20 books that Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates recommend every innovator and entrepreneur should read
Many leaders say they’ve learned valuable business lessons from books. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates are no exception.
Many leaders say they’ve learned valuable business lessons from books. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates are no exception.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates say the most important lessons in their lives came from books. Over the years, they have recommended countless books that they believe have strengthened their business acumen and shaped their worldview.
Here are 20 books recommended by Musk, Bezos, and Gates that you should add to your reading list:
Some of Bezos' favorite books played a major role in creating products and services like Kindle and Amazon Web Services.
«Innovator’s solution»
This book about innovation explains how companies can become disruptors. It’s one of three books Bezos had his top executives read one summer to chart Amazon’s trajectory.
«Goal: a process of continuous improvement»
Also on this list is the book «The Goal,» in which Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox examine the theory of constraints from a management perspective.
«Effective leader»
«The Effective Leader» describes the habits of successful leaders, such as time management and effective decision-making.
«Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies»
The book is based on six years of research by Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business into what separates exceptional companies from their competitors. Bezos has said it is his «favorite business book.»
«The Remains of the Day»
This novel by Kazuo Ishiguro tells the story of an English butler in wartime England who, while on leave, begins to doubt his lifelong loyalty to his employer.
Bezos said of the book, «Before reading it, I didn’t think the perfect novel was possible.»
«Lean Thinking: How to Eliminate Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation»
This book provides tips for improving efficiency based on specific examples of lean companies in various industries.
The Tesla CEO has recommended several books on artificial intelligence, science fiction novels, and biographies over the years.
«What we owe to the future»
One of the latest books on longtermism, which the author defines as «the view that positively influencing the long-term future is a key moral priority of our time.» Musk says the book is «very close» to his philosophy.
«Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies»
Musk also recommended several books on artificial intelligence, including this one, which examines the future of intelligent life in a world where machines may become smarter than humans.
«Our Latest Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era»
On the topic of artificial intelligence, Musk said in a 2014 tweet that this book, which examines its risks and potential, is also «worth reading.»
«Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence»
In this book, MIT professor Max Tegmark writes about how to ensure that artificial intelligence and technological progress remain useful for human life in the future.
«From Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future»
In this book, Peter Thiel shares the lessons he learned while founding companies like PayPal and Palantir.
Elon Musk said of the book: «Thiel has built several breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how to do it.»
«Einstein: His Life and the Universe»
Musk’s reading list includes biographies, including this book by Walter Isaacson about Albert Einstein, as well as Isaacson’s biography of Benjamin Franklin. Isaacson recently published a biography of Musk himself.
The Microsoft co-founder typically publishes two lists of his book recommendations each year — in the summer and at the end of the year.
«How the world really works»
In his 2022 summer reading list, Gates highlighted this work by Vaclav Smil, which explores the fundamental forces underlying the modern world, including issues such as energy production and globalization.
«If you want a short but thorough education in numerical thinking about many of the fundamental forces that shape human life, this is the book to read,» Gates said of the book.
«Why are we polarized?»
Ezra Klein argues that the American political system has become polarized around identity to dangerous effect in this book, which is also on Gates' 2022 summer reading list and which he calls «a fascinating look at human psychology.»
«Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Stories from the World of Wall Street»
Gates said it was «the best business book I’ve ever read.» It collects 12 articles that originally appeared in The New Yorker about the successes and failures of companies like General Electric and Xerox.
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«Truthfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why It’s Much Better Than You Think»
«Truthfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think,» Hans Rosling
Amazon
The book explores the thought patterns and tendencies that distort people’s perception of the world. Gates called it «one of the most insightful books I’ve ever read.»
«Origin Story: The Big Story of Everything»
In this book, David Christian tells the story of our universe, from the Big Bang to mass globalization.
«The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History»
In this book, Elizabeth Colbert tells the story of mass extinctions on Earth, including the sixth extinction, which some scientists warn is already happening.
«The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Era»
This book by Archie Brown explores political leadership throughout the 20th century.
«The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History»
In this book, Elizabeth Colbert tells the story of mass extinctions on Earth, including the sixth extinction, which some scientists warn is already happening.
«The Coming Wave»
Mustafa Suleiman’s «The Coming Wave» explores the opportunities and risks associated with scientific breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence and gene editing.
OpenAI founder Sam Altman named 9 books that, in his opinion, can change your life
OpenAI founder Sam Altman named 9 books that, in his opinion, can change your life
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