Why read Skunk Works?

Book cover of Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed

Book description

SKUNK WORKS is the true story, told for the first time, of America's most secret and successful aerospace operation. As recounted by Ben Rich, the operation's brilliant boss for nearly two decades, the story of Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works is a high-stakes drama of Cold War confrontations and Gulf War…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Skunk Works as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Jean-Philippe Aumasson

Author

I first read Rich's book ten years ago, and it forever changed my engineering approach.

Skunk Works was Lockheed Martin's advanced aircraft development program. It achieved unprecedented efficiency and innovation due to its selective staffing, minimal bureaucracy, and strong leadership.

Can you believe the U-2 spy plane was constructed in only 9 months? This was in 1955, without computers or any digital tools. Nowadays, 9 months is just about the time required for a medium-sized software development project.

Here's an excerpt from the book that I often revisit where Kelly Johnson (Skunk Works' first director) imparts wisdom…

From Jean-Philippe's 3 favorite reads in 2023.