The CEO of UpGrad Srikanth Iyengar recommends books, podcasts & one newsletter.

Duration: 3:51 807 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

Srikanth Iyengar, the CEO of UpGrad, emphasizes that there is no substitute for reading and maintaining curiosity as the foundation for continuous learning. He attributes his habit to reading extensively to his parents, who instilled this value in him from a young age. While he still enjoys the traditional experience of sitting with a cup of coffee to read physical books, he acknowledges that finding uninterrupted time is often difficult in today's fast-paced world. Consequently, he has adapted his learning style to include consuming content in smaller, stackable bits through podcasts and reading specific snippets or key components of books rather than always finishing them cover-to-cover. Beyond solitary reading, Iyengar highlights the transformative power of conversations with people outside one's immediate professional circle as a crucial method for expanding perspective. He explains that while connecting dots within one's own landscape is valuable, engaging with individuals from different backgrounds opens up entirely new vistas to understanding the bigger picture. This approach is particularly relevant in an AI-native workforce where technology evolves rapidly; by actively talking to young people and learners who are more tech-savvy than he initially realized, he stays current with modern interactions and avoids the trap of spending too much time curating his own learning path at the expense of spontaneous discovery. When discussing specific recommendations, Iyengar suggests a diverse range of authors and topics that blend technology, history, and societal analysis. He praises Mustafa Suleyman's book on artificial intelligence for its quality and depth, while also expressing strong admiration for the works of Noah Harari, which offer broad historical and philosophical context. Additionally, he frequently reads Michael Lewis for his unique insights into the intersection of society, economy, and specific businesses, and he has read every book by William Dalrymple, whose work on Indian history provides him with parallels to understand current environments better. Ultimately, Iyengar concludes that being insatiably curious is the best way to learn, as it allows one to discover amazing things beyond their immediate field of expertise. He shares his personal passion for history, noting that reading about different worlds and eras provides essential context and parallels that help navigate today's complex challenges. By combining the discipline of reading with the openness of cross-disciplinary conversations and a genuine desire to explore new ideas, he believes individuals can build a robust and adaptable mindset that thrives in an ever-changing global landscape.

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you know weekly newsletters I've done and I would really urge you to uh you know take a look and uh Shriant I don't know if you've had a chance to take a look >> I have it's very impressive I recommend it wholeheartedly to your listeners as well discussion we have at home as well I think if you went back in the one thing I'm fortunate about is I do read quite a bit and this is something I learned from my parents they both read and therefore I've read and that helps and I would recommend to all our listeners there is no substitute to just reading and being curious. That's number one. But the way one read has changed. You know, earlier, you know, we I I probably read books. I'd buy a book and read it. I still do buy physical books. That just tells you how old I am. There's no substitute sitting with a cup of coffee and reading a book when you can. But time is difficult to find all the time. And therefore, I end up learning in what I'd call smaller bits. Going back to your point about stackable, that's how I learn a lot more. you know, I I listen to some podcasts, you know, podcasts like the one we're doing today. I, you know, I I I read in small bits and I probably read less books end to end. I tend to read like certain snippets of those or certain key components move on. But the other thing I've really learned from which was which is different from before is I learn a lot more through conversations today. I learned by talking to people who are outside of your normal working environment, you know, and because often we talk about connecting the dots and I know you and I spoke about this, right? All of us say you connect the dots, you get a clearer picture. If you pick a dot which is way outside your landscape, it just opens up a whole new vistor to the picture. And that's how I found I learned you know like I said u you know one thing I've tried to do very consciously because I used to think I was techsavvy but clearly an AI native workforce is far more techsavvy than I am and there are certain things that I've learned you know for me even today while I use the mobile a lot I I use a like a desktop or I mean a laptop right for a for a mobile first genz audience a laptop is a very archaic concept so how do they interact with technology. I talk to a lot of young people wherever I can. My daughter's friends, others are learners themselves. So, it's a combination of all these aspects. So, all I'd say is, you know, spending too much time curating what you learn is often in my view the the the biggest disservice you can do to yourself. Yes, there are certain areas you want to focus on learning for because they're related to your work or your skill. But being curious sometimes opens up some amazing things. You know personally I'm a big history buff for example I read a lot of history in a different world I might have been a history professor for all you know but reading history sometimes gives me different parallels or context that I can relate to today's environment other people use others I'd say just be curious just be curious and be insatiable that that's probably the best way to learn so yeah >> who who are some of your favorite uh writers you know uh what are some of the books you would recommend >> in in in recent times you I've I've I've read a lot on technology. I I really enjoyed uh Mustava Salman's book on AI that was actually you know very very good but if you take you know I read a lot of you all Noah Harari as well I mean you know I'm a big fan of his books um I I I've read a lot of Michael Lewis's books as well he's got a very interesting take on sort of the uh you know the the the interaction between society and economy and certain specific businesses if you call it that. uh but I I also you know end up reading like I said you know history so coming back to India interestingly I've read every one of William Dal Ruple's books you know and >> one of my favorites too >> and his podcast is something I've listened to as well so that's that's actually quite uh quite interesting so quite quite a quite a wide variety in that sense so