Founder connections
- Bill GatesPublisher endorsementThe publisher attributes an endorsement to Gates praising the guidance and insights Dalio makes available in Principles.Source
- Mark CubanPublisher endorsementIn the publisher’s endorsement section, Cuban says he wishes he had this book as a young entrepreneur and praises its emphasis on learning how to learn.Source
- Michael BloombergPublisher endorsementSimon & Schuster prints Bloomberg’s endorsement of Dalio’s approach to principles. This is a book-specific endorsement, not proof that he completed it or used its methods at Bloomberg.Source
Summary
Ray Dalio draws on his life and work at Bridgewater Associates to explain the rules he uses for making decisions and managing an organization. He describes a culture built around open discussion, radical truth and transparency, and an idea meritocracy. The book combines career lessons with approaches to challenges, team building and systems that weigh decisions by the knowledge and experience of the people involved.
Why read it Our view
Read it to examine how a team makes decisions, handles disagreement and learns from experience. Dalio’s approach offers founders questions about which rules to write down, whose judgment to weigh and how open discussion works in their own organization.