What's the best book for a tech guy who's becoming CEO?
I have no idea how to run a company. Is there a book that covers some of what that means?
You should probably find someone who does know how to run a company. You learn that through a long process of increased responsibility and mentoring on the job, not from a book.
It won’t matter if the company consists of you calling yourself CEO, but it will matter if other people’s incomes and future depend on your ability to manage a company.
What's the context:
CEO of a small bootstrapped laundromat doing revenue of $300k a year with 1 employee?
CEO of a mid stage startup with a few million in revenue and dozens of employees?
CEO your own side projects with no revenue but aiming for revenue?
I found “The personal MBA” by Jeff Kauffman to be a good start in that it provides a good foundational mental model to build on top of
You need a mentor, not a book. Ask your network or people you trust to refer you to one.
Please ignore the guy who's saying "you need a mentor, not a book". Sure, get a mentor because that's easier to consume than a book. But in addition do read everything you can on it. I don't have a special suggestion, this is just general advice.
Get a really good COO and keep on hacking
Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin goes in deep about the challenges of leading a company. It felt honest and truthful and talks about the implications of each choice they made in tech and marketing.