The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greeneby Robert Greene
Shares rank 91 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
People recommend it as a sharp look at how power works in organizations, useful for understanding bosses and office politics. Critics say it reads as a playbook for manipulation.
People recommend it as a sharp look at how power works in organizations, useful for understanding bosses and office politics. Critics say it reads as a playbook for manipulation.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 60%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Describes why people become bosses
“which perfectly describes the purpose for people becoming bosses”
Comment from 11 Dec 2025 in “Things I want to say to my boss” Masterclass in good organization
“I think that book is a masterclass in good organization”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “Ask HN: What makes someone good at using Claude Code?” Recommended as a gift
“Just give them The 48 Laws of Power.”
Comment from 20 Oct 2026 in “What shall I teach my son?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Readers here don't need it
“no one on hackernews should read because we have enough people”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym” Reads as a manipulation roadmap
“this is a roadmap for the conniving lickspittles”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Workers who love 'synergizing paradigms' might be bad at their jobs”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| The 48 Laws of Powerby Robert GreeneThis page | 3 | 2 | 60% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Just give them The 48 Laws of Power.”
“I think that book is a masterclass in good organization”
“no one on hackernews should read because we have enough people”
“this is a roadmap for the conniving lickspittles”
“which perfectly describes the purpose for people becoming bosses”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.