Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work

Over the past decade, Silicon Valley executives including Eric Schmidt and Elon Musk, Special Operators such as the Navy SEA Ls and Green Berets, and scientists including Sasha Shulgin and Amy Cuddy have challenged conventional approaches to high performance. Rather than relying on grit, habit formation, or the 10,000-hour rule, these groups have discovered altered states of consciousness as a method to address critical challenges and improve performance. Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal spent four years investigating this development across multiple locations, including SEAL Team Six facilities, the Googleplex, Burning Man, Richard Branson's Necker Island, Red Bull's training center, Nike's innovation team, and the United Nations Headquarters. They found that these diverse groups, using different languages and techniques, have been pursuing the same goal: accessing the information and inspiration that altered states provide. The book examines how psychology, neurobiology, technology, and pharmacology are enabling new access to these states. Kotler and Wheal present their findings as relevant to anyone seeking to improve their professional and personal lives.