The best books we read this year 📚 - The Data Exchange Podcast Recap

Podcast: The Data Exchange Podcast

Published: 2025-12-24

Duration: 15 minutes

Summary

This episode features a curated list of twelve non-fiction books that the host found impactful over the year, covering topics from technology and business history to creative partnerships and geopolitical dynamics.

What Happened

The episode kicks off by discussing 'The Thinking Machines,' highlighting NVIDIA's journey from a struggling startup to a leading AI company, and the competitive landscape it navigated. The book also touches on the release of Google's Gemini 3 and the significance of Google's TPUs in the AI industry.

Next, the host delves into Lionel Barber's biography of Masa Son, 'Gambling Man,' which offers insights into Son's influential role in tech investing, beyond the WeWork fiasco and the dot-com bubble. The book also covers the cultural and historical aspects of Japanese corporate culture and the Korean community in post-war Japan.

'Apple in China' reveals the complexities of modern manufacturing and the logistical challenges of relocating operations from China to the US. The book provides a deep dive into Apple's extensive training programs that have shaped a specialized manufacturing ecosystem.

The discussion continues with 'The House of Huawei,' which explores Huawei's hierarchical yet effective corporate culture, its current dominance in chip production in China, and the government's support for using Huawei chips in large-scale AI models.

'Every Screen on the Planet' uncovers the inner workings of TikTok and ByteDance, revealing the manual processes behind TikTok's recommendation engine, which is often perceived as purely AI-driven.

The host also touches on 'Breakneck' by Dan Wang, discussing China's identity as an engineering state focused on manufacturing and construction, contrasting it with the US's procedural emphasis. This book has been widely discussed across various platforms for its compelling thesis.

Key Insights