The Doomsday Machine
The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsbergby Daniel Ellsberg
Shares rank 7 of 25 memoirs by recommenders
Recommended as a firsthand account by a former nuclear war planner of how close the world came to catastrophe, with readers warning it is a grim, distressing read.
Recommended as a firsthand account by a former nuclear war planner of how close the world came to catastrophe, with readers warning it is a grim, distressing read.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, 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
Firsthand insider account of nuclear planning
“it may be worth reading Ellsbergs' Doomsday Machine before you find comfort in the "chain of command."”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “AI Can Now Design Functional Viruses. Should We Worry?” “After reading Daniel Ellsberg's The Doomsday Machine, I'm surprised we as a species are still around.”
Comment from 4 Aug 2026 in “Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" is set today (2026-08-04)” Important and worth reading
“Perrow's book is best combined with a reading of The Doomsday Machine”
Comment from 1 Apr 2026 in “Artemis II is not safe to fly” “A book I highly recommend, but personally found distressing to read”
Comment from 4 Aug 2026 in “Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" is set today (2026-08-04)”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Distressing and anxiety-inducing to read
“Highly recommended if you're feeling too happy and full of faith in humanity.”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” “A book I highly recommend, but personally found distressing to read”
Comment from 4 Aug 2026 in “Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" is set today (2026-08-04)” “It'll help amp up your anxiety ;)”
Comment from 5 Mar 2026 in “Judge Orders Government to Begin Refunding More Than $130B in Tariffs” Describes nuclear planning as deeply disturbing
“It depicted evil beyond any human project that had ever existed.”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “No Need for Retirement When Utopia Is Around the Corner” “I could almost see these being darkly encouraging.”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other memoirs people recommend
The four most recommended other memoirs, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Careless Peopleby Sarah Wynn-Williams | 106 | 24 | 82% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Man's Search for Meaningby Viktor Frankl | 13 | 2 | 87% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!by Richard Feynman | 11 | 7 | 61% | 6 | — | — |
| Down and Out in Paris and Londonby George Orwell | 9 | 1 | 90% | 8 | — | — |
| The Doomsday Machineby Daniel EllsbergThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
All 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It depicted evil beyond any human project that had ever existed.”
“I could almost see these being darkly encouraging.”
“Highly recommended if you're feeling too happy and full of faith in humanity.”
“it may be worth reading Ellsbergs' Doomsday Machine before you find comfort in the "chain of command."”
“A book I highly recommend, but personally found distressing to read”
“After reading Daniel Ellsberg's The Doomsday Machine, I'm surprised we as a species are still around.”
“Perrow's book is best combined with a reading of The Doomsday Machine”
“It'll help amp up your anxiety ;)”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.