Great Memos

Yahoo executive's leaked memo warning about spreading resources too thin, predicting the company's decline.

Leaked internal memo justifying Zynga's controversial strategy of copying competitors' successful games.

76ers GM's 13-page resignation letter defending "The Process" and long-term strategic thinking in basketball.

Slack CEO's memo on focusing on what matters and building products users love, not just features.

Starbucks founder's transformation agenda memo outlining the turnaround strategy during the financial crisis.

Sequoia partner's investment memo on YouTube, one of the most successful venture investments ever made.

Facebook's strategic vision for building a comprehensive messaging platform and ecosystem.

Email from Zuckerberg to Instagram's Kevin Systrom during Facebook's acquisition negotiations.

Advertising legend's principles for creating effective campaigns and building a creative agency.

Jobs' emails regarding Apple's iBooks strategy and negotiations with publishers during the iPad launch.

Jobs' annual offsite with Apple's top 100 employees, focusing on product strategy and company priorities.

Musk's direct email to Tesla employees about productivity, meetings, and organizational efficiency.

Gates' frustrated email about Windows Movie Maker's difficult installation process, exemplifying user-first thinking.

Historic memo where Gates recognizes the Internet as a "tidal wave" and pivots Microsoft's entire strategy.

Google engineer's accidentally public post comparing Amazon and Google's platform philosophies.

TV writer's comprehensive guide to showrunning, covering creative leadership and production management.

AI researcher's essay on how general methods leveraging computation ultimately win over human knowledge.

IBM's philosophy on presenting solutions, not problems—bringing fully-formed recommendations to leadership.

Quality management philosophy emphasizing prevention over inspection and doing things right the first time.

Buffett's letter on the folly of market timing and the importance of long-term value investing.

Email correspondence between Warren Buffett and Bill Gates' close friend Jeff Raikes on investing principles.

Oaktree Capital founder's memo on the limitations of forecasting and the nature of uncertainty in investing.

Whistleblower's detailed analysis exposing Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, ignored by the SEC for years.

Confidential memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce outlining a strategy for corporate influence in politics.

Churchill's memo demanding concise reporting from military and government officials during WWII.

Washington's warning to the nation about political parties, foreign entanglements, and national unity.

Roman governor's letter to Emperor Trajan seeking guidance on prosecuting early Christians.

Personal correspondence between Napoleon and his wife Josephine during his military campaigns.

Secretary of State's strategic memo on U.S. foreign policy during the Reagan administration.