Book · 1983
High Output Management
by Andrew S. Grove
A former Intel CEO explains management as a production problem, with output measured in decisions per hour, not hours worked.
What does Reddit think of High Output Management?
"Most of these are fluff." That's a ↑34 r/Entrepreneur comment clearing the room before naming High Output Management as the most influential book the poster has read, wishing they'd found it years earlier. Eight recognized mentions across four subreddits over seven years isn't much runway, and the record thins fast after 2019 to one mention each in 2021 and 2022. Two other data points repeat the shape. A r/cscareerquestions comment (↑37) recommends it hard enough that the poster wrote a standalone outline of the book afterward. A r/startups comment (↑29) calls reading it a major triggering event in the shift from player-coach thinking to running the business rather than working inside it. All three describe personal transformation, not a comparison against competing management texts. Nobody in the displayed excerpts argues with any of this. That's thin ground for a verdict, but what's here points the same direction three separate times.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Moving from player-coach to actually running the operation
- · Management as a production and output problem, not a soft skill
- · Personal-transformation testimonials rather than book comparisons
- · A small but consistent record across founder-adjacent subreddits
Common praise
- + A r/cscareerquestions commenter (↑37) liked it enough to write a standalone outline of the book afterward.
- + r/Entrepreneur (↑34) calls it the most influential book the poster has ever read, ahead of a pile of other titles the same comment dismisses as fluff.
- + r/startups (↑29) frames it as the actual trigger for shifting from player-coach thinking into working on the business instead of in it.
Common criticism
- − Eight recognized mentions in seven years, thinning to one a year by 2021 and 2022, isn't much of a Reddit footprint to draw conclusions from.
- − None of the displayed excerpts compare it against other management texts, so there's no visible pushback to weigh against the praise.
- − All three usable quotes are personal-impact statements, not breakdowns of what the book's chapters actually argue.
Who it's for
Just stopped being the best individual contributor on the team and started answering for other people's output? The r/startups comment (↑29) is describing your exact transition. Written off a decade of management books as interchangeable fluff? The r/Entrepreneur commenter (↑34) says that about everything else on their list except this one. Founders and engineering leads make up the visible audience here, not general business readers — three of the four subreddits skew toward people building something, not administering an org chart that already exists. The record's thin enough that your own experience will end up carrying more weight than any of this.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for High Output Management?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“**Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss** The most important book on this list. It outlines and reinforces the fact that business, negotiation and any human interaction is inherently very emotional. It’s centered around negotiation but this book has so many solid management and leadership princip…
“It is about 4X-10X more expensive and time consuming to build hardware products when compared to a software products. Hardware cannot be changed with an update if there is a problem after release. Hardware creates supply chain lines in your business. (Which puts you on a time schedule whether you…
“High Output Management, from former Intel CEO, Andy Grove. I cannot recommend this book enough. Hell, I loved it so much [I wrote an outline about it.](
“Most of these are fluff. High Output Management by Andrew Grove has been the most influential book I’ve ever read. I wish I read it years ago.
“Agreed. I’d summarize this as “working on the business, rather than in it”. The transition from player-coach to a true leading executive is a big step. Reading High Output Management by Andrew Grove was a major triggering event for my development as a founder in that situation.
“Here are the ones I aggregated from a couple of places - haven't read all though. Many of these have had really good feedback/upvotes/comments, and therefore I believe make a really good list. ​ **Tranche 1 - without a summary (However, well recommended):** 1. The Black Swan 2. Thinking…
Convinced? Pick up High Output Management
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with High Output Management — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring High Output Management
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
High Output Management — frequently asked
Is High Output Management by Andy Grove worth reading for new founders?+
Yes, on the one data point that speaks to it directly. A ↑29 r/startups comment calls reading it a major triggering event in moving from player-coach thinking to actually running the business, which is close to a textbook description of the new-founder problem this book targets.
What does r/Entrepreneur think of High Output Management?+
About as strong an endorsement as this dataset gets. A ↑34 comment opens by calling most business-book recommendations fluff, then names this one the most influential book the poster has read, adding they wish they'd read it years earlier.
Is High Output Management better than other management books people recommend?+
No direct comparison shows up in the data, but the framing implies one. The ↑34 r/Entrepreneur comment dismisses a pile of other titles as fluff before singling this one out, which functions as a ranking even without naming what it's being ranked against.
Should engineers read High Output Management before becoming managers?+
The one cscareerquestions data point says yes, emphatically. A ↑37 comment recommends it strongly enough that the poster wrote their own outline of the book afterward, which is a heavier engagement than a passing reading-list mention.