Summer reading 2025: books about ai, uncertainty, and leadership
- Aege Steensma
- Jul 8
- 4 min read
For several years now, I've been sending book title suggestions for the winter and summer holidays, and the responses have always been very kind. So here we are again.
Two books about AI; one about Nvidia and another about OpenAI. Previously, I wrote in the monthly newsletters about the relevance of AI. These books provide insight into the background of two important players in AI.
The geopolitical challenges in the world haven't escaped your notice. A book about the tech company Huawei, China, and the relationship to geopolitical tensions...
Following on from this, dealing with unpredictability is a natural next subject... how creativity, imagination, storytelling and communication skills are essential for leaders in unprecedentedly uncertain times.
Sometimes it seems as though the sustainability agenda has faded into the background... whilst private enterprises can precisely take a leading role that shouldn't be underestimated in this necessary transition.
About holding onto leadership for too long... in family businesses, I've unfortunately seen too often what the sometimes almost dramatic consequences are of the tendency of the older generation who refuse to give way. A book about President Biden's re-election attempt...
Finally, two books that aren't directly related to your professional role.
A beautiful history about the decline of Budapest. And a book about powerful women who dedicate themselves to contributing to global nature conservation...
I wish you a wonderful summer. With your loved ones. Take distance from your professional role. Enjoy eachother and nature. Take time to listen, to question each other and to enjoytogether. After the summer, our paths will cross again!
Warm regards,
Aegeus
This is the fascinating story of Jensen Huang, the visionary behind Nvidia who transformed a small video game component company into the world's most valuable tech enterprise. Witt shows how Huang, a Taiwanese immigrant with an almost religious conviction in technological progress, staked everything on AI more than a decade ago when others didn't yet believe in it. The book reveals how one man and his microchip have fuelled the AI revolution and thereby redefined our future.
Hagey portrays Sam Altman as the ultimate comeback kid of Silicon Valley who transformed OpenAI from an idealistic startup to leader in the race towards artificial general intelligence. The book reveals how Altman, despite his brilliant business instincts, sometimes moves too quickly for the people around him. From his precarious childhood to his temporary dismissal and spectacular return at OpenAI, this book shows a man who knows how to bend reality to his will whilst ushering in the 'AI era'.
Dou takes you into the mysterious world of Huawei, the Chinese telecom company that grew from obscure startup to one of the world's most powerful tech organisations. The story follows the eccentric founder Ren Zhengfei and his daughter Meng Wanzhou, whose arrest in 2018 caused an international hostage crisis. This book reveals the complex relationship between Huawei and the Chinese state, and shows how this company sits at the centre of the current geopolitical technology battle between the US and China.
Bhidé explores how entrepreneurs and leaders deal with uncertainty - that fundamental doubt about what is or could be. Inspired by the forgotten insights of economist Frank Knight, he demonstrates that confidence doesn't stem from facts alone, but from stories that combine reason, evidence and creative interpretations. This book explains why startups and large companies can coexist, and how vividly described possibilities help transform the imaginable into reality.
Bank Jorgensen, who advises boards worldwide, demonstrates that the drive towards sustainability hasn't failed but evolved. This book offers a transformation guide for boards navigating our complex world where ESG initiatives face resistance whilst stakeholders demand more. With insights from top directors worldwide, she shows how boards can operate to tackle unprecedented challenges and execute their supervisory function more effectively.
Tapperand Thompson reveal the behind-the-scenes story of one of the most significant decisions in American political history: Biden's decision to seek re-election despite signs of his cognitive decline. Based on approximately 200 interviews, this explosive book exposes how Biden's inner circle not only lied to the press and public, but also to cabinet members, White House staff and Democratic congressmen about how serious the situation had become.
This masterpiece takes you to the Budapest of WWII, a city once called the'Casablanca of Central Europe'. LeBor tells the story of a fascinating period when spies, diplomats, aristocrats and heroes came together in a city that became both refuge and battlefield. From the naive optimism of the late thirties to the gruesome siege in the winter of 1944, this book shows how a cosmopolitan capital perished whilst thousands risked their lives to save others.
Lonsdale tells the inspiring stories of five extraordinary women who fought for their right to explore, study and protect the wild places of our planet. From Mina Hubbard, who shocked the exploration community in 1905 by stepping into a canoe in northern Labrador, to Wangari Maathai, who planted millions of trees inAfrica - this book shows how women broke the myth that only men can experience heroic tales in the wilderness.