# Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom

12 Hacker News commenters recommended Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 12 years (3 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a serious, detailed early look at the risks of advanced AI and its threat to humanity. Critics find it dry and not fully persuasive.

## Why people recommend it

- Serious, detailed look at AI risk (2 comments): "i found it very serious and detailed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49625519)) "it is how I came to understand this problem early" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49876777))
- Go-to nonfiction pick on AI risk (3 comments): "For non-fiction you could look at Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49589274)) "that's the book with the argument that you are looking for" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45787854)) "The books 'Superintelligence' (978-0199678112) and 'The Coming Wave' (978-1529923834) are worth reading." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49675917))

## What people warn about

- Speculative, not grounded in events (2 comments): "practically all cases it presents read like raypunk retro-futurism that makes up imaginary fantastical nonsense" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48872347)) "A book that has been thoroughly discredited by actual events." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48443319))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 recommend
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199678111?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780199678112) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom", https://hackerapproved.com/p/superintelligence/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).