Outer Space is Stranger Than You Think

Building a startup is often framed as a race to scale. But what happens after growth—and how early should you plan for the ending? In the 2022 book Exit Path: How to Win the Startup End Game, Touraj Parang explains why founders should start with the end in mind, preserve their options, and build momentum toward a successful exit. Then, in the 2021 book Masters of Scale: Surprising Truths from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs, June Cohen and Reid Hoffman share lessons about embracing imperfection, learning from rejection, and knowing when to pivot.

Why do workplace hierarchies so often fail the people inside them? In Level Up: Why Hierarchies Are Broken and How to Fix Them, Stanford organizational psychologist Nir Halevy examines how rank and power distort organizations—and what people at every level can do about it. Then, in the 2023 book Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work, McKinsey leaders Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock, and Emily Field argue that middle managers aren’t dead weight. They’re the crucial link between strategy and the people doing the work. Together, the books make a case for rebuilding hierarchy around responsibility, coaching, and useful authority—not bureaucracy.

What if feeling better isn’t about finding the next new thing, but remembering what we’ve stopped doing? In The Great Remembering: Powerful Ancient Practices—And the New Science Bringing Them Back, TED Talks co-creator June Cohen explores how movement, shared rituals, and time in nature can help us navigate hard times. Then, cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins considers another resource worth reclaiming: a private life. Her 2025 book, Strangers and Intimates: The Rise and Fall of Private Life, asks what happens when we share everything with strangers but struggle to connect with the people closest to us. Two perspectives on making modern life feel a little more human.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Success is often told as a solo story: one talented person works hard, then makes it. But who noticed their potential, challenged their thinking, or opened a door? In Lift: The Three Hidden Forces That Launch Remarkable Lives, Jeff Cunningham explores the people and circles that help us rise. Then Carnegie Mellon researcher Rosalind Chow’s The Doors You Can Open: A New Way to Network, Build Trust, and Use Your Influence to Create a More Inclusive Workplace asks how we can do that for others—not just by offering advice, but by using our influence to make their strengths visible. Together, the books show how to be lifted—and how to lift someone else.

AI can help you finish the work faster. But what happens when you stop practicing those skills? In The Collision: What AI Does to Us, MIT professor Eric So explores how tools that boost today’s productivity can quietly weaken tomorrow’s judgment—and how to use them without outsourcing your thinking. Then, in his 2024 book Irreplaceable: The Art of Standing Out in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, AI expert Pascal Bornet considers the other side of that challenge: developing the creativity, critical thinking, and authentic connections that make your contribution distinctive. How do we get more from AI without becoming less capable ourselves?⁠⁠⁠⁠