Article · curated list

AI Canon

Derrick Harris, Matt Bornstein, Guido Appenzeller · Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Free Intermediate

When you want to go deeper than headlines, this is a curated map of the resources that actually explain modern AI, sorted from gentle introductions to market analysis. Instead of trusting one loud take, you can read the primary sources and form your own view. Treat it as a menu: pick the introductions and the market pieces, skip the heavy research papers unless you are curious.

  • Go to primary explainers instead of secondhand hot takes
  • A weekend of reading can make you conversant enough to judge claims
  • Separate the introductory pieces from the deep technical papers you can skip
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The question it answers

  1. As a non-technical founder, how do I evaluate a tech-heavy trend like AI without getting fooled by hype?

Read with it

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  2. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  3. Video · ~25 min How to Talk to Users Eric Migicovsky
  4. This is the canonical piece that put jobs to be done on the map, written by the people who coined it. It uses the famous... Harvard Business Review Article · ~20 min read Know Your Customers' Jobs to Be Done Clayton Christensen et al.
  5. Video · ~50 min How to Evaluate Startup Ideas Kevin Hale, Y Combinator
  6. Perez shows that real technological revolutions run on 50 year cycles with a predictable frenzy, a crash, and then a long... Goodreads Book · 224 pages Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital Carlota Perez
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