Zero to One : Notes on Startup

Peter Theil, a technocrat, figures as one of the lead mentors in Silicon Valley for entrepreneurship. He has also taught at Stanford. Zero  to One :  Notes on start-ups or how to build the future is a book which he has written along with Blake Masters, published by Penguin Random House in 2014. 

The book is presented in 14 chapters ranging from compilation of experiences on start-up, culture, entrepreneurship and business world, has a cult following. in this book, he tried to work on some of the concepts for new age business world and suggested new age founders. He writes that this book is about how to build companies that create new things. Technology is miraculous because it allows us to do more with less, ratcheting fundamental capabilities to a higher level.
He explains why it is easier to start a new technology in start-ups as he says it’s hard to develop new things in big organisations, and it’s even harder to do it by yourself. Bureaucratic hierarchy is more slowly and entrenched interest away from this. In the most dysfunctional organisations, signalling that work is being done, becomes a better strategy for career advancement than actually doing work . 
On the other extreme alone, genius might create a classic work of art or literature, but he could never create an entire industry. In the chapter “Secrets” he writes that “there are two kinds of secrets: secrets of nature and secrets about the people. Natural secrets exist all around us: to find them. One must study some undiscovered aspect of the physical world. Secrets about people are different; they are things that people don’t know about themselves or things they hide because they don’t want others to know. So when thinking about what kind of company to build, there are two distinct questions to ask; what secrets is not telling you? What secrets are people not telling you?”
Further, he adds that what to do with the secrets as everybody is faced with a choice, whether to tell anyone or to keep it to oneself, he states that some secrets are more dangerous than others, and it is rarely a good idea to tell everybody everything that you know. 
In the chapter "Foundations", he mentioned Theil's law:

“a start up messed at its foundation cannot be fixed.” as the beginnings are special. 

He states that

"from the outside, everyone in your company should be different in the same way.

 On the inside, every individual should be sharply distinguished by her work." 

The book is marked with plenty of graphs and charts. The pictorial depiction makes it easier for the author to put his points forth to the authors. Though the book is a decade old, its prescriptive nature makes it a good read for anyone aligning with the tech sector and start ups.