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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Humans spend an estimated 80,000 hours of their lives at work. Shouldn’t that time be spent doing something you love? How can you avoid the trap of career regret?

Today, Bill Gurley is known for his successful investments in companies like Uber. But before he found his dream job in venture capital, Gurley came close to falling into a trap that affects millions: “career regret.” Family pressure and a broken education system push too many young people onto a conveyer belt where the destination is a small subset of idealized “safe” jobs. But, as new research by Gurley and the Wharton School of Business shows, 6 in 10 people are likely to regret their career choice years down the road.

For the past two decades, Gurley has observed people who have climbed to the top in fields ranging from technology to hospitality to entertainment—and who radiate joy in their chosen field. Why did they thrive while others floundered? Is there a formula to finding your dream job?

In Runnin’ Down a Dream, Gurley breaks down the components of success, identifying six key tenets that will set young people up for flourishing, purpose-filled careers. From chasing your curiosity and honing your craft to going where the action Is to always giving back, Gurley brings them to life - through his own captivating, straight-talk voice and revealing stories of a handful of iconic individuals who epitomize them.

'Life,' as Gurley’s writes, 'is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition.' A much-needed corrective to talk of 'lazy jobs' and 'quiet quitting,' this book will inspire a new generation to step off the conveyer belt, find the things that make them insatiably curious, and turn those fascinations into a thriving career—where the work doesn’t feel like work at all.

© Bill Gurley 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

Schools never teach a how to find work you love class. Bill Gurley clearly maps the path with sharp insights and real tools. Strongly recommended.
Tony Fadell, iPod inventor, iPhone co-inventor, Nest founder, New York Times bestselling author of Build
I hadn’t even gotten through the first chapter, and I was already writing down ideas. Wicked smart and original, Bill pulls apart success stories and reverse engineers them for us. Thank you, Bill!
Jeff Bezos
Fantastic. A variety of useful insights and examples that converge into one story that underlies remarkable success in nearly any field: The relentless hunger to learn about the thing you love.
James Clear, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits
This book might save you from a career you’ll regret. Bill Gurley has spent decades figuring out how to find a dream job, and his stories and advice are poised to take you one step closer to yours.
Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking
Runnin’ Down a Dream is a practical guide to forging a fulfilling career, backed up by a mountain of research. It’s also a page turner that delves deep into the surprising, often zig-zagging career paths of exceptional performers. There is something inspiring on every page.
David Epstein, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Range
Reading this book feels like sitting beside a clear-eyed mentor who's honest about how work really works. It replaces vague advice with vivid human stories and delivers a bracing call to act boldly in every part of our lives.
Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive and The Power of Regret
Do the work. Learn from people who have been there. Go deep. Go wide. Be an agent in your own life. This brilliantly useful book is the antidote to entitlement. Everyone should read it.
Annie Duke, bestselling author of Thinking in Bets, How to Decide, and Quit
Many young people now reach their 20s with two strikes already against them: greater anxiety and diminished ability to focus. Gurley offers his readers a way to move forward with increasing energy and confidence. This inspiring book is an invitation to shift into ‘discover mode,’ where curiosity replaces fear and real growth begins.
Jonathan Haidt, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Anxious Generation
A great book for a young person who won’t settle for putting their passion to one side. This book shows how to actually pursue that passion as a career with examples of real-life successes who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Greg Lukianoff, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind

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