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How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University
"A rigorous, self-assured, propulsive, at times terrifying portrait of a dweebocracy that ‘sets the agenda for the planet’ . . . in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Wall Street chronicle Liar’s Poker.” —The New York Times
"If Baker’s portrait of Stanford could be its own movie (The Internship crossed with The Skulls), his gripping account of how a tip turned into a history-making investigation has the makings of All the President’s Men." —The San Francisco Chronicle
“Poignant, maddening, and genuinely hilarious, How to Rule the World is to be devoured—and fast, before Stanford buys up and sets fire to every copy. (Talk about a burn book!)” —Mark Leibovich
Winner of the George Polk Award for his investigation that brought down Stanford’s president, Theo Baker offers a revelatory and gripping account of Silicon Valley hubris
Slush funds. Shell companies. Yacht parties. This is life for Silicon Valley’s favored teenagers.
Seventeen-year-old Theo Baker showed up for freshman year at Stanford University as a tech-obsessed coder. It seemed like paradise. There were Rodin sculptures next to nuclear laboratories and inventors lounging with Olympians. But Baker soon discovered a culture that embraced corner-cutting, that vested infinite excess and access in the hands of kids with few safeguards to catch bad behavior.
Stanford, he realized, was less a school than a business. Its annual budget was nearly twice that of Harvard or Yale and higher than those of 116 countries. The product? Students. Especially those special few identified as the next trillion-dollar startup founders. For them, there were secret societies, “pre-idea” funding offers, and social calls from billionaires, all with the expectation that these geniuses would soon join the ruling elite.
At the helm of this business was Marc Tessier-Lavigne, a superstar neuroscientist and wealthy biotech executive. But when Baker joined the student newspaper and started poking around the Stanford president’s record, he discovered never-reported allegations of research misconduct in studies published across two decades bearing Tessier-Lavigne's name.
Only one month into college and thousands of miles from home, Baker began receiving anonymous letters, going on stakeouts, and tracking down confidential sources. High-powered lawyers and public relations teams were hired to attack his reporting. Stanford opened an investigation into its own leader. And by the end of the year, Tessier-Lavigne was out as president.
This is the incredible journey of a reluctant teenage reporter who uncovered a story that shook the scientific world and became front-page news across the country. It is also an unprecedented inside view of the students learning to rule the world—and what they’re learning from those who already do.
How to Rule the World is a shocking, hilarious, and moving debut, showcasing Silicon Valley’s training ground as never before.
"If Baker’s portrait of Stanford could be its own movie (The Internship crossed with The Skulls), his gripping account of how a tip turned into a history-making investigation has the makings of All the President’s Men." —The San Francisco Chronicle
“Poignant, maddening, and genuinely hilarious, How to Rule the World is to be devoured—and fast, before Stanford buys up and sets fire to every copy. (Talk about a burn book!)” —Mark Leibovich
Winner of the George Polk Award for his investigation that brought down Stanford’s president, Theo Baker offers a revelatory and gripping account of Silicon Valley hubris
Slush funds. Shell companies. Yacht parties. This is life for Silicon Valley’s favored teenagers.
Seventeen-year-old Theo Baker showed up for freshman year at Stanford University as a tech-obsessed coder. It seemed like paradise. There were Rodin sculptures next to nuclear laboratories and inventors lounging with Olympians. But Baker soon discovered a culture that embraced corner-cutting, that vested infinite excess and access in the hands of kids with few safeguards to catch bad behavior.
Stanford, he realized, was less a school than a business. Its annual budget was nearly twice that of Harvard or Yale and higher than those of 116 countries. The product? Students. Especially those special few identified as the next trillion-dollar startup founders. For them, there were secret societies, “pre-idea” funding offers, and social calls from billionaires, all with the expectation that these geniuses would soon join the ruling elite.
At the helm of this business was Marc Tessier-Lavigne, a superstar neuroscientist and wealthy biotech executive. But when Baker joined the student newspaper and started poking around the Stanford president’s record, he discovered never-reported allegations of research misconduct in studies published across two decades bearing Tessier-Lavigne's name.
Only one month into college and thousands of miles from home, Baker began receiving anonymous letters, going on stakeouts, and tracking down confidential sources. High-powered lawyers and public relations teams were hired to attack his reporting. Stanford opened an investigation into its own leader. And by the end of the year, Tessier-Lavigne was out as president.
This is the incredible journey of a reluctant teenage reporter who uncovered a story that shook the scientific world and became front-page news across the country. It is also an unprecedented inside view of the students learning to rule the world—and what they’re learning from those who already do.
How to Rule the World is a shocking, hilarious, and moving debut, showcasing Silicon Valley’s training ground as never before.
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Published May 19, 2026
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June 3, 2026
The story of a chaotic, headstrong freshman reporter investigating his own university president, mixed in with some Silicon Valley misadventures. It was a real page turner, but sometimes the way Baker portrays himself rubbed me the wrong way, and it drags by the end.
It’s a little tough to review this book when so much of it overlaps with the stories and atmosphere of one of my years at Stanford. This includes the so-called administrative “War on Fun” and the way campus is overrun with Silicon Valley vultures, strivers, and cash. Baker also became a larger-than-life figure on campus, as he describes in the book, and he was divisive and sometimes abrasive. As a result, it’s hard not to scrutinize the way he tells his own story and how he portrays himself. After all, we are all the heroes of our own stories.
There is no question that Baker had the grit and obsession required to do the hefty reporting work on the University president’s falsified research. It’s fascinating to see the obstacles he had to push through, and it adds up to a great story of investigative journalism. It was also really interesting to me to see a completely different story of a year at Stanford than what I experienced—all the highs and lows in one person’s life on campus, and the parasitic VC subculture happening so close to my very different world.
But I don’t agree with his perspective on all the goings-on that year, and at times the way he portrayed himself was repetitive or self-serving.
It is negligent to discuss the Stanford bureaucracy waging “War on Fun” (by restricting Greek Life and parties) without talking about Chanel Miller and campus sexual assault. It is a huge part of the story of institutional failure at Stanford that he ignores because it undercuts his point about the purportedly pointless punishments against fraternities. It feels like he’s blaming the school for outlawing good old fashioned fun and preventing him from going to parties, when the story is more complicated than that. Other than that, the story of Stanford as a convoluted, profit-seeking, and self-serving institution is an apt case study of all the institutional rot occurring across all sectors of American life.
In addition, at times, Baker seems so audacious that he fits in with the tech bros he calls out as ridiculous, in alignment with the Silicon Valley motto he cites of “You can just do things” and a touch of solipsism. Perhaps he‘s positioning himself as the true heir to the spirit of Silicon Valley, the tech industry having wandered astray from its true origins by “lucre” and fakery. He certainly portrays himself as a plucky upstart boy genius, albeit one that overworks himself and crashes. This self-serving character, and the repetition of the same story beats of slowly finding more on similar investigations, gets a little old.
The writing is fine, but kind of monotonously astonished and cliched. The book ends up feeling too focused on himself, like a memoir rather than a nonfiction exposé, and without some of the reflection and craft I associate with the best memoirs. What he accomplished really was crazy, so I wish he’d let the story speak for itself rather than quote positive tweets about himself and write many variations on “But there wasn’t any time for fun—I had a damn job to do.”
It’s a little tough to review this book when so much of it overlaps with the stories and atmosphere of one of my years at Stanford. This includes the so-called administrative “War on Fun” and the way campus is overrun with Silicon Valley vultures, strivers, and cash. Baker also became a larger-than-life figure on campus, as he describes in the book, and he was divisive and sometimes abrasive. As a result, it’s hard not to scrutinize the way he tells his own story and how he portrays himself. After all, we are all the heroes of our own stories.
There is no question that Baker had the grit and obsession required to do the hefty reporting work on the University president’s falsified research. It’s fascinating to see the obstacles he had to push through, and it adds up to a great story of investigative journalism. It was also really interesting to me to see a completely different story of a year at Stanford than what I experienced—all the highs and lows in one person’s life on campus, and the parasitic VC subculture happening so close to my very different world.
But I don’t agree with his perspective on all the goings-on that year, and at times the way he portrayed himself was repetitive or self-serving.
It is negligent to discuss the Stanford bureaucracy waging “War on Fun” (by restricting Greek Life and parties) without talking about Chanel Miller and campus sexual assault. It is a huge part of the story of institutional failure at Stanford that he ignores because it undercuts his point about the purportedly pointless punishments against fraternities. It feels like he’s blaming the school for outlawing good old fashioned fun and preventing him from going to parties, when the story is more complicated than that. Other than that, the story of Stanford as a convoluted, profit-seeking, and self-serving institution is an apt case study of all the institutional rot occurring across all sectors of American life.
In addition, at times, Baker seems so audacious that he fits in with the tech bros he calls out as ridiculous, in alignment with the Silicon Valley motto he cites of “You can just do things” and a touch of solipsism. Perhaps he‘s positioning himself as the true heir to the spirit of Silicon Valley, the tech industry having wandered astray from its true origins by “lucre” and fakery. He certainly portrays himself as a plucky upstart boy genius, albeit one that overworks himself and crashes. This self-serving character, and the repetition of the same story beats of slowly finding more on similar investigations, gets a little old.
The writing is fine, but kind of monotonously astonished and cliched. The book ends up feeling too focused on himself, like a memoir rather than a nonfiction exposé, and without some of the reflection and craft I associate with the best memoirs. What he accomplished really was crazy, so I wish he’d let the story speak for itself rather than quote positive tweets about himself and write many variations on “But there wasn’t any time for fun—I had a damn job to do.”
May 30, 2026
Theo Baker is absolutely infuriating. Oh wait, sorry, that's probably pretty misleading as a first sentence. Let's try this. Theo Baker is infuriating because he is so young and talented that I am jealous because I am old and can't write a book this dang good. How to Rule the World is proof that sometimes talent can make up for a lack of experience. Most importantly, it is a fun and riveting read.
Let's take stock of what the book covers. Theo Baker starts as a freshman at Stanford University. He grew up with journalist parents as part of a privileged upbringing. He is smart and actively wants to become part of the Stanford technology pipeline which propels teenagers toward billion-dollar careers but sorely lacking in the morals department. Baker lulls the reader into thinking this book is going to be about Stanford and the strange, monied corners of the university. That is all here, but it is window dressing for the main event. In a twist everyone but Baker saw coming, he is eventually drawn into journalism and sets his sights on the president of Stanford. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue.
There is a very fine line to toe here. Baker needs to come off relatable while not trying to disingenuously act like he isn't gifted. You can't play "aw, shucks" when you get into Stanford before your 18th birthday. However, he also can't act like a spotless world-beater who is merely claiming his birthright, because I am pretty sure we all hate those people.
Instead, we get an author who knows he is smart, but is also in over his head. His eventual crowning achievement in journalism is not a fait accompli. He spends numerous pages talking about the people who made sure he didn't completely fumble his opportunity like the Stanford football team (hey-oh!). It is very subtle, but I noticed when Baker switches from "I" to "we". His actions are his, but his achievements are team based. He also nearly falls apart, admits he isn't always popular for valid reasons, and tries to hold on to a long-distance relationship way longer than he should (been there, brother!). He's intelligent, but human.
Throughout it all, the reader is left with a very uneasy feeling about Stanford as a whole. Is this place going in the right direction? They can point to numerous geniuses who walked its campus. They also have alumni skulking around ready to pay teenagers ungodly amounts of money for the possibility they may be the next big thing. Well, at least they can also claim Baker.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Penguin Press.)
Let's take stock of what the book covers. Theo Baker starts as a freshman at Stanford University. He grew up with journalist parents as part of a privileged upbringing. He is smart and actively wants to become part of the Stanford technology pipeline which propels teenagers toward billion-dollar careers but sorely lacking in the morals department. Baker lulls the reader into thinking this book is going to be about Stanford and the strange, monied corners of the university. That is all here, but it is window dressing for the main event. In a twist everyone but Baker saw coming, he is eventually drawn into journalism and sets his sights on the president of Stanford. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue.
There is a very fine line to toe here. Baker needs to come off relatable while not trying to disingenuously act like he isn't gifted. You can't play "aw, shucks" when you get into Stanford before your 18th birthday. However, he also can't act like a spotless world-beater who is merely claiming his birthright, because I am pretty sure we all hate those people.
Instead, we get an author who knows he is smart, but is also in over his head. His eventual crowning achievement in journalism is not a fait accompli. He spends numerous pages talking about the people who made sure he didn't completely fumble his opportunity like the Stanford football team (hey-oh!). It is very subtle, but I noticed when Baker switches from "I" to "we". His actions are his, but his achievements are team based. He also nearly falls apart, admits he isn't always popular for valid reasons, and tries to hold on to a long-distance relationship way longer than he should (been there, brother!). He's intelligent, but human.
Throughout it all, the reader is left with a very uneasy feeling about Stanford as a whole. Is this place going in the right direction? They can point to numerous geniuses who walked its campus. They also have alumni skulking around ready to pay teenagers ungodly amounts of money for the possibility they may be the next big thing. Well, at least they can also claim Baker.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Penguin Press.)
June 8, 2026
*** 6/8/26 *** Just finished Baker's freshman effort, recommended it to 3 people in my book reading circle, and am just so impressed with this book and the young person and his work behind it. If you've worked in tech/biotech/research or are close to anyone applying to or in college, I would def recommend this book. I can't imagine there is another university that operates in the same hand-in-glove closeness with the business and finance/investment communities as Stanford. I worked in this area/industry (years ago now) and I don't think it was like this back way before Theo was born. I was really shocked by many of the stories in this book to be honest. It may seem like nirvana for CS/engineering students, but go in with your eyes very open if you have the good fortune to be admitted. Best of luck to Theo and count me in as watching for his next big thing. 5 stars.
** 6/7/26 ** 50% into this new release, and even after 20-yrs in Silicon Valley tech, living very near Stanford, and a pretty high familiarity with college admissions/student life, am absolutely shocked at the goings-on for Stanford students, at least the Computer Science majors. Anyone who invests in tech or has any professional crossover into tech should read this book to understand the astonishing $$$ and power bestowed to these literal teenagers who are, of course, extremely smart and talented, but used as pawns to launch the next unicorn firm. And author Theo Baker comes across as an extraordinarily diligent and bright investigative reporter for someone who is 17(!!) years old at the point in the book I am at, which is where the facade on Stanford's prior President's research begins to crack. Baker seems to be a very compelling and talented young person, and it makes me feel good about the future of our country if we have more kids like him speaking their piece and doing their thing. Final review coming soon.
* 5/26/26 * Got this book after the NYT review 5/18 for this new release, based on 1) the author's incredible shooting star path to publish and be featured in the NYT at age 20? 21? Can't wait to see what he does with his life. And 2) being based on the Silicon Valley / Stanford vibes where I used to work for many years and always enjoy books centered there. Review coming soon.
** 6/7/26 ** 50% into this new release, and even after 20-yrs in Silicon Valley tech, living very near Stanford, and a pretty high familiarity with college admissions/student life, am absolutely shocked at the goings-on for Stanford students, at least the Computer Science majors. Anyone who invests in tech or has any professional crossover into tech should read this book to understand the astonishing $$$ and power bestowed to these literal teenagers who are, of course, extremely smart and talented, but used as pawns to launch the next unicorn firm. And author Theo Baker comes across as an extraordinarily diligent and bright investigative reporter for someone who is 17(!!) years old at the point in the book I am at, which is where the facade on Stanford's prior President's research begins to crack. Baker seems to be a very compelling and talented young person, and it makes me feel good about the future of our country if we have more kids like him speaking their piece and doing their thing. Final review coming soon.
* 5/26/26 * Got this book after the NYT review 5/18 for this new release, based on 1) the author's incredible shooting star path to publish and be featured in the NYT at age 20? 21? Can't wait to see what he does with his life. And 2) being based on the Silicon Valley / Stanford vibes where I used to work for many years and always enjoy books centered there. Review coming soon.
May 21, 2026
When reading a non fiction book, there are three things I look for: a subject that I know little or nothing about, a narrative structure that keeps me immersed in a new world, and excellent writing that includes an erudite vocabulary. How to Rule the World hits the trifecta.
This book covers many topics from the absurdity of a university policing evey aspect of its students behavior to the teen suicide epidemic. It's the books primary focus on modern journalism and the rot and debauchery that exists in the tech community both in and around Stanford however, that had me reading cover to cover with just a five hour break for sleep.
While I'm sure much will be made of the bacchanal of the tech field which is very frightening for those of us that are concerned about the lack of safeguards in that industry, I found the story of Baker's turn to investigative journalism to be more compelling.
Theo Baker was 17 years old when he began the research for his Polk Award winning work at The Stanford Daily. Quick to point out that so many Stanford students are true geniuses, he writes of the brilliance of those around him while it is obvious he is every bit as intelligent. This book was published this week as Baker simultaneously turns 20 and graduates from Stanford.
Again and again, I was struck by the high standards of journalism when done right. As is true for all reputable news organizations, lawyers and editors reviewed every word of Baker's articles multilple times with rewriting required to meet the exacting standards of factual reporting. There is no "fake news" here. A solid case is made for subscribing to and thus investing in our national newspapers.
If I sound like I'm gushing, I am. Baker's parents gave him a T-shirt with a quote from one of their journalist friends (responding to his work in The Daily) that said , "Theo Baker is a fucking menance." He is, and we are the better for it.
Read this book. I'll be reading everything he writes from here on out.
This book covers many topics from the absurdity of a university policing evey aspect of its students behavior to the teen suicide epidemic. It's the books primary focus on modern journalism and the rot and debauchery that exists in the tech community both in and around Stanford however, that had me reading cover to cover with just a five hour break for sleep.
While I'm sure much will be made of the bacchanal of the tech field which is very frightening for those of us that are concerned about the lack of safeguards in that industry, I found the story of Baker's turn to investigative journalism to be more compelling.
Theo Baker was 17 years old when he began the research for his Polk Award winning work at The Stanford Daily. Quick to point out that so many Stanford students are true geniuses, he writes of the brilliance of those around him while it is obvious he is every bit as intelligent. This book was published this week as Baker simultaneously turns 20 and graduates from Stanford.
Again and again, I was struck by the high standards of journalism when done right. As is true for all reputable news organizations, lawyers and editors reviewed every word of Baker's articles multilple times with rewriting required to meet the exacting standards of factual reporting. There is no "fake news" here. A solid case is made for subscribing to and thus investing in our national newspapers.
If I sound like I'm gushing, I am. Baker's parents gave him a T-shirt with a quote from one of their journalist friends (responding to his work in The Daily) that said , "Theo Baker is a fucking menance." He is, and we are the better for it.
Read this book. I'll be reading everything he writes from here on out.
June 18, 2026
As a 2025 alum, this book captures the “vibe” of Stanford over the last four years so accurately. Theo obviously is a prodigy both in his writing style and brilliant investigative work. Aside from minor factual inaccuracies that I noted due to personal knowledge, it for the most part is dead-on, albeit a cynical perspective of the ecosystem here. Overall I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand what Stanford is like. There were many laugh out loud and oddly nostalgic moments for me, knowing the folks behind the pseudonyms in the book, the absurdity of the whole war on fun saga, living in the same freshman dorm that Will Curry was caught in, etc. Theo is very much right to call out Stanford for many of its shortcomings as he does in the book.
Funnily enough, I’m the person he mentions kicking out of the building during Treehacks for “breaking” in. To be fair, the door was literally open so we figured it’s available …
Funnily enough, I’m the person he mentions kicking out of the building during Treehacks for “breaking” in. To be fair, the door was literally open so we figured it’s available …
June 22, 2026
Theo Baker is undoubtedly a damn good journalist — and a decent writer, too. I agree with most of his conclusions about how our alma mater operates. Good to know some things don't change in 15 years. And the minutiae of his reporting that ultimately took down Stanford's president is always compelling, even when it's deep in board meeting notes and the Photoshopping of scientific papers. This is a lively, easy-to-read book.
Unfortunately, he's also an extremely privileged 21-year-old who hasn't (at least in this text) engaged in much reckoning with that privilege. There's a whole lot of evasiveness or outright defensiveness to avoid talking about it. He drops so many mentions of "high school," but never an acknowledgment that he's actually referring to the most elite boarding school in America. He spits real, if brief, venom about any implication that he's a journalism nepo baby because of who is parents are, but never seems to consider that most Stanford Daily reporters don't have New York Times editors in their contact lists to consult with or the ability to ask Kara Swisher for her take on early drafts of their book manuscript. Even his tale of receiving a Polk award — a genuine, honest-to-God, unbelievable achievement — skips over the part that you have to apply for that, and it's not something that most college freshmen would ever think of doing unless, of course, you grew up in a family that holds it on a pedestal.
I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't say that a lot of this is colored by my own Stanford experience. My freshman year sounded much more fun than Theo's. I listened to Merriweather Post Pavilion and played a solid amount of Halo and didn't spend any time in cavernous tech bro mansions. I took CS106A instead of CS107 and still got the same B- because I had no real guidance and was just trying things that sounded fun. No one had told me that I needed to worry about my GPA if I wanted to go to grad school yet. Plus, I was destined to be a poli sci major anyway. (It's good to know Rob Reich is still a great dude with great ideas.) I actually liked the food at FloMo dining. I never had an opioid overdose, and I literally can't imagine having one at the CoHo. I was exposed to wealth and privilege that my public-schooled brain couldn't even begin to comprehend, but the people with it — hell, most people I met on campus, really — tended to be nice, generous, and normal.
All that to say, yeah, I'm sure that there's a "Stanford inside Stanford," but Theo does a pretty good job at obscuring the fact that he came in predisposed to know about it. And predisposed to tell people about it, too, since most twenty-somethings don't share a literary agent with their parents.
Unfortunately, he's also an extremely privileged 21-year-old who hasn't (at least in this text) engaged in much reckoning with that privilege. There's a whole lot of evasiveness or outright defensiveness to avoid talking about it. He drops so many mentions of "high school," but never an acknowledgment that he's actually referring to the most elite boarding school in America. He spits real, if brief, venom about any implication that he's a journalism nepo baby because of who is parents are, but never seems to consider that most Stanford Daily reporters don't have New York Times editors in their contact lists to consult with or the ability to ask Kara Swisher for her take on early drafts of their book manuscript. Even his tale of receiving a Polk award — a genuine, honest-to-God, unbelievable achievement — skips over the part that you have to apply for that, and it's not something that most college freshmen would ever think of doing unless, of course, you grew up in a family that holds it on a pedestal.
I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't say that a lot of this is colored by my own Stanford experience. My freshman year sounded much more fun than Theo's. I listened to Merriweather Post Pavilion and played a solid amount of Halo and didn't spend any time in cavernous tech bro mansions. I took CS106A instead of CS107 and still got the same B- because I had no real guidance and was just trying things that sounded fun. No one had told me that I needed to worry about my GPA if I wanted to go to grad school yet. Plus, I was destined to be a poli sci major anyway. (It's good to know Rob Reich is still a great dude with great ideas.) I actually liked the food at FloMo dining. I never had an opioid overdose, and I literally can't imagine having one at the CoHo. I was exposed to wealth and privilege that my public-schooled brain couldn't even begin to comprehend, but the people with it — hell, most people I met on campus, really — tended to be nice, generous, and normal.
All that to say, yeah, I'm sure that there's a "Stanford inside Stanford," but Theo does a pretty good job at obscuring the fact that he came in predisposed to know about it. And predisposed to tell people about it, too, since most twenty-somethings don't share a literary agent with their parents.
May 24, 2026
This is quite the book. I read it in two days. To be fair, I love investigative journalism stories, and this one was particularly of interest to me because it is couched in higher education. However, the most interesting part of this story is that institutions have a vested interest in protecting their own power and the insane measures they will take to do so. To do so, they create an inner ring. As CS Lewis pointed out in one of his best essays, we have a desire to want to be part of the inner ring. When you take this fact combined with the fact that the story is set at Stanford University, you have an inner ring that is incredibly wealthy and powerful. This pipeline sucks in teenagers, starting their freshman year, changing their lives in ways they never thought were possible, granting exclusive access to money and power to kids who just left their homes maybe for the first time. The author operates both inside the establishment, showing why it is so alluring, while also outside the establishment, investigating the university president for research misconduct. These types of exclusive power structures exist everywhere, from small towns to major universities, and this is an excellent exposé.
May 31, 2026
The critiques of Stanford/tech culture are fine and probably correct. The problem here is that much of the book seems to exist to portray Baker as very smart and competent but sadly bogged down by his morals.
Also this is not so different from the myopia you would get if you let an East Campus senior write a book about the ways the MIT administration is Killing Culture.
Also this is not so different from the myopia you would get if you let an East Campus senior write a book about the ways the MIT administration is Killing Culture.
May 26, 2026
I loved every word of this book. I devoured it, word by word, very quickly. Theo Baker is an exceptional human being. One of a kind.
May 27, 2026
I was really curious to read this book about Stanford, particularly given the Theo's unique experiences at the school. Some brief reflections on three topics the book touches on.
THE STANFORD EXPERIENCE: The first third of the book I thought gave a good presentation of some of the more unique aspects of the undergraduate experience at Stanford and sort of served as a trick mirror of my own experiences. I did not come into school aspiring for power or wealth, if anything, what I yearned for was the older version of college where knowledge is pursued for its own sake. Theo presents a much more ambitious mindset when it came to his time at The Farm, but I think any recent alumni should be familiar with most of the elements that he speaks on.
THE STANFORD DAILY/MTL: This ends up being the binding thread that keeps this whole book together, since the saga spans the entirety of the author's freshman year. As someone who read a couple of the articles when they came out, I found the full chronology absolutely fascinating.
"THE STANFORD INSIDE STANFORD": I feel like this section is meant to be shocking to most, but even 15 years ago when I matriculated, a lot of the characteristics of this VC-centric culture were already present, though perhaps not as dominant as they are today. This topic incorporates well into the book as an ethical framework and reference point for the MTL controversy, but beyond "wow there is so much money and no ethics," I don't think this topic is really fleshed out enough to be insightful to those already plugged into the silicon valley atmosphere.
When I was on campus, big tech was definitely much more of the benchmark for Software/Software adjacent engineers. If anything, the proliferation of startup unicorns (not a common term when I first graduated) and ballooning valuations of early stage AI startups makes recruiting young college students an obvious choice from a VC standpoint. As it has become more common for founders to hit the $1B valuation mark, it makes more sense to simply invest in the individual rather than the company as soon as they are identified.
OVERALL, this book provides a riveting account of student journalism, encapsulates some of the key points about Stanford that outsiders may not be familiar with, and does a decent job lightly discussing the way tech culture has shifted in recent years.
THE STANFORD EXPERIENCE: The first third of the book I thought gave a good presentation of some of the more unique aspects of the undergraduate experience at Stanford and sort of served as a trick mirror of my own experiences. I did not come into school aspiring for power or wealth, if anything, what I yearned for was the older version of college where knowledge is pursued for its own sake. Theo presents a much more ambitious mindset when it came to his time at The Farm, but I think any recent alumni should be familiar with most of the elements that he speaks on.
THE STANFORD DAILY/MTL: This ends up being the binding thread that keeps this whole book together, since the saga spans the entirety of the author's freshman year. As someone who read a couple of the articles when they came out, I found the full chronology absolutely fascinating.
"THE STANFORD INSIDE STANFORD": I feel like this section is meant to be shocking to most, but even 15 years ago when I matriculated, a lot of the characteristics of this VC-centric culture were already present, though perhaps not as dominant as they are today. This topic incorporates well into the book as an ethical framework and reference point for the MTL controversy, but beyond "wow there is so much money and no ethics," I don't think this topic is really fleshed out enough to be insightful to those already plugged into the silicon valley atmosphere.
When I was on campus, big tech was definitely much more of the benchmark for Software/Software adjacent engineers. If anything, the proliferation of startup unicorns (not a common term when I first graduated) and ballooning valuations of early stage AI startups makes recruiting young college students an obvious choice from a VC standpoint. As it has become more common for founders to hit the $1B valuation mark, it makes more sense to simply invest in the individual rather than the company as soon as they are identified.
OVERALL, this book provides a riveting account of student journalism, encapsulates some of the key points about Stanford that outsiders may not be familiar with, and does a decent job lightly discussing the way tech culture has shifted in recent years.
May 28, 2026
A very drawn out story that just doesn’t ever feel like it lands enough. Gave up about 2/3rds of the way through
May 26, 2026
I read this to write a book review for SPECTRUM Magazine, and found it fascinating. Theo Baker does an exceptional job of interweaving raw and vulnerable moments throughout his accounts, which enrich the narrative. As a student journalist myself, the amount of time and effort Baker poured into his reporting, while a full-time student, is remarkable. Definitely a must-read.
June 2, 2026
Expose of the rot that is the start up scene at Stanford University in the era of big tech. Well written but way too long, repetitive, and self focussed more than necessary. However the author is only 21 and about to graduate from college (Stanford needless to say). Would have been better as a New Yorker piece. Information worth knowing about the state of tech but a slog to finish
May 24, 2026
Jensen Huang went to my high school and many of my peers attended Stanford from our public high school in Silicon Forest (a/k/a Beaverton, Oregon home to Nike and intel). Of course back then the acceptance rate was 30% and middle class kids actually could get in. The author is a nepo baby but the book and this review are spot on in showing that elite schools are no longer a meritocracy (not that they ever really were but back then some middle class kids without parental money or connections could get in with just good grades and scores).
Stanford and other “elite” schools are transactional businesses with billion dollar endowments —a product that rich parents (myself included) buy to ensure their children have a strong network for jobs and opportunities and future marriage partners. Everything is transactional and the parents and students know this. There is no place in these schools for anyone who is not bringing something to the table as an Olympic level athlete, child of a billionaire, national debate champion, etc. or the handful of first gen students sprinkled in to make everyone feel better.
Stanford and other “elite” schools are transactional businesses with billion dollar endowments —a product that rich parents (myself included) buy to ensure their children have a strong network for jobs and opportunities and future marriage partners. Everything is transactional and the parents and students know this. There is no place in these schools for anyone who is not bringing something to the table as an Olympic level athlete, child of a billionaire, national debate champion, etc. or the handful of first gen students sprinkled in to make everyone feel better.
May 31, 2026
I just finished Theo Baker’s book, “How To Rule The World, An education in Power at Stanford University.” I join the chorus recommending the book. It’s a page turner.
It operates on so many levels. As Baker said in his KQED Forum interview this morning, “It’s a love letter to journalism.” He is courageous, tenacious, in his exposure of Stanford’s President at the time.
As others have commented, his description of the commercialization of Stanford, and as he suggests, it’s resulting pressures on students and its underlying corruption both of individuals in their conduct and the educational mission of a great University is shocking, and depressing.
A lot of what he describes is not necessarily new in concept. The relationship between corporations and Stanford is something 60s students had to contend with, and the Stanford Research Institute was already in place at that time. Secret societies recruiting for elite capitalists, e.g. on Wall Street and government, goes back to Harvard and Yale. Indeed Baker on Forum used this phrase describing one such Stanford “secret” tech VC class: “Skull and bones for the aspiring tech elite,” referencing Yale’s secret society.
But what is new, which is suggested in the book and he emphasized on Forum, is the role of Silicon Valley in our society. He asserted Silicon Valley is the greatest wealth developer and concentrator ever, and at a time of great wealth disparity. And he contends it is now fully integrated into the Stanford undergraduate world. And if Tech is transforming the world, that makes what is happening at Stanford and the values, or lack of same, of the future generation it is training and recruiting for Tech a key problem for all of society.
It operates on so many levels. As Baker said in his KQED Forum interview this morning, “It’s a love letter to journalism.” He is courageous, tenacious, in his exposure of Stanford’s President at the time.
As others have commented, his description of the commercialization of Stanford, and as he suggests, it’s resulting pressures on students and its underlying corruption both of individuals in their conduct and the educational mission of a great University is shocking, and depressing.
A lot of what he describes is not necessarily new in concept. The relationship between corporations and Stanford is something 60s students had to contend with, and the Stanford Research Institute was already in place at that time. Secret societies recruiting for elite capitalists, e.g. on Wall Street and government, goes back to Harvard and Yale. Indeed Baker on Forum used this phrase describing one such Stanford “secret” tech VC class: “Skull and bones for the aspiring tech elite,” referencing Yale’s secret society.
But what is new, which is suggested in the book and he emphasized on Forum, is the role of Silicon Valley in our society. He asserted Silicon Valley is the greatest wealth developer and concentrator ever, and at a time of great wealth disparity. And he contends it is now fully integrated into the Stanford undergraduate world. And if Tech is transforming the world, that makes what is happening at Stanford and the values, or lack of same, of the future generation it is training and recruiting for Tech a key problem for all of society.
June 7, 2026
How is he so young?! The fact that he did all of that work, and, as I’m witting this, is still a week shy of graduation from Stanford.
June 1, 2026
Thinking a lot about this one and somewhat condemning myself for not investing as much into a) reading the Stanford Daily enough while on campus b) following the evolution of the university post graduation and c) investing more in general into reading investigative journalism broadly … Two quotes that cut particularly deep that aligned with my inner conflict: 1) “I could see Stanfords crippling relationship to perfection more clearly each day” and 2) “One invited me to a private event a few months later, with an investor texting me, “Theo when you aren’t knocking university presidents off their perches into the hands of VCs willing to fund them for a $1B, you should join ;)””. I loved my time at Stanford learning about the promise of innovation in SV yet also recognize the negative impact it may have had on influencing what I value most in life… waiting for my goodreads girlies to complete this so we can discuss our views
May 31, 2026
He goes all in to show the proof we all know….
Elite Education Facilities + Silicon Valley = Corruption
Just felt a little long ….
Elite Education Facilities + Silicon Valley = Corruption
Just felt a little long ….
June 18, 2026
this is a hard book to review because I have many thoughts. But it was an easy, intriguing read and books are supposed to make you think - hence the high rating.
1) no question that his reporting seemed to be very well-done and he did something extremely impressive.
Now obviously I’m reading this from a biased narrator who’s not going to mention the claims of nepotism that may have enabled this impactful reporting. How much that weighed into this investigation I will never know and that’s just something to grapple with.
2) from being in both student journalism and CS circles, I can tell this kid is a little insufferable. He’s one of those people that consistently plays up his achievements while also throwing in self-detracting jabs that I guess are supposed to make the readers find him more relatable?
3) one of the parts I really found VERY interesting was stanfords deeply entrenched ties to Silicon Valley and how that enables both a destructive and innovative culture to pluck ambitious, hungry students, throw money at them and hope they make the next big thing. I like the book in part because it was a sort of expose on that aspect of student life.
4) he doesn’t mention who his parents are enough
5) i feel like this book couldn’t make up its mind between being a memoir or a nonfiction expose. One minute we’re talking about his reporting tactics and the next about how he lost his virginity. I haven’t really made up my mind about how I feel about that but it seemed random at times?
1) no question that his reporting seemed to be very well-done and he did something extremely impressive.
Now obviously I’m reading this from a biased narrator who’s not going to mention the claims of nepotism that may have enabled this impactful reporting. How much that weighed into this investigation I will never know and that’s just something to grapple with.
2) from being in both student journalism and CS circles, I can tell this kid is a little insufferable. He’s one of those people that consistently plays up his achievements while also throwing in self-detracting jabs that I guess are supposed to make the readers find him more relatable?
3) one of the parts I really found VERY interesting was stanfords deeply entrenched ties to Silicon Valley and how that enables both a destructive and innovative culture to pluck ambitious, hungry students, throw money at them and hope they make the next big thing. I like the book in part because it was a sort of expose on that aspect of student life.
4) he doesn’t mention who his parents are enough
5) i feel like this book couldn’t make up its mind between being a memoir or a nonfiction expose. One minute we’re talking about his reporting tactics and the next about how he lost his virginity. I haven’t really made up my mind about how I feel about that but it seemed random at times?
May 25, 2026
This book manages to accomplish 3 different goals in a modest length:
1) Function as an All the Kings Men-style journalistic caper about the take-down of a clear villain;
2) Provide an expose into the excesses of Silicon Valley and Stanford's "Faustian bargain" with it; and
3) Serve as a relatable coming of age novel about the narrator's struggles to belong (h/t the NYT review in suggesting this theme).
On #3, I personally related to some of Baker's experiences, like his relating better to adults than peers as a kid, and his realizing that a social group he aspired to fit into was not in fact worthy of his pursuit. (My such epiphany happened a few years earlier than his, however, in very different circumstances.)
I appreciated his balanced and candid narration of his own struggle containing both triumphs and mistakes. He avoids coming off as a smug hero (though it would be deserved) while also avoiding excessive rumination about insecurities. His informal, sincere writing style is effective and provides moments of levity.
The one bit that doesn't quite work is his attempt to redeem Stanford in the last few pages, sharing his love for the good parts of the institution as his explanation for sticking it through to graduation. I can't help but be grateful I have avoided affiliation with it myself after finishing this book.
1) Function as an All the Kings Men-style journalistic caper about the take-down of a clear villain;
2) Provide an expose into the excesses of Silicon Valley and Stanford's "Faustian bargain" with it; and
3) Serve as a relatable coming of age novel about the narrator's struggles to belong (h/t the NYT review in suggesting this theme).
On #3, I personally related to some of Baker's experiences, like his relating better to adults than peers as a kid, and his realizing that a social group he aspired to fit into was not in fact worthy of his pursuit. (My such epiphany happened a few years earlier than his, however, in very different circumstances.)
I appreciated his balanced and candid narration of his own struggle containing both triumphs and mistakes. He avoids coming off as a smug hero (though it would be deserved) while also avoiding excessive rumination about insecurities. His informal, sincere writing style is effective and provides moments of levity.
The one bit that doesn't quite work is his attempt to redeem Stanford in the last few pages, sharing his love for the good parts of the institution as his explanation for sticking it through to graduation. I can't help but be grateful I have avoided affiliation with it myself after finishing this book.
May 25, 2026
The author was only a freshman at Stanford, where he arrived planning to study CS, when he started investigating the issues that led to his book. How to Rule the World could have been titled, in the words of the Times of London, “Inside the rotten heart of Stanford, Silicon Valley’s favorite recruiting ground.”
Here is my personal essay on the book
I will say that in addition to London Falling, this was the best work of nonfiction I have read in years. It is just astonishing that someone so young could write something so compelling! His parents are famous journalists so maybe he comes by his talent naturally! Really talented writer and soulful thinker!
My essay above is about what most interested me, but the book is quite focused on the misdeeds of the then-university President, whom Baker helps bring down. It was brave of him to keep working the issue since he had a lot to lose. The way money and power have become the bottom line at Stanford was truly depressing to read.
Here is my personal essay on the book
I will say that in addition to London Falling, this was the best work of nonfiction I have read in years. It is just astonishing that someone so young could write something so compelling! His parents are famous journalists so maybe he comes by his talent naturally! Really talented writer and soulful thinker!
My essay above is about what most interested me, but the book is quite focused on the misdeeds of the then-university President, whom Baker helps bring down. It was brave of him to keep working the issue since he had a lot to lose. The way money and power have become the bottom line at Stanford was truly depressing to read.
May 27, 2026
Theo Baker arrived to Stanford as a 17-year-old freshman and by the end of his freshman year, his investigative journalism uncovered scientific falsification in several papers by the neuroscientist and President of Stanford, Marc Tessier-Lavigne. At the same time as this is happening, Baker is experiencing Stanford's insider culture awash in money and venture capitalism funds. This is the story of his freshman year told in a similar riveting style as All the President's Men and centered around the question of 'what is ethical?'
What. A. Ride. Baker is an extremely engaging writer and effortlessly weaves the stories of his experience doing investigative journalism and what it was like being a student at Stanford. I was impressed by his decision to intersperse the book with normal college stories because it humanizes him as a writer and reminds the reader that he is 17 and facing death threats and legal action all in the pursuit of what is right. There were some places where Baker seemed to jump around a bit, but everything tied back to the story arcs. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
What. A. Ride. Baker is an extremely engaging writer and effortlessly weaves the stories of his experience doing investigative journalism and what it was like being a student at Stanford. I was impressed by his decision to intersperse the book with normal college stories because it humanizes him as a writer and reminds the reader that he is 17 and facing death threats and legal action all in the pursuit of what is right. There were some places where Baker seemed to jump around a bit, but everything tied back to the story arcs. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
June 20, 2026
I read this book based on a favorable review. And I loved it for about the first fourth of it. It's an autobiographical expose of the corruption of Stanford's money/tech culture, which I really enjoyed. But then, the book focuses on the author's exposure of the President of Stanford for committing fraud in his scientific research. Which is obviously a big deal, and the author won a huge award for his reporting in the Stanford newspaper. But I don't have any interest in the details of scientific fraud, and there are a lot of details in the second half of the book. You'd think this kid had broken the Watergate scandal. So I got bored and started skimming. So while the book has a lot of merit, it gets way too in the weeds and boring for me to get excited about.
May 29, 2026
As a retired academic physician, I have been interested in fraudulent research and publications for decades. I was well instructed in the proper scientific method and could never understand the motivations of researchers who cross the lines into fraud. This book is amazing - an obviously brilliant college freshman’s journalism research uncovers serious infractions by a well-respected university president. I found the first 2/3 fascinating. The last 1/3 got a bit slow. Nonetheless, I applaud the author for his guts and tenacity! I am sure he will have a successful and impactful career!
June 25, 2026
I don’t have too much to say about this one….it was a great read by Theo Baker who investigated the then Stanford University President, Marc Tessier-Lavigne (MTL).
Baker, a journalist and Stanford alumni, details the environment at the university, his uncovering of falsified research from MTL, and what he was dealing with personally at the time. If you’re interested in journalism and exposés on corrupt institutions, you might like this one!
(3.5)
Baker, a journalist and Stanford alumni, details the environment at the university, his uncovering of falsified research from MTL, and what he was dealing with personally at the time. If you’re interested in journalism and exposés on corrupt institutions, you might like this one!
(3.5)
June 2, 2026
Holy F was this a good read. Was completely unfamiliar with Theo Baker and his work to investigate the Stanford president. Feel like this sets the new standard for any type of journalistic exposé and it’s not even close. I won’t be able to read another unpacking of a scandal or tech company again without comparing it to the comprehensiveness of this book.
Also the 17 year olds in this book are almost certainly higher IQ than me at ~30 - fr who was in high school developing algorithms to predict the position of debris in space ???
Also the 17 year olds in this book are almost certainly higher IQ than me at ~30 - fr who was in high school developing algorithms to predict the position of debris in space ???
June 20, 2026
An interesting and recent story from Stanford’s campus conveying the current state of silicon valley and the Stanford within Stanford. Written in a captivating form, the book is also augmented with personal stories drawing the reader in
June 21, 2026
What an incredible read. Theo Baker has the astute eyes of an experienced journalist for someone who is in his early 20s. He manages to capture the Stanford that I don’t recognize anymore. Since graduation, I often wonder how Stanford alumni people like Elizabeth Holmes and SBF became twisted charlatans. This book gives you an insider look at the smoke and mirrors of Silicon Vallley and Stanford’s role in this mirage.
May 31, 2026
Incredibly impressive work for anyone, let alone a 19-year-old who was concurrently taking a full college course load.
June 3, 2026
A phenomenal debut memoir that swings big and knocks it out of the quad. My only real critique is that the title, and the juxtaposition of the tech and the academia exposes, didn't quite cohere, but both stories hit so close to home, and were just waiting for someone with the credentials and courage to tell.
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