Pi Labs’ Summer reading (and listening) list — 2022 📚
Anyone who’s ever spent a day in the Pi Labs office will know that books, podcasts, films and tv are a frequent topic of conversation. As our team and community grows, so to does our reading list and as Summer approaches, I thought I’d collect a few recommendations from the Pi Labs team and share with you.
Enjoy and have a great summer!
The Cult of We: WeWork and the Great Start-Up Delusion
by Eliot Brown, Maureen Farrell
I had to start with this one as it was by the far the front runner in terms of recommendations and I can’t count how many times it has been mentioned and discussed in our office. The Cult of We tells the story of the the real-life rise and fall of WeWork founder Adam Neumann, charting his journey from a struggling baby clothes salesman to billionaire (on-paper) entrepreneur. If you haven’t got time for the book — Apple TV+’s dramatisation of the already fairly dramatic real-life events is worth a watch!
Faisal Butt, CEO & Founder — I really enjoyed this book as it shows what can happen when entrepreneurs stop listening to their colleagues, board and advisors as well as the downside of not having a diverse workforce.
Michael Murad, Finance Director — This has been my favourite book recently. It’s a story of raising capital at high flying valuations but not being able to live up to those valuations.
Empire of Pain
by Patrick Radden Keefe
Empire of Pain tells the story of the Sackler family, who owned Purdue Pharma, the company behind OxyContin, a highly addictive painkiller that (arguably) caused the opioid epidemic, responsible for the death of over half a million Americans over a span of two decades. It’s “a story people need to know” and one you won’t quite believe is real. The story has also recently been turned into an eight-part drama called Dopesick on Disney+ and is well worth a watch.
Henry Martin, Business Development Associate — Absolutely fascinating tracing the routes of the Sackler dynasty to understand how they became entangled with the opioid crisis so many years later.
The Rich Roll Podcast
This is one for anyone that wants to dive deeper into topics around wellness, fitness, nutrition, entrepreneurship and spirituality. Rich invites experts in their field for in-depth, thought provoking, and inspiring conversations. Some of our favourite episodes are: Arthur Brooks: Cracking The Code To Happiness, John McAvoy: From Armed Robbery To Professional Athlete — One Man Reformed Through The Power of Sport, Terry Crews on Healthy Masculinity, Strength Through Vulnerability, True Power, Ed Winters Is A Vegan Propagandist, & Bruce Friedrich On The Clean Meat Revoltution.
Jacquita Glyn, Office Assistant /EA — The Rich Roll podcast is amazing, he covers a wide range of topics and has so many great guests from doctors to athletes to actors and more. It’s interesting to listen to a longer podcast that doesn’t just scrape the surface of a topic but goes into the deeper meanings to help educate and motivate his listeners.
How Asia Works
by Joe Studwell
How Asia Works outlines the steps taken by fledgling economies in becoming international powers. The author tells the story of each major Asian country and details the importance of agricultural reform, industrialisation, entrepreneurship, exports, and manufacturing, in growing their economies.
Daniel Salzner, Senior Investment Associate — Interesting read on understanding economic advancement in developing countries and why at-least until now countries like China, Japan, and Korea have matured much quicker than other Southeast Asian neighbours.
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs, which recently celebrated its 80th anniversary on air, is a classic, and perfect for listening to poolside or en-route to your Summer getaway. There are now more than 2,300 episodes of the show available online from the BBC archive. The oldest available dates back to 1951!
Levi Levenfiche, Head of Capital Raising — Every episode is a discovery into somebody’s life, a chance to uncover new music, and to learn about a period of history through the lens of a prominent personality….plus it has been on air for decades and never gets old.
The Metaverse and how it will revolutionise everything
by Matthew Ball
Luke Graham, Head of Research — Coming off the back of our research into the metaverse and its disruption of the physical world, I’m looking forward to checking out Matthew Ball’s brand new book on the topic. Matthew is a journalist who many metaverse enthusiasts (and critics) defer to, in particular his 2021 9-part metaverse essay series on topics such as hardware, user behaviours, payment systems, etc.
On a somewhat related topic, Apple TV+’s workplace comedy-drama, Severance (where workers’ brains are separated into work and home halves), has been watched by a few of us and been highly recommended. Prepare to feel unsettled — but blown away and left craving more when you finish the season!
The Myth of Normal
by Gabor Maté
Dr. Gabor Maté is a world-renowned specialist in childhood trauma, stress and addiction. Dr Maté believes that all addiction — from drug abuse, to workaholism and everyday behavioural addictions — originate in trauma we’ve experienced in our lives. His latest book (due to be released later in the Summer), The Myth of Normal, investigates the causes of illness and argues the importance that trauma and stress, and the pressures of modern-day living, have on our health.
Dr Gabor Maté’s work on the relationship of the mind and the body has taught me so much about the importance of emotional health on our wellbeing and that stresses, and unresolved fears can have as much of an impact on our health as poor diet or lack of exercise. It’s been empowering to learn about the power of our thoughts in making changes. I’ll leave you with a quote from the author himself:
“We may not be responsible for the world that created our minds, but we can take responsibility for the mind with which we create our world.”
— Dr Gabor Maté
For more updates from the team and our portfolio, subscribe to our monthly newsletter ✉️
