10 Greatest Tech-reads of All Time

9. Name of book: Only the Paranoid Survive

Author: Andrew S. Grove

Year: 1996

What it’s about: The book narrates what Intel went through in its toughest moments, from abandoning its business in memory chips because of ruthless attack of Japanese competitors, to when a mathematician discovered a bug in the Pentium processor in 1994—and shows how leaders can exploit the challenges bound to face every company.

What’s great about it: Grove, being the CEO of Intel at a point of time, tells you the inside story of how the company rolled with the punches and survived crisis mainly because how paranoid it was. The approach he took in managing the company through tough decisions is one that best describes how any leader with the ability to see where the ball will be and then run to it will be able to take advantage of any challenge.