Books Recommended by Julia Enthoven
Read the interview: Julia Enthoven
In Julia Enthoven’s words:
For non-business, I’ve loved so many different books that it’s hard to pick a favorite. Recently, I’ve enjoyed The Art of Fielding and Americanah, and I love classics like A Farewell to Arms and Lord of the Flies.
14 books recommended by Julia Enthoven
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Recently, I enjoyed and learned a lot from Influence by Robert Cialdini, a book about how you can persuade, sell, and lead using soft skills. I think Cialdini does a great job of blending the research with stories that illustrate how you put his tactics to work.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
I also think every young person should read Mindset by Carol Dweck. Adopting a growth mindset - an attitude that you can develop any skill if you practice enough and choose the right strategies - has helped me embrace challenges and build confidence, an important foundation of success.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
by Sheryl Sandberg, Nell Scovell
Lean In had a big impact on me. I read Sandberg’s “manifesto” in the last semester of University when I was about to start an intimidating new job at Google. It helped me be more successful at work and also boosted my confidence, ambition, and… Read the full quote
Lean In had a big impact on me. I read Sandberg’s “manifesto” in the last semester of University when I was about to start an intimidating new job at Google. It helped me be more successful at work and also boosted my confidence, ambition, and drive to be successful in a male-dominated industry. I think every leader should read Lean In to understand how unconscious bias effects even the most well-intentioned employees of both genders.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
by Richard Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
We use principles I learned in the book Nudge to inform our pricing strategy. Kapwing is free to use, but it costs $2/video or $10/month for unlimited videos to remove a small Kapwing watermark from their output video. In Nudge, Sunstein and Thaler describe loss aversion, or the tendency for people to value things more highly once they own them.
The Design of Everyday Things
by Don Norman
For people interested in designing or building software products: The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman and The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen. Both books have informed my product sense and helped me make decisions about great UX.
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
by Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn
As for non-fiction, Half the Sky (about crimes against women, especially in the developing world) and Whatever it Takes (about the Harlem Children’s Zone and the work of Geoffrey Canada) both changed my world-view enormously, and I thought they were both super compelling.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is beautifully written, and I really enjoy the voice of the protagonist and think it’s sad and fascinating to read about her time in history.
The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products and Rapid Customer Feedback
by Dan Olsen
For people interested in designing or building software products: The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman and The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen. Both books have informed my product sense and helped me make decisions about great UX.
The Storyteller’s Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don’t
Since Kapwing is still a very young company, The Storyteller’s Secret helps me think about how I can communicate the origin story of Kapwing to our users and other people. I’m enjoying both!
Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America
by Paul Tough
As for non-fiction, Half the Sky (about crimes against women, especially in the developing world) and Whatever it Takes (about the Harlem Children’s Zone and the work of Geoffrey Canada) both changed my world-view enormously, and I thought they were both super compelling.
