Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by sveng 2943 days ago
Mr Dalio wrote the book because he is interested in optimizing business results, and learning how people work together best and why.

If you’ve started a business, or manage people in a business, this book is worth more than many MBA courses.

The fact that a person with his exceptional track record decided to share much of the Bridgewater “secret sauce” is rare, and a real treat.

1 comments

Another reason that people like Dalio write books like this it to be able to justify their success for reasons other than just luck.

It's them saying "Sure I have a billion dollars but I deserve it because":

a) I have worked hard and long hours b) I am crafty and curious c) I think and I do smart things d) I put in a great deal of work and effort.

I remember long ago reading a book "Swim with the Sharks" about a guy who ran a envelope company. In reading what he said was the reason for his success were (from memory) a bunch of things that honestly all business people of that stature (small businessmen) generally do. I had heard those things in person (in various ways) from countless others. This author (Harvey Mackay) was all the rage in the 80's because he put in writing in a way that most people didn't realize was already common knowledge and being done. [1] The press loved it because it was folksy. Not the same as Dalio here but was a great marketing tool for Mackay and made him a mini celebrity.

[1] One of the things I remember in particular was his way of noting little things about people that he sold to so when he met them again he could act as if he cared about them. (He did I guess otherwise he wouldn't have taken the time to note things about them but it was really that he cared about getting more business not that he actually did care about them in a personal way).

What if they are right?