# The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/dilbert-principle/

3 people recommended The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams in Hacker News comments and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 12 months, in 2 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

2 of the 3 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Scott Alexander: The Dilbert Afterlife”.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a funny, sharp take on corporate life and management, from the creator of the Dilbert comic. No caveat is raised by the quotes.

Summary written by Claude from 9 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 3 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Funny, sharp corporate and management humor (1 comment in the sample): "I just read the comic strips in the book and laughed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46658167))
- Fans of Adams's books and comics (1 comment in the sample): "the Dilbert Principle being one of my favorite books" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46657693))

## Other business books people recommend

- [The Lean Startup by Eric Ries](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lean-startup/): 28 recommend, 3 mixed, 6 criticize
- [The Gervais Principle by Venkatesh Rao](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gervais-principle/): 24 recommend, 5 mixed, 5 criticize
- [Incorruptible by Eric Ries](https://hackerapproved.com/p/incorruptible/): 20 recommend, 3 mixed, 11 criticize
- [The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/goal/): 13 recommend, 0 mixed, 1 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams", https://hackerapproved.com/p/dilbert-principle/ (3 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 3 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.