Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel is a billionaire entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and co-founder of PayPal and Palantir. Blake Masters was a student at Stanford Law School who took notes during Thiel’s lectures in 2012, which later became the foundation for the book.

Zero to One by Peter Thiel, with Blake Masters, is a powerful guide to innovation and the mindset required to build the future. Thiel argues that the next great entrepreneurs will not be those who copy Bill Gates or Larry Page, but those who create something entirely new. Copying takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of what already exists. True innovation, however, takes us from 0 to 1—from nothing to something groundbreaking.

Drawing from his Stanford University lectures, Thiel explores the culture of startups, the importance of disruptive technologies, and the courage it takes to dream differently. Rather than offering biographies of famous entrepreneurs, he focuses on the principles of original thinking, breaking conventions, and forging new paths in business.

Written in clear and engaging language, Zero to One is both rational and inspiring—a must-read not just for aspiring entrepreneurs, but for anyone who believes the future can be shaped by bold, original ideas.