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The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers Hardcover – March 4, 2014
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Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup—practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog.
While many people talk about how great it is to start a business, very few are honest about how difficult it is to run one. Ben Horowitz analyzes the problems that confront leaders every day, sharing the insights he’s gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in, and supervising technology companies. A lifelong rap fanatic, he amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs, telling it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.
Filled with his trademark humor and straight talk, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures, drawing from Horowitz's personal and often humbling experiences.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarper Business
- Publication dateMarch 4, 2014
- Dimensions6 x 1.01 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100062273205
- ISBN-13978-0062273208
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Review
“More than any other business book released this year, “Hard Things” gives an insider’s perspective on what it’s like to lead and scale a startup.” — --Business Insider's Best Business Books of 2014
“This is easily one of the essential books every business leader should read if they’re looking for proven and honest management advice.” — --Entrepreneur's 25 Amazing Business Books from 2014
“The most valuable book on startup management hands down” — PandoDaily
“There is more than enough substance in Mr. Horowitz’s impressive tome to turn it into a leadership classic.” — The Economist
From the Back Cover
A lot of people talk about how great it is to start a business, but only Ben Horowitz is brutally honest about how hard it is to run one.
In The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, draws on his own story of founding, running, selling, buying, managing, and investing in technology companies to offer essential advice and practical wisdom for navigating the toughest problems business schools don't cover. His blog has garnered a devoted following of millions of readers who have come to rely on him to help them run their businesses. A lifelong rap fan, Horowitz amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs and tells it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, from cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.
His advice is grounded in anecdotes from his own hard-earned rise—from cofounding the early cloud service provider Loudcloud to building the phenomenally successful Andreessen Horowitz venture capital firm, both with fellow tech superstar Marc Andreessen (inventor of Mosaic, the Internet's first popular Web browser). This is no polished victory lap; he analyzes issues with no easy answers through his trials, including
- demoting (or firing) a loyal friend;
- whether you should incorporate titles and promotions, and how to handle them;
- if it's OK to hire people from your friend's company;
- how to manage your own psychology, while the whole company is relying on you;
- what to do when smart people are bad employees;
- why Andreessen Horowitz prefers founder CEOs, and how to become one;
- whether you should sell your company, and how to do it.
Filled with Horowitz's trademark humor and straight talk, and drawing from his personal and often humbling experiences, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures.
About the Author
Ben Horowitz is the cofounder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz, a Silicon Valley–based venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs building the next generation of leading technology companies. The firm's investments include Airbnb, GitHub, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Previously he was cofounder and CEO of Opsware, formerly Loudcloud, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion in 2007. Horowitz writes about his experiences and insights from his career as a computer science student, software engineer, cofounder, CEO, and investor in a blog that is read by nearly ten million people. He has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the New Yorker, Fortune, the Economist, and Bloomberg Businessweek, among others. Horowitz lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Felicia.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Business (March 4, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0062273205
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062273208
- Item Weight : 1 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.01 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #43 in Entrepreneurship (Books)
- #65 in Business Management (Books)
- #95 in Leadership & Motivation
- Customer Reviews:
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Does This Book Have Good Business Advice?
John Atallah

About the author

Ben Horowitz is the cofounder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs building the next generation of leading technology companies. The firm's investments include Airbnb, GitHub, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Previously, he was cofounder and CEO of Opsware, formerly Loudcloud, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion in 2007. Horowitz writes about his experiences and insights from his career as a computer science student, software engineer, cofounder, CEO, and investor in a blog that is read by nearly 10 million people. He has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the New Yorker, Fortune, the Economist, and Bloomberg Businessweek, among others. Horowitz lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Felicia.
Follow him on Twitter @bhorowitz and his blog, www.bhorowitz.com.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book provides practical advice on navigating difficult situations. They describe it as an engaging read with interesting stories and relatable advice. The author is honest and open about his experiences, providing a strong dose of reality. Readers appreciate the straightforward and no-frills style. The book offers a gritty yet valuable perspective on starting and running a company.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book provides practical advice on navigating difficult situations like layoffs and selling a startup. They say it helps an employee understand their manager. The book is informative and well-informed by real-world experience, making it useful for entrepreneurs and CEOs.
"...That’s because it’s funny, to-the-point, and way more well-informed by real-world experience than most books that give advice ever are. Like..." Read more
"...The Hard Thing About Hard Things has a whole lot of information packed inside it. You can read it from cover to cover and get a lot of value...." Read more
"...Firstly, self-awareness. In the first chapter, “From Communist to Venture Capitalist” he explains who he is, where he comes from, and what he knows...." Read more
"...This book - basically a series of guidelines for CEOs and building a business - is not some fluffy management tome written by a theoretical..." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They mention it's a good read for someone in the early stages of building their own business. The content is good, and the advice is encouraging. It's described as a quick and enjoyable read from cover to cover, with valuable information and insights.
"...no easy answers,” is reading it. That’s because it’s funny, to-the-point, and way more well-informed by real-world experience than most books..." Read more
"...You can read it from cover to cover and get a lot of value. Or, you can think of it as a series of conversations with bosses and mentors...." Read more
"...workers like to go to work because it is interesting and genuinely fun...." Read more
"...Ben has been able to combine the best of both worlds in his brilliant book The Hard Things About Hard Things...." Read more
Customers find the book's storytelling engaging. They appreciate the author's relatable stories about challenges and decisions with real consequences. The book provides valuable advice and insights into key technology companies. Readers appreciate that the author tackles difficult personal challenges openly and honestly.
"...for the entrepreneurial journey, offering solace and solutions for the inevitable challenges that come with building something great from the ground..." Read more
"...into Ben and his life, it was great learning more about the fascinating history of some key technology companies, and it was nice learning things..." Read more
"...The Struggle has no mercy...The Struggle is a cold sweat...The Struggle is not failure, but it causes failure. Especially if you are weak...." Read more
"I thought Ben Horowitz's experience and telling the story was interesting and entertaining...." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's honesty and authenticity in the book. They find it relatable, realistic, and authentic. The book is a vivid account of Horowitz's journey.
"...It’s real, it’s practical, and it will help...." Read more
"...makes the book not only educational but also engaging and relatable...." Read more
"...The book is a vivid and informative account of Ben Horowitz's journey beginning with Loudcloud...." Read more
"...You may not always agree with his ideas but they are always grounded in reality, as opposed to the abstract theory of most other management books...." Read more
Customers find the book straightforward and candid. They appreciate the clear, no-frills advice and instructions for starting and running a company. The book provides motivation and simple guidelines to follow in the business world. Readers like the casual way it's written, with appropriate justification for each step.
"...and nearly all of the sports analogies passed me by, I enjoyed the simplicity and clarity of the text itself...." Read more
"...The writing was quick and easy to understand. One thing I found myself noticing a lot in this book was how male-dominated everything felt...." Read more
"...It is definitely a more advanced book. Just like don't go take MBA class if you are out fresh from college. Get some working experience first." Read more
"...The book is a quick read and worth it" Read more
Customers find the book a good read. They appreciate the anecdotal stories, but the takeaway is still strong. The author has a big heart, and the book summarizes the importance of persistence while giving practical advice. It's a concrete book from a founder who made and grew his own company. It's solid, with suggestions for all firm life cycles, from startup to huge.
"...you're not in Kansas anymore... Here you will find suggestions for all the firm life cycle, from startup to huge, it focuses on problems and crises..." Read more
"...Thank you Mr. Horowitz for being so open, so honest, and so vulnerable...." Read more
"Ben Horowitz has put together a book about overcoming failure, believing in yourself, learning from others, and believing in yourself, your vision..." Read more
"...It was very well done and approaches subjects most other books don't...." Read more
Customers find the book entertaining with enough funny parts to keep it engaging. They enjoy the anecdotes and real-life stories. The writing style is also described as humorous and relatable, making it a fun read.
"...there are no easy answers,” is reading it. That’s because it’s funny, to-the-point, and way more well-informed by real-world experience than..." Read more
"...This book is an entertaining, informative read filled with good advice, specifically on how to be an effective CEO...." Read more
"...and hip-hop references, makes the book not only educational but also engaging and relatable...." Read more
"...The book is filled with humors...." Read more
Customers find the book useful for CEOs and founders of startups. They describe it as an unvarnished manual for people management, business development, and a must-read for tech CEOs or aspiring CEOs. The lessons are priceless and can be a fallback manual for those who are not experienced.
"...Stewardess Principle This principle states that workers are individuals and for that reasons they must be encouraged to use their skills for..." Read more
"...This is a people management book, both of employees and of oneself...." Read more
"...This is more than a book. It’s a manuscript for every founder and CEO looking to build their company to a great organization" Read more
"...difficult times as CEO, but for the most part, this is not a book about running a company as much as it is a book about how theatrically play the..." Read more
Reviews with images
MUST READ FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND STARTUP FOUNDERS
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2014The easy thing about “The Hard Thing About Hard Things,” Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz’s book about “Building a business when there are no easy answers,” is reading it.
That’s because it’s funny, to-the-point, and way more well-informed by real-world experience than most books that give advice ever are.
Like the secret to being a successful CEO: “Sadly, there is no secret, but if there is one skill that stands out, it’s the ability to focus and make the best move when there are no good moves.”
And, “Managers must lay off their own people. They cannot pass the task to HR or to a more sadistic peer.”
And, “The job of a big company executive is very different from the job of a small company executive…big company executives tend to be interrupt-driven. In contrast, when you are a startup, nothing happens unless you make it happen.”
But it’s not just catchy phrases and aphorisms that make the book something pretty much anybody who wants to build a company should read, it’s the experience that created them: Horowitz provides in brutal (and, for aspiring entrepreneurs, invaluable) detail the excruciating real-life experiences behind the advice, from his years as a Silicon Valley engineer and then as the CEO of a start-up with more near-death experiences than Keith Richards before its successful sale to HP.
Like how to fire people. What to say at the “all-hands” when you just had your first layoffs. What to tell an employee who asks if the company is being sold when it is being sold, but not yet. Why every company needs a “story,” and what makes a great company story (hint: see the letter Jeff Bezos wrote to Amazon shareholders in 1997.) When not to listen to your board. Even, literally, what questions a CEO should ask a prospect being considered for the key, all-important job in any start-up: head of sales.
I'm not a fan of “how-to” books, particularly those concerned with managing people, because they tend to be heavy on theory and light on reality, but the chapter emphatically titled “WHY YOU SHOULD TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE" proved the value of the author's experience because it explains the trap in which an engineer I know happens to find himself.
He is a software engineer for a start-up that was acquired by a large, fast-growing Silicon Valley company whose name rhymes with “Shalesforce.com.”
He is smart, highly motivated, eager to learn, and yet he is miserable at his job for precisely the reason Horowitz spells out as follows in “WHY YOU SHOULD TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE”:
“Often founders start companies with visions of elegant, beautiful product architectures that will solve so many of the nasty issues that they were forced to deal with in their previous jobs. Then, as their company becomes successful, they find that their beautiful product architecture has turned into a Frankenstein. How does this happen? As success drives the need to hire new engineers at a rapid rate, companies neglect to train the new engineers properly. As the engineers are assigned tasks, they figure out how to complete them as best they can. Often this means replicating existing facilities in the architecture, which leads to inconsistencies in the user experience, performance problems, and a general mess. And you thought training was expensive.”
That line is the exact truth. Just ask the engineer at Shalesforce.com. His managers—if they exist—ought to read this book.
In fact, anybody who wants to start a company, or work for a company, or build a company, or invest in a company, ought to read this book, because that’s not the only hard-learned truth in here.
Some others include:
“In high-tech companies, fraud generally starts in sales due to managers attempting to perfect the ultimate local optimization [i.e. optimize their own incentive pay].”
“The Law of Crappy People states: For any title level in a large organization, the talent on that level will eventually converge to the crappiest person with the title.”
“The world is full of bankrupt companies with world-class cultures. Culture does not make a company…. Perks are good, but they are not culture.”
“Nobody comes out of the womb knowing how to manage a thousand people. Everybody learns at some point.”
“The first rule of the CEO psychological meltdown is don’t talk about the psychological meltdown.”
And maybe the best of all, because it encapsulates so much of what the book is about: “Tip to aspiring entrepreneurs: If you don’t like choosing between horrible and cataclysmic, don’t become CEO.”
This book, on the other hand, is a choice between good and great, so read it.
Jeff Matthews
Author “Secrets in Plain Sight: Business and Investing Secrets of Warren Buffett”
(eBooks on Investing, 2013) $4.99 Kindle Version at Amazon.com
- Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2017If you want to know why The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers is worth buying, here’s the money quote.
“Almost all management books focus on how to do things correctly, so you don’t screw up, these lessons provide insight into what you must do after you have screwed up.”
If you’re planning to start a company, whether it’s a high-tech company or the kinds of companies that I started and ran, read this book. If you’re going to be someone in charge of anything in any kind of a company, read this book.
If all you want are the big ideas, or Horowitz’ philosophy, you can get them from his blog and articles. You don’t need to buy this book. But if you want a handy advisor for that 3 AM moment when you’re thinking about firing someone you like, buy the book. Keep it handy. I’ve had those moments and I wish I’d had it.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things has a whole lot of information packed inside it. You can read it from cover to cover and get a lot of value. Or, you can think of it as a series of conversations with bosses and mentors. Horowitz had a lot of those. And his mentors included people like Andy Grove and Jim Barksdale.
The wisdom that he shares and credits to them, reminds me of the wisdom that I received from bosses and mentors and which I later shared with protégés. It’s real, it’s practical, and it will help. I think that the discussion of things like firing and laying people off are more than worth the price of the book by themselves. And they’re only a small part of what’s in The Hard Thing About Hard Things.
Here are a few quotes from the book to give you an idea of what you’re in for. You don’t have to be a CEO to use what’s here, even though Horowitz aims the book at CEOs. Substitute “leader” for “CEO” in most quotes and use the wisdom.
Quotes from The Hard Thing About Hard Things
“That’s the hard thing about hard things— there is no formula for dealing with them.”
“People always ask me, ‘What’s the secret to being a successful CEO?’ Sadly, there is no secret, but if there is one skill that stands out, it’s the ability to focus and make the best move when there are no good moves. It’s the moments where you feel most like hiding or dying that you can make the biggest difference as a CEO.”
“Don’t take it personally. The predicament that you are in is probably all your fault. You hired the people. You made the decisions. But you knew the job was dangerous when you took it. Everybody makes mistakes. Every CEO makes thousands of mistakes. Evaluating yourself and giving yourself an F doesn’t help.”
“One of the most important management lessons for a founder/ CEO is totally unintuitive. My single biggest personal improvement as CEO occurred on the day when I stopped being too positive.”
“Management purely by numbers is sort of like painting by numbers— it’s strictly for amateurs.”
“The first rule of organizational design is that all organizational designs are bad.”
“Embrace the struggle.”
There are plenty more in The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers.
Top reviews from other countries
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Roberto SilvaReviewed in Mexico on December 23, 20225.0 out of 5 stars The hard thing about hard things
Gran libro con muchos aprendizaje
Kumar VenkateshwarReviewed in India on November 12, 20245.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Insight into challenges and gives some guidelines on potential approaches.
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ShReviewed in Germany on August 21, 20245.0 out of 5 stars Ehrlich, direkt und unverzichtbar – Ein Muss für Unternehmer
"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" von Ben Horowitz ist eines der besten Bücher, das ich je über das Führen und Skalieren eines Unternehmens gelesen habe. Es ist eine unverzichtbare Lektüre für jeden, der in der Welt des Unternehmertums unterwegs ist oder darüber nachdenkt, ein Unternehmen zu gründen.
Vorteile:
Brutale Ehrlichkeit: Ben Horowitz beschreibt in schonungsloser Offenheit die schwierigen, oft unangenehmen Seiten des Unternehmertums, die selten in anderen Büchern thematisiert werden. Er beleuchtet, wie man mit Herausforderungen umgeht, wenn es keine einfachen Antworten gibt – von der Kündigung von Mitarbeitern bis hin zum Umgang mit existenziellen Krisen.
Praktische Ratschläge: Das Buch ist vollgepackt mit praktischen Ratschlägen, die auf Horowitz' eigenen Erfahrungen als Gründer und CEO von Unternehmen wie Loudcloud und Opsware basieren. Diese Einsichten sind extrem wertvoll, insbesondere für Unternehmer, die sich in schwierigen Situationen befinden und nach einem Weg suchen, durch diese hindurchzukommen.
Realer Einblick in das Unternehmertum: Horowitz bietet einen realistischen Einblick in die Herausforderungen des Aufbaus und der Führung eines Unternehmens. Es geht nicht nur um Erfolgsgeschichten, sondern auch um die harten Entscheidungen, die man treffen muss, wenn es keine klaren Antworten gibt.
Inspirierend und motivierend: Trotz der harten Themen, die im Buch behandelt werden, ist es auch unglaublich inspirierend. Es zeigt, dass man auch in den schwierigsten Zeiten durchhalten kann und dass es immer einen Weg nach vorne gibt, selbst wenn die Dinge ausweglos erscheinen.
Unterhaltsam geschrieben: Horowitz' Schreibstil ist direkt, unterhaltsam und oft humorvoll. Er verwebt seine Lehren mit interessanten Anekdoten und Referenzen aus der Popkultur, was das Buch sowohl informativ als auch angenehm zu lesen macht.
Fazit:
"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" ist eine unverzichtbare Lektüre für Unternehmer, Führungskräfte und alle, die sich mit den realen Herausforderungen des Geschäftsbetriebs auseinandersetzen müssen. Ben Horowitz bietet nicht nur theoretische Ratschläge, sondern auch handfeste, praxisnahe Lösungen für die schwierigsten Situationen, die man als Unternehmer erleben kann. Dieses Buch ist ein ehrlicher, realistischer und extrem hilfreicher Leitfaden für das Unternehmertum – ein Muss für jeden, der eine Firma aufbauen und führen will.
Luca DellannaReviewed in Italy on July 22, 20235.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read
One of my top five business books, probably
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Mauricio de AndradeReviewed in Brazil on August 25, 20205.0 out of 5 stars Livro excelente para empreendedores de tecnologia
Livro rápido e excelente das reflexões de ex CEO de empresa de técnologia e um dos venture capitalist de mais relevância atualmente, liçoes excelentes da pratica de um CEO que começou como start-up, passou por scale-up, abriu capital e realizou a venda da empresa.


















