Zero to One
Peter Thiel · 2014
Also recommended by: Andrew Ng · Ben Horowitz · Marc Andreessen · Mark Zuckerberg · Nassim Taleb · Sam Altman · Tom Bilyeu
Entrepreneur · Tesla, SpaceX, X
Books recommended by Elon Musk
Elon Musk is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the world, founder or co-founder of companies such as SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and xAI. Born in South Africa, he built his career in the United States, transforming entire industries — from electric cars to commercial space exploration.
His reading recommendations reflect a mind obsessed with physics, the history of science, science fiction, and the limits of the possible. Musk cites books as a direct source of practical learning — accounts from those who studied his trajectory show that he literally learned to build rockets by reading. With 60 recommended titles, his curation mixes engineering and cosmology classics with narratives of great civilizations and dystopias that, according to him, serve as warnings.
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Superintelligence
Nick Bostrom · 2014
”Worth reading Superintelligence by Bostrom. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.”
Das Kapital
Karl Marx · 1867
”Read Das Kapital when I was 14”
What We Owe the Future
William MacAskill · 2022
”Worth reading. This is a close match for my philosophy.”
Masters of Doom
David Kushner · 2003
”Masters of Doom is a great book”
Our Final Invention
James Barrat
”Our Final Invention by @jrbarrat is also worth reading”
Stranger in a strange land
Robert A. Heinlein
”I like Stranger in a Strange Land , although it kind of goes off the rails at the end.”
The history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire
Edward Gibbon · 1776
Also recommended by: Mahatma Gandhi
Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
Steven Novella · 2018
Also recommended by: Neil Tyson
American Caesar
William Manchester · 1978
Also recommended by: Ryan Holiday
The fifteen decisive battles of the world
Edward Shepherd Creasy · 1851
”Insightful analysis, ensconced in eloquent prose”
Also recommended by: Peter Thiel
Liftoff
Eric Berger · 2021
Also recommended by: John Collison
Lying
Sam Harris · 2011
”Excellent cover art and lots of good reasons not to lie!”
Also recommended by: Tim Ferriss
What's Our Problem?
Tim Urban · 2024
”Worth reading”
Also recommended by: Tobi Lutke
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green · 2012
”Must admit to liking "The Fault in Our Stars" too. Sad, romantic and beautifully named”
Also recommended by: Taylor Swift
Machine Stops
E. M. Forster · 1909
”Worth reading The Machine Stops, an old story by E. M. Forster”
The stainless steel rat
Harry Harrison · 1957
”A bit more obscure”
Structures, or, Why things don't fall down
J. E. Gordon · 1978
”It is really, really good if you want a primer on structural design.”
Catherine the Great
Robert K. Massie · 1981
”Yeah, I know what you're probably thinking ... did she really f* a horse?”
Capitalist Manifesto
Johan Norberg · 2019
”This book is an excellent explanation of why capitalism is not just successful, but morally right, especially chapter 4”
Waiting for Godot
Samuel Beckett · 1953
”Have recently come to appreciate the awesome, absurdist humor of Waiting for Godot.”
The Big Picture
Sean Carroll · 2016
”Highly recommend anything by Sean Carroll”
Screw Business As Usual
Richard Branson · 2011
”This approach should be taken to heart by all, as it really is the smart move.”
Stalin
Simon Sebag Montefiore · 2003
”“Stalin: Court of the Red Tsar” was one of the few books so dark I had to stop reading.”
Merchants of Doubt
Naomi Oreskes · 2010
”Worth reading Merchants of Doubt. Same who tried to deny smoking deaths r denying climate change”
Woman Makes a Plan
Maye Musk · 2019
”My Mom wrote a book ♥️”