Shoe Dog
A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
by Phil Knight · first published 2014
75% recommend24% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Personal, well-told memoir of founding Nike that shows the struggle of self-financing a company and overcoming hard problems; suits entrepreneurs and anyone wanting an inspiring, easy read, with a good audiobook.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company's early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world's most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands. In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his lime green Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed $8,000 his first year. Today, Nike's annual sales top $30 billion. In
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What Hacker News says
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- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon by Valley John Carreyrou - Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep by Matthew Walker - The Magicians by Lev Grossman - Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight - How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan - Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World by Hans Rosling - Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor…
on “Analyzing Hacker News book suggestions in Python” ↗…Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity 16. Sapiens 17. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon 18. If you like space: Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery 19. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike 20. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking 21. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela 22. The DevOps Handbook: How to…
on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗…Jodi Picoult > Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari > Born to Run Bruce Springsteen > The Content Trap Bharat Anand > The Gene: An Intimate History Siddhartha Mukherjee > Shoe Dog Phil Knight > Attitude: Develop a Winning Mindset on and off the Court Jay Wright > The Euro and the Battle of Ideas Markus K. Brunnermeier, Harold James, Jean-Pierre Landau > 7 Powers: The Foundations…
on “Annual survey of book recommendations” ↗…numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by. 3. "Shoe Dog" (Phil Knight) The story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…by Bill Bryson that covers what we know about the creation of the world thus far. You'll enjoy it. 8. The Boys in the Boat Very inspiring story about the men's 1936 olympic gold metal rowing team 9. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight Very inspiring story by the creator of Nike. One of the best memoirs I've ever read. 10. Lessons of History by Will Durant Short and extremely thought provoking. Stylistically tough to…
on “Audible and audiobooks, the fastest growing part of publishing” ↗Sapiens/Homo Deus - History of Humankind. Also goes into topics of how money came to be and evolved over time. Homo Deus is the follow up book by the same author which focuses on humanity’s future. Shoe Dog - Nike founder Phil Knight shares the story of the company’s early days. Chasing the Scream - History and impact of drug criminalisation (War on Drugs). The author describes the War on Drugs (mostly…
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗And read Phil Knight's memoir, "Shoe Dog." https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0176M1A44
on “Inside the Cult of Nike” ↗Yeah, same feeling here as well. In his otherwise excellent book Shoe Dog, Phil Knight spent a paragraph talking about Rob Strasser, an early employee who left for Adidas, and about how it was a breach of loyalty.
on “Cisco's Feud with Former Star Executive Turns Personal and Costly” ↗> I recently read Shoe Dogs I suspect you're referring to "Shoe Dog" (singular, not plural) by Phil Knight describing the early history of Nike. It is a fascinating book, indeed.
on “Books I Recommend” ↗…certainly had a profound impact on my life. As an entrepreneur, I found the best way to learn about life is to read biographies of successful people, especially the ones that speak of the transformations. Shoe Dog - Phil Knight Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein - Walter Isaacson
on “Ask HN: What are good resources for life advice?” ↗A few people already recommended this already but I'll add some of my thoughts. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. It's a memoir by the founder of Nike. The book goes deep into his emotional rollercoaster, starting from nothing to eventually going IPO.
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗I have come to appreciate biographies of successful people in their endeavors. Had highly enjoyed Nike founder story: Shoe Dog. The personal touch with which Phil Knight wrote the story, has left a deep impression about him and the story. Also read Bad Blood, which was pretty interesting. Any recommendations for biographies/stories…
on “Ask HN: Biographies/Book recommendations that a startup founder can relate to?” ↗Go running. Then read Shoe Dog by Phil Knight and go running again. If you have gotten unfit the book will have you laughing with the guy at all he had thrown at him and then you'll find that you get over yourself the next run you…
on “Ask HN: In these uncertain times, how do you handle anxiousness” ↗…we inhabit. My personal favorites of the genre are Titan (about Rockefeller and Standard Oil), The Organization Man (an anthropological study of the "company man" archetype from post-WW2 America), and Shoe Dog (much lighter reading than the other two, and a great read about the founding of Nike). Anyway, I just grabbed a copy. More history book recommendations welcome!
on “SEC charges VMware with misleading investors by obscuring financial performance” ↗Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. A memoir of how Nike was build from scratch. Written is a witty funny way that can be totally funny and brutally honest.
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗