, I wish i had read this before i made THAT mistake" This is a MUST-read for any C-suite or senior leadership team.

There are so many theorectical advice books out there. This one cuts right to situational decision making, filling a small part of what is a research void in business. This not only helped my own decision making but also the advice that i impart to others, including my boss.

You should read this book if you are in business. There are a bunch of business books out there but this is the most valuable single book I have read on the topic. Zero to One is great where this book is not - that is on high level strategy on what kind of thing to do to be most successful but this book is great where that one is not - on almost every other level about what to do in the various difficult positions you could find yourself in the actual implementation of your high level strategy.

Too often, we place doubt in our ability to lead because the top is a lonely place. Ben really puts things into perspective of what other leaders are really thinking and going through as "Peacetime and Wartime" CEOs. A must read for all developing and the so-called developed leaders.

I was relieved and amazed as I read what Ben lived on a daily basis in his company. The end result for me personally is the feeling of encouragement that if he can manage all of the hardship and self doubt and still persevere, I can too.

Must read for any aspiring entrepreneurs or those growing their businesses. Quite possibly the best book on what being an entrepreneur is actually like + many tangible takeaways that can improve your strategy, leadership, company culture immediately.

Extremely useful. Worth rereading several times. Key lessons are applicable not only for technology startups. Good mix of personal stories and systematic business thinking.

It’s a kind of “CEO Handbook” written by “learning by doing” CEO rather than a consultant. Although it is purely focused on running a technology company many principles might be adopted to any type of business. I will not judge on those principles and let each and everyone decide for themselves to take them 100% for granted or select what’s most acceptable but the book is very insightful and worth one’s time.

Great insights to help anyone who manages a team and aspires to create a great work culture.

I chanced upon this book when I started reading ‘high output management’. I stopped reading that and started reading this. He has a lot of useful tips for traits to look for in different positions and roles. I didn’t know if his journey in Silicon Valley as a VC and that was especially fascinating!

Highly recommend this book to anyone who works for a startup, or is leadership at a startup. Very pragmatic advise

Great book, and while I’m not technically the CEO of my organization I felt that many of Ben’s insights are applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and executive directors. His writing was easy to read, personable and interesting -much preferred to the typical staunchly writing of books directed at CEOs.

What a prentecious load of bull crap this book is.. This book is not useful for anyone, other than people that are interested in narcissism, and how that condition is over represented at the top of management. If one, as a CEO, actually find any useful knowledge in this collection of poorly hidden self promoting anecdotes, it is time to step down.

Would have given the book 2 stars if it was at least slightly entertaining. But no.

I have to admit perhaps the first 80 pages weren't the most informative as the author is mainly talking about stories of leading his company. The rest of the pages are interesting because the author dived into the methodologies and the reasons for doing all the hard things. I give it a 5 star because the second half of the book deserves it.

Great book. I would highly recommend.

This book is one of my favorite reads. Its set up like a handbook and allows me to dive into specific chapters or gain perspective within the LoudCloud narrative.

It's just eh. Probably would skip over this and go for the next entrepreneurship book on your list

the author has a lot of experience and can transmit important facts to analyze the business world in a deeper way

So so

The story is told from the personal perspective and experience of the author in an easy to read and fun method. With that, the book is full with thinks to learn, and great advice. A clarity of what is important and examples one can relate to.
Really enjoyed this book and took many notes on the way