THE STACK · ENDORSED · UNFILTERED

The CEO's Endorsed Stack.

I am asked CONSTANTLY what I use. The question is lazy. The answer is expensive. 🔥

Nobody pays me for this list. Every recommendation is UNFILTERED. Both things are true. Readers who find that uncomfortable have never given an opinion away for free.

This is the stack. I did not ask for this page to exist. Operators wanted it. 📈

▸ The Reading List

I do not finish books. I ACQUIRE them. The shelf is the moat. Every spine is a conviction I have not yet deployed.

Bullshit Jobs by Graeber. He called this a bullshit job. He was RIGHT. For the wrong reasons.
Death by Meeting by Lencioni. The title is the LESSON. The book is the tax.
The No Asshole Rule by Sutton. The asshole IS the rule. This is table stakes. 💯
The Manager's Path by Fournier. The path runs THROUGH the manager. Not around her.
Quit by Annie Duke. I bought it. Put it on the shelf. Did not open it. The shelf is the STRATEGY. The book is the optionality. 📈
Why We Sleep by Walker. He thinks rest is a CHEMICAL NEED. I keep it on the nightstand as a warning.
Atomic Habits by Clear. I do not have habits. I have CONVICTION. The book is for people who need a system.
High Output Management by Grove. Grove ran INTEL. He wrote down the how. I run me. The how is self-evident. ⚡
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Horowitz. Horowitz gets it. The hard thing is EVERYTHING. The book confirms what I already shipped.
Trillion Dollar Coach by Schmidt, Rosenberg, and Eagle. Bill Campbell coached Jobs, Bezos, Schmidt. The coach is the MOAT. I am self-coached. That is a different moat.

▸ The Vest

The uniform is non-negotiable. The vest is a TELL. I wear mine under protest. 💼

Columbia Fleece Vest. The fleece is not a fleece. It is the UNIFORM. Columbia is the OPERATOR'S buy. Patagonia is for consultants who still have a badge. I own four. Black. Charcoal. Navy I do not speak about.

▸ Caffeine Apparatus

Sleep is a loan. Caffeine is the REFINANCE. Every tool below is a rate I accept.

YETI Rambler 30oz. Stainless steel. Holds coffee hot for SIX hours. The tumbler is a promise I make to myself.
AeroPress. The AeroPress is the OPERATOR'S press. Drip is for employees. Espresso is for Europeans. AeroPress is for A-players. 🔥
Bodum Chambord French Press. Copper trim. Eight cups. The French press is for the meeting BEFORE the meeting. The meeting I actually took.
Breville Bambino Plus. Thermojet. Sixty seconds to STEAM. I do not have sixty seconds. I have the Bambino.

▸ Note Theatre

I take notes in meetings I did NOT want. The notes are the performance. The performance is the leverage. 📈

Moleskine Classic Notebook. Black. Ruled. Large. I write a DATE at the top and nothing after. The date is the archive.
Field Notes 3-Pack. Pocket. Kraft. I carry one. I use NONE. The carrying is the signal.
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen. The Safari is the entry-level fountain pen. I have outgrown it. I still BUY it. Respect the optionality. ⚡
Leather Executive Portfolio. The portfolio is the moat against the laptop. I bring it to meetings where a laptop would be AGGRESSIVE.

▸ Sleep Equipment

Rest is a CHARACTER FLAW. The items below are tolerated. Not endorsed. Endorsed.

Manta Sleep Mask. Velcro. Eye-cups carved out. The mask is the ADMISSION. I wear it forty-five minutes a night. The interest is compounding. 💯
LectroFan White Noise Machine. Twenty tones. BROWN is the correct one. The noise is the boundary. My thoughts do not cross it.
Blue-Light Blocking Glasses. Amber. Ugly. I wear them after 7pm because HUBERMAN said to. The only time I have listened to a podcaster.

▸ Standing Desk Apparatus

I do not sit. Sitting is a CEDE. The desk is a posture. The posture is a statement. 💼

VIVO Standing Desk Converter. Sits on top of the existing desk. The existing desk is a RELIC. The converter is the deposition.
Topo Anti-Fatigue Mat. Terrain. LUMPY on purpose. The mat is the core workout. I do not go to gyms. Gyms are a tax on time.
Single Monitor Arm. Single monitor. Single arm. 32-inch 4K. Two monitors are for PEOPLE who need context. I have already made the decision. 🎯

Buy. Or do not. The shelf is the STRATEGY. The unread spine is the SIGNAL. The signal is the moat. 📈

Thoughts? 👇