Antifragile

I used to think the goal was resilience — being able to absorb whatever came at you and return to normal. Taleb made me realise that's not the highest bar you can set.

Antifragile things don't just survive disorder. They actually improve because of it. Bones grow stronger under stress. Some businesses get better during a crisis.

The concept completely changed how I think about uncertainty. Instead of trying to avoid disruption, the question became: am I building things that gain from it?

It's the densest book on this list. But it permanently adds a useful lens to how you see the world.