Damn, you could have cribbed this list from my own notes on various business/startup books over the years.
I like the idea that business books have an emotional appeal. I think it comes from buying the book itself. The more famous a book is, the more people will feel good about reading it, no matter how little it practically benefits them. I think there's a related psychological effect where luxury items sometimes sell more when their price increases.
I think that most business books hyperfocus on one or a few simplified "rules" (hell, Ray Dalio's book is literally called "Principles") and ignore any messy complications or cofactors. If you really want a laugh, read Smart's "Topgrading" which spends an entire half a book telling you that later chapters are going to really improve your hiring process, and the second half of the book repeating some simple rules without bothering to defend them against obvious objections. "Punished by Rewards" makes a simple case and then burns through the remainder of the pages dissing Skinner. "Built to Last" is a collection of anecdotes about business that make bold and authoritative statements that are still up for debate (such as where exactly Hewlett Packard went wrong). "Blitzscaling" hangs its entire thesis on the success of the Sambear brothers, which seems ridiculous to me.
I like the idea that business books have an emotional appeal. I think it comes from buying the book itself. The more famous a book is, the more people will feel good about reading it, no matter how little it practically benefits them. I think there's a related psychological effect where luxury items sometimes sell more when their price increases.
I think that most business books hyperfocus on one or a few simplified "rules" (hell, Ray Dalio's book is literally called "Principles") and ignore any messy complications or cofactors. If you really want a laugh, read Smart's "Topgrading" which spends an entire half a book telling you that later chapters are going to really improve your hiring process, and the second half of the book repeating some simple rules without bothering to defend them against obvious objections. "Punished by Rewards" makes a simple case and then burns through the remainder of the pages dissing Skinner. "Built to Last" is a collection of anecdotes about business that make bold and authoritative statements that are still up for debate (such as where exactly Hewlett Packard went wrong). "Blitzscaling" hangs its entire thesis on the success of the Sambear brothers, which seems ridiculous to me.