Tim Ferriss Asked 100 World-Class Performers Their Best Purchase Under $100 – One Answer Nobody Saw Coming
When Tim Ferriss set out to interview 100 of the world's most remarkable people, he asked each of them the same question: what purchase under $100 has most improved your life? The answers ranged from notebooks to standing desks to noise-cancelling headphones. Liv Boeree — world poker champion, physicist, science communicator — had an answer nobody expected.
It wasn't a gadget. It wasn't a supplement. It wasn't a journal or a morning routine product. Liv Boeree's answer was an app, one that, in her words, had quietly changed the way she thinks. The app is called Blinkist, and it turns out she's far from alone. More than 43 million people, among them Apple CEO Tim Cook, are now expanding their horizons with Blinkist. Tim Cook even stopped by the Blinkist office to get a glimpse of the hype, and the app is loved by everyone from The New York Times to Forbes.
The premise is simple: most of us want to keep learning, but we don't have 10 hours to read a book. Blinkist distills the most powerful ideas from nonfiction into 15-minute reads and listens — across 9,000+ titles and 27 categories, from entrepreneurship to philosophy to science. Even Apple has taken notice, giving it a permanent Editors' Choice badge.
"Blinkist encourages you to read more nonfiction books. The app contains cleverly written digests — called blinks — where books are broken down into their main arguments." – The New York Times
So, what exactly is it that top thinkers like Liv Boeree see in Blinkist?
1. Poker Champions Think in Probabilities — and So Does Blinkist
Liv Boeree didn't become a world poker champion by guessing. She won by building better mental models than everyone else at the table — reading situations, updating her thinking fast, and knowing which ideas to act on. That's not a poker skill. That's a learning skill.
When she named Blinkist as her most impactful sub-$100 purchase, she wasn't talking about saving time. She was talking about the quality of the ideas she could get to. In poker, the player with the best information wins. In life, it's not so different.
Blinkist gives you access to the key ideas from 9,000+ nonfiction books — the kind of books that change how you think about risk, decision-making, human behaviour, and the world. In 15 minutes each.
Thinking in Bets
- 21 min reading time
- audio version available
2. The Ferriss Question — and What the Best Answers Had in Common
Tim Ferriss interviewed over 100 world-class performers for Tribe of Mentors. Athletes, scientists, investors, artists. He asked each of them the same question: what purchase under $100 has most improved your life?
It takes the average person 10 hours to read a book, which is a lot of time many of us don't have. The pattern across Ferriss's interviews was striking: the highest performers weren't optimising for comfort. They were optimising for better thinking. Books, courses, ideas — the inputs that compound.
In 1970, Larry Ellison read a research paper by IBM scientist Edgar F. Codd describing a new concept: the relational database. While IBM shelved the idea, Ellison acted on it — and built Oracle around it. That company is now worth over $400 billion. One paper. One idea. One decision to take it seriously. With Blinkist, the most powerful ideas are shared in short audio and text explainers — in the time it takes to drink a coffee.
Plus, there are 40 new titles added to the app every month, so even the most voracious reader will never run out of great content.
The 4-Hour Workweek
- 28 min reading time
- audio version available
3. The Books That Shape How High-Performers Think
At Blinkist, there's a dedicated team of experts who sift through the millions of books published each year to find the best ones out there. We don't just want bestsellers — we want the hidden gems, the timeless classics, the books written for serious thinkers, by serious thinkers.
"When we started, most apps were for social media or gaming. We wanted to do something different and build an app that would add genuine value to someone's life." — Holger Seim, Blinkist co-founder
Once books are selected, specialist editors extract the key insights and transform them into bite-sized explainers — all crafted using neuroscientific principles that make information easier to absorb and remember.
The kind of books Liv Boeree, Tim Ferriss, and their peers reach for aren't beach reads. They're books about how the world actually works — probability, psychology, history, science. Here's one of the most talked-about on Blinkist right now:
The Black Swan
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
4. It Replaces the Habit That's Costing You the Most
You know those moments when you catch yourself endlessly swiping through social media? It's something an alarmingly high number of people suffer from — a phenomenon that leaves people feeling tired and empty.
Liv Boeree has spoken publicly about the attention economy and how it's designed to capture your focus without giving anything back. Blinkist works the other way. 80% of Blinkist users say they are more likely to spend time on Blinkist than scroll through social media. Here's what some of them are saying:
"This has been the biggest boost to my productivity / lifelong learning ever. Honestly, I can't think of a better habit to start than Blinkist." – 5 star review on the Apple Store
So, say goodbye to mindless scrolling and hello to a new habit that'll feed your curiosity, spark intellectual growth, and help you become a better you. No wonder so many users agree:
"This app should be in Essentials category: One of the best app purchased. I have been a member for 6+ years and I don't think I will ever stop. This is a learning experience that truly enhances my life." – 5 star review on the Apple Store
5. The Commute Is Where the Learning Happens
Liv Boeree travels constantly — tournaments, conferences, filming. Tim Ferriss has written entire books about designing a life that isn't anchored to a desk. What both have in common: they've figured out how to learn in the gaps.
Around 70% of Blinkist users opt to listen rather than read — and that's the point. The audio format turns the commute, the gym, the dog walk, the cooking session into something that compounds. Over 30% of people retain information better when they hear it rather than read it. The format isn't a compromise — for many people, it's actually the better way to learn.
"Perfect for populating your mind with smart thoughts and the latest research. I use the audio format while in transportation." – 5-star review
"Very informative and insightful. I can cook dinner and enjoy the knowledge over audio." – 5-star review
Superforecasting
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
6. Read Smarter, Buy Better
With 15-minute explainers, busy people can take books for a test drive. If they like what they hear in those 15 minutes, they can buy the full thing to learn more.
"I've found that if a book is still interesting after reading the highlights I end up buying the book anyway. I now buy half as many, the ones I do buy are higher quality and more impactful." – @DaleyErvin
Not only does this save people money buying books they never read, but it saves them time too — every book they do buy is one they know they'll get a lot out of.
"Blinkist has helped me read more — period. I love that I can get the key learnings from 10+ books a week, and immediately implement them in my own life. Blinkist has also helped me filter the books I purchase — if I couldn't get enough of the Book-in-Blinks, I buy it." — Hitha Palepu, entrepreneur, author and Blinkist user
7. The Ideas That Keep Coming Up in Every High-Performer's Library
Blinkist isn't just loved by world champions and bestselling authors — it's loved by everyone who is eager to learn more. Today, Blinkist holds a 4.8★ rating across 148,000+ reviews on the Apple App Store alone.
Across Ferriss's interviews, certain books kept appearing on the reading lists of the world's best performers — books on decision-making, on habits, on how to think clearly under pressure. They're all on Blinkist. Here's one that comes up again and again:
Poor Charlie's Almanack
- 26 min reading time
- audio version available
8. The Right Idea at the Right Moment
Curious people are drawn to Blinkist because they know they can quickly access the knowledge they want — exactly when they need it. This no-fuss, no-stress approach to learning removes the time and strain that might otherwise go into research.
Ellison's story is a reminder that the right idea doesn't announce itself — it's buried in a paper, a book, a conversation. The people who find it are the ones who keep reading. Blinkist helps thinkers of all kinds keep up to date on the latest ideas, fill gaps in their knowledge, and easily integrate learning into their everyday lives.
"Blinkist is a lens to kick off thinking, a surveying tool. I can, for example, quickly review a few of the best books on any topic I'm curious about." — Adam Gries, Founder of OKpanda
9. Built by People Who Believe in What They're Making
LinkedIn named Blinkist the best startup employer in Germany, and 95% of employees on Glassdoor would recommend working there. That kind of culture produces a product built with real intention — not just to grow, but to genuinely improve people's lives.
"I moved to Berlin after living in New York City for ten years to work at Blinkist. I knew I would be working alongside some amazing people, building a revolutionary product. This, mixed with an exciting new culture and the way of life Berlin offers, made the move an easy decision." — Carlos Alvarado, Country Manager at Blinkist
10. What the Best Minds Know That Most People Don't
"Blinkist is one of the world's best apps." — Apple
Blinkist has received major recognition from Apple, Google, and the United Nations. It's been featured in the New York Times and Forbes, and recommended by millions of users worldwide.
When Tim Ferriss asked the world's best minds what they'd spend $100 on, he was really asking a deeper question: what actually makes a difference? Liv Boeree's answer was Blinkist. The best thinkers aren't waiting for the perfect moment to sit down with a book. They're learning in the margins — on the commute, between meetings, in the ten minutes before sleep. Blinkist is how they do it.
With a community of 43 million people located across the world — from poker champions to full-time parents to top CEOs — Blinkist has a loyal fanbase of users who are all discovering powerful ideas in nonfiction books every day. Be part of it. Download the Blinkist app now and join the 43 million curious thinkers who also love to learn.
Download the Blinkist app now and join the 43 million curious thinkers who also love to learn.
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The Blinkist editorial team
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What is Blinkist?
Blinkist is an app that transforms key insights from great nonfiction books into quick, easy-to-understand highlights. The reality is – everyone loves reading, but no one has the time. Blinkist fills this learning gap and makes acquiring new knowledge effortless.
