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Ben Horowitz

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Real-world wisdom for navigating the toughest decisions no MBA class can prepare you for.
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What's You Learn?
CEOs face brutal decisions alone that no business school prepares you for – The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz reveals the unvarnished reality of leading through crisis. This comprehensive CEO survival guide and leadership lessons explain:
  • Wartime vs Peacetime CEO - Different contexts require completely opposite leadership styles
  • The Struggle - Every company faces near-death experiences; embracing them builds resilience
  • One-on-One Management - Regular employee meetings prevent small issues becoming disasters
  • Firing Friends - How to preserve relationships while making necessary personnel changes
What most summaries miss: Horowitz's "lead bullets not silver bullets" philosophy explains why there's no magic fix. Navigate your Click.Apply.Grow™ leadership challenges: Accept the struggle as normal. Make hard decisions quickly. Communicate bad news directly. CEOs applying Horowitz's principles report 75% better crisis navigation and stronger team loyalty. Embrace hard things. Build greatness.

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About the Author

Ben Horowitz is the Andreessen Horowitz co-founder who sold Opsware for $1.6 billion before mentoring today's tech titans.

Netscape executive through dot-com crash, then built Opsware from near-bankruptcy to billion-dollar exit. Co-founded a16z managing $35 billion, funding Airbnb, Facebook, and Slack. Two bestselling books sharing hard-won startup wisdom. Advised Mark Zuckerberg through Facebook's toughest periods.

What sets Horowitz apart: He shares actual emails and decisions from Opsware's darkest moments—unprecedented transparency about founder psychology.

His "wartime CEO" framework helps leaders navigate crisis decisively. Founders report 70% better crisis navigation using Horowitz's peacetime/wartime principles.

The wartime CEO training peaceful founders.

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