# Skunk Works by Ben Rich

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Skunk Works by Ben Rich and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Well-written memoir of Lockheed's Skunk Works stealth aircraft development, praised as an engaging account of how a high-tech startup operates.

## Why people recommend it

- Well-written and enjoyable read (2 comments): "it's genuinely well-written and enjoyable book" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47524761)) "truly excellent read. Highly recommended." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49905247))
- Insight into Lockheed stealth plane development (2 comments): "I can only recommend the book by Ben Rich, Skunk Works, if you want learn more about how this plane came to be." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49951260)) "Really good book on the development of Lockheed's stealth planes." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391857))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams](https://hackerapproved.com/p/careless-people.md): 106 recommend
- [Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl](https://hackerapproved.com/p/man-s-search-for-meaning.md): 13 recommend
- [Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/surely-you-re-joking-mr-feynman.md): 11 recommend
- [Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell](https://hackerapproved.com/p/down-and-out-in-paris-and-london.md): 9 recommend
- [Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kitchen-confidential.md): 9 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0751525952?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780751525953) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Skunk Works by Ben Rich", https://hackerapproved.com/p/skunk-works/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).