Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

441–450 of 454 posts

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#441

Post by insane_dreamer »

kortilla wrote: post #426
throaway54 wrote: post #417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only real benefit is to the owners of Walmart though. Their food is not healthier, and their business impact is not better for local economies than what came before.

Their food is absolutely cheaper for the same health value as comparable grocery stores. Walmart was amazing for low income families in small cities and rural areas.

> Walmart was amazing for low income families in small cities and rural areas.

stop drinking the corporate Kool-Aid, my friend

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/walmart-pr...

> In the 10 years after a Walmart Supercenter opened in a given community, the average household in that community experienced a 6 percent decline in yearly income—equivalent to about $5,000 a year in 2024 dollars—compared with households that didn’t have a Walmart open near them. Low-income, young, and less-educated workers suffered the largest losses.

> They calculate that poverty increases by about 8 percent in places where a Walmart opens relative to places without one even when factoring in the most optimistic cost-savings scenarios.

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#442

Post by ErigmolCt »

Mordisquitos wrote: post #239
ErigmolCt wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every success story is built on a path of failures. I like to believe in this. It motivates me not to give up. (If I understood everything correctly...)

That made me think of my favourite motivational poster, which is titled «Mistakes»: https://despair.com/collections/posters/products/mistakes?va...

Even if they’re a bit painful in the moment

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#443

Post by ErigmolCt »

buzzardbait wrote: post #243
ErigmolCt wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say that hard work and perseverance create the foundation, but timing and opportunity often determine the outcome.

Yes. Although I suspect many would disagree since there's an entire subreddit dedicated to them! r/antiwork

Hard work alone isn’t always enough

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#444

Post by smsm42 »

insane_dreamer wrote: post #437
smsm42 wrote: post #425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't have food that is at the same time cheap, healthy and at your doorstep. You can have two of them. Walmart gets you cheap and nearby. If you want healthy and nearby, go to Whole Foods and be prepared to stretch your wallet. Not everyone can afford it though.

You’re missing the point that Walmart destroyed all the other small local grocery options and other small stores that used to exist. So yeah, TODAY all you have is Walmart garbage or expensive Whole Foods (in same places)

I don't think the stores that used to exist had the same or superior choice of goods and the same prices as Walmart did. I mean there might be some that did, but they persist even in the presence of Walmart - I have several Walmarts within 15 min drive of me, and still know a bunch of local grocery stores and specialized shops that still do fine. But I am not sure why "local store" is inherently superior to Walmart unless it does something better, or how it will be able to deliver on the all three.

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#445

Post by petesmithy »

Shadow Divers (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9530.Shadow_Divers) - story of amateur deep sea divers who discover a sunken German U-Boat and spend years trying to get into it. Genuinely riveting story, absolute nutters operating at the edge of what’s possible (and what should be done?).

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#446

Post by rkhassen9 »

ghaff wrote: post #221
akudha wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was a kid, I read about Jack Welch and thought he was great. Later I learned of all the shenanigans he pulled, not just unethical, but illegal stuff. And the way he trampled people. Bill Gates is a respected philanthropist today, he too did all kinds of shady, ruthless stuff to get to the top. Everywhere I look, same story - Amazon, Facebook, Google... The only big company I think is okay is Costco - either th…

For any successful company, you can probably find ex-employees who think that some "fat trimming" was excessive and unnecessarily cruel or that they pushed some line or another in excessive ways. The Jack Welch case (and I'd add Mark Hurd at HP) was an example of financial engineering looking great for a time--until it wasn't.

ghaff. you said the first part well well. Welch "looked great" its the second part "until it wasn't." that stands out to me...because his approach, to kill the goose to get the golden eggs, so to speak, was doomed from the beginning. Its just hard to tell early on if you don't know what to look for. People in his orgs knew what was happening, but hard to go against the "hero".

I don't know a solution to these kinds of scenarios except for having a more wise and educated populace. Perhaps trusting the people at the bottom. Big issues. Hard to solve. And in today's world, harder than ever.

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#447

Post by rkhassen9 »

vik0 wrote: post #372
jvanderbot wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unorthodox suggestion - look at the documentaries and lit on mob tactics. The mob is basically a corporation, held together by a charismatic CEO. In its later years, violence was (I think?) less common, so politics and deal-making became the norm. However, given the subject matter, they likely wouldn't whitewash the reality of it.

>Unorthodox suggestion - look at the documentaries and lit on mob tactics. You got any documentaries and books/articles to recommend?

@jvanderbot agreed. I think you are on to something. where can we go to learn more?

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#448

Post by mariconrobot »

jll29 wrote: post #115

Reading some of these books recommended here, perhaps the most shocking thing is that so much is due to randomness: an arbitrary person does something small that turns out to be on the critical path, and without it the big thing would not get completed. I like the kind of books recommended here, but please be aware of survivor's bias (there not many books about failures! Any great recommendations? "How we could NOT g…

stfu

Re: Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things

#450

Post by rottc0dd »

rottc0dd wrote: post #147

I really "Idea Man" by Paul Newman. Though survivorship bias is apparent, it was insightful read on how Apple an Msft came to be and why they are what they are. For example, why closed system was important and worked for Apple. It was great read until he leaves Microsoft.

Too late to edit. Paul Allen it is
Post reply on HN