Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?

another +1 for these three: The Soul of a New Machine - Kidder

Definitely one of the best tech case study books I've ever read. Book flows so well.

after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too).

"Soul of a new machine" by Tracy Kidder.

"The Mythical Man-Month" - Fred Brooks : A classic book of software engineering but it is so much more. If you have aspirations of becoming an effective manager, you need this book.

Masters of Doom. Great book about John Carmack and id software.

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy

It's an interesting read because it gives you a great background

Currently reading "The Making Of The Atomic Bomb" and it's so comprehensive.

'The Making of The Atomic Bomb', Rhodes

Has some interesting technical detail, and gives perspective on a very different time on the internet.

- The Dream Machine (probably the densest and most informative computer history book I've read)

'The Dream Machine: J. C. R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal' by M. Mitchell Waldrop was an amazing historical vertical slice

Its a very good book.

The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner

- The Idea Factory

"The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation" by Jon Gertner

_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.

you might want to check out Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland.

"Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days" is a good collection of stories

_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books