Books Entrepreneurs Recommend Most

Based on 6673 sourced recommendations from 271 entrepreneurs. Updated October 30, 2026.

1. 1. Principles

   

   By Ray Dalio

   Recommended by 21 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Tony Robbins Source
   • Tom Bilyeu Source
   • Tim Ferriss Source
   • Reed Hastings Source
   • Naval Ravikant Source
   • Mark Cuban Source
   • Marc Benioff Source
   • Kevin Systrom Source
   • Howard S. Marks Source
   • Gary Vaynerchuk Source
   • Dustin Moskovitz Source
   • Drew Houston Source
   • Bryan Johnson Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • Austen Allred Source
   • Arianna Huffington Source
   • Patrick Bet-David Source
   • Michael Bloomberg Source
   • Stephen A. Schwarzman Source
   • Keith Rabois Source
   • Shane Parrish Source

   Ray Dalio is a dear friend of mine and a total genius. ... In this book, Ray tells you how he figured it all out – and about all the principles that guided him toward success in his life, business and finances.

   Source

2. 2. Zero to One

   

   By Peter Thiel, Blake Masters

   Recommended by 20 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Sam Altman Source
   • Max Levchin Source
   • Matt Mullenweg Source
   • Luis von Ahn Source
   • Kishore Biyani Source
   • Keith Rabois Source
   • Dustin Moskovitz Source
   • Chris Dixon Source
   • Bryan Johnson Source
   • Andrew Ng Source
   • Ryan Holiday Source
   • Mark Zuckerberg Source
   • Patrick Collison Source
   • Elon Musk Source
   • Marc Andreessen Source
   • Jeff Immelt Source
   • David Sacks Source
   • Tom Bilyeu Source
   • Shane Parrish Source
   • Patrick Bet-David Source

   bookshelf for @kyro! most books are science/tech but here is the section w/novels. I nominate @paulg and @peterthiel.

   Source

3. 3. Sapiens

   

   By Yuval Noah Harari

   Recommended by 18 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Vinod Khosla Source
   • Richard Branson Source
   • Reid Hoffman Source
   • Naval Ravikant Source
   • Mark Zuckerberg Source
   • Kishore Biyani Source
   • Keith Rabois Source
   • Demis Hassabis Source
   • Daniel Ek Source
   • Changpeng Zhao Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • David Sacks Source
   • Tom Bilyeu Source
   • Shane Parrish Source
   • Scott Galloway Source
   • David Heinemeier Hansson Source
   • Ryan Holiday Source
   • Sam Altman Source

   Not that I agree with all of it, but it is still mind-bending speculation about our future as a follow-up to a previous favorite, Sapiens.

   Source

4. 4. The Hard Thing About Hard Things

   

   By Ben Horowitz

   Recommended by 18 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Tim Ferriss Source
   • Max Levchin Source
   • Matt Mullenweg Source
   • Marc Andreessen Source
   • Luis von Ahn Source
   • Keith Rabois Source
   • Fred Wilson Source
   • Dustin Moskovitz Source
   • Drew Houston Source
   • Chris Dixon Source
   • Andrew Ng Source
   • Ryan Holiday Source
   • Larry Page Source
   • Peter Thiel Source
   • Mark Zuckerberg Source
   • Tony Fadell Source
   • Shane Parrish Source
   • Patrick Bet-David Source

   Ben's book is a great read — with uncomfortable truths about entrepreneurship and how to lead to a company. It's also an inspiring story of a business rebirth through sheer willpower.

   Source

5. 5. Man's Search For Meaning

   

   By Viktor Frankl

   Recommended by 15 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Tony Robbins Source
   • Simon Sinek Source
   • Shane Parrish Source
   • Sam Altman Source
   • Naval Ravikant Source
   • Dustin Moskovitz Source
   • Chip Conley Source
   • Bryan Johnson Source
   • Elon Musk Source
   • Ryan Holiday Source
   • Tom Bilyeu Source
   • David Heinemeier Hansson Source
   • Patrick Bet-David Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • Tim Ferriss Source

   Viktor Frankl’s book, MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING, provides the most compelling and triumphant account I have ever read of humanity’s ability to persevere through the unimaginable.

   Source

6. 6. How to Win Friends and Influence People

   

   By Dale Carnegie

   Recommended by 13 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Warren Buffett Source
   • Tim Draper Source
   • Paul Graham Source
   • Ken Block Source
   • Dustin Moskovitz Source
   • Derek Sivers Source
   • Daymond John Source
   • Barbara Corcoran Source
   • Alex Hormozi Source
   • Patrick Bet-David Source
   • Shane Parrish Source
   • Dave Ramsey Source
   • Tony Robbins Source

   It's probably one of those books you want to read once a year, or listen to the audio once a year.

   Source

7. 7. Thinking, Fast and Slow

   

   By Daniel Kahneman

   Recommended by 12 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Naval Ravikant Source
   • Marc Andreessen Source
   • Jason Fried Source
   • Derek Sivers Source
   • Bryan Johnson Source
   • Tony Fadell Source
   • Shane Parrish Source
   • Scott Galloway Source
   • Vinod Khosla Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • Ryan Holiday Source
   • Tim Ferriss Source

   I enjoyed that book, too. Fascinating.

   Source

8. 8. Meditations

   

   By Marcus Aurelius

   Recommended by 12 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Shane Parrish Source
   • Sam Altman Source
   • Naval Ravikant Source
   • Jack Dorsey Source
   • Chip Conley Source
   • Austen Allred Source
   • Adam Robinson Source
   • Ryan Holiday Source
   • David Heinemeier Hansson Source
   • Arnold Schwarzenegger Source
   • Patrick Bet-David Source
   • Tim Ferriss Source

   3. Meditations and Montaigne’s Essays — Reading these guys, along with Seneca, has really helped foster my interest in philosophy. So much of what they say speaks to me that I’m often left with entire pages underlined and margins filled with thoughts.

   Source

9. 9. Shoe Dog

   

   By Phil Knight

   Recommended by 12 of 271 entrepreneurs

   • Warren Buffett Source
   • Tim Cook Source
   • Jason Calacanis Source
   • Brian Armstrong Source
   • Bill Gates Source
   • Austen Allred Source
   • Alexis Ohanian Source
   • Ryan Holiday Source
   • Stephen A. Schwarzman Source
   • Tony Fadell Source
   • Shane Parrish Source
   • Scott Galloway Source

   Memoir by the Nike founder and CEO, Phil Knight.

   Source

10. 10. Atlas Shrugged

    

    By Ayn Rand

    Recommended by 12 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Travis Kalanick Source
    • Steve Jobs Source
    • Peter Thiel Source
    • Peter Diamandis Source
    • Joe De Sena Source
    • Fred Wilson Source
    • Brian Armstrong Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • David Sacks Source
    • Shane Parrish Source

    Celebrate the creators in the world (even when they struggle). They may be more valuable than we think.

    Source

11. 11. Poor Charlie's Almanack

    

    By Charlie Munger

    Recommended by 12 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Warren Buffett Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source
    • Tai Lopez Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Ramit Sethi Source
    • Patrick Collison Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Drew Houston Source
    • Jason Fried Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    4. Letters to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders and Poor Charlie’s Almanack — Because I have an MBA a lot of people inevitably ask me if they should pursue one. If it’s knowledge and not credentials you’re after, save your money and read these two. The letters are freely available on Berkshire’s website but I find the paperback collection works best for me. If you’re scared t

    Source

12. 12. High Output Management

    

    By Andrew Grove

    Recommended by 11 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Larry Ellison Source
    • Keith Rabois Source
    • Drew Houston Source
    • Brian Chesky Source
    • Brian Armstrong Source
    • Ben Horowitz Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source
    • Jensen Huang Source
    • Mark Zuckerberg Source

    Andy Grove’s classic book on management. Surprisingly, I found I was already using many of the management ideas in this book (1:1, OKRs, etc) which is a testament to just how influential this book is.

    Source

13. 13. The Innovator's Dilemma

    

    By Clayton Christensen

    Recommended by 11 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Max Levchin Source
    • Mark Cuban Source
    • Guy Kawasaki Source
    • Drew Houston Source
    • Chris Dixon Source
    • Caterina Fake Source
    • Ben Horowitz Source
    • Aaron Levie Source
    • Jensen Huang Source
    • Jason Fried Source
    • Steve Jobs Source

    Number two, I really loved Innovator's Dilemma

    Source

14. 14. The Lean Startup

    

    By Eric Ries

    Recommended by 11 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Mike Maples Jr. Source
    • Mark Cuban Source
    • Kevin Systrom Source
    • Jason Calacanis Source
    • Chris Dixon Source
    • Ben Horowitz Source
    • Andrew Ng Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Jeff Immelt Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source

    For discipline, I chose Lean Startup.

    Source

15. 15. The Coddling of the American Mind

    

    By Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt

    Recommended by 10 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Tom Bilyeu Source
    • Max Levchin Source
    • Glenn Beck Source
    • Bryan Johnson Source
    • Patrick Collison Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • David Heinemeier Hansson Source
    • Scott Galloway Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    This book dives into the new problem on college campuses, Safetyism, and how it undermines the freedom of inquiry and speech that are indispensable to universities. The consequences of a generation unable or disinclined to engage with ideas that make them uncomfortable are dire for society, and open the door — accessible from both the left and the right — to various forms of authoritarianism. A good companion read to “Winner Takes All”. Can too much political correctness hurt?​

    Source

16. 16. Only the Paranoid Survive

    

    By Andrew Grove

    Recommended by 10 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Ben Horowitz Source
    • Balaji Srinivasan Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Warren Buffett Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Jensen Huang Source
    • Steve Jobs Source

    I think Andy Grove is a great business leader. His recent book, Only the Paranoid Survive... that basic theme is in the culture of Microsoft, to wake up every day and say, 'What are we missing?' And so I thought he did a very good job of articulating that.

    Source

17. 17. The Bible

    

    By Unknown/Other

    Recommended by 9 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Donald Trump Source
    • Mark Zuckerberg Source
    • Mark Wahlberg Source
    • Michael Bloomberg Source
    • Tom Bilyeu Source
    • Dave Ramsey Source
    • Cathie Wood Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It's my favorite book.

    Source

18. 18. Snow Crash

    

    By Neal Stephenson

    Recommended by 9 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Sergey Brin Source
    • Larry Page Source
    • Cameron Winklevoss Source
    • Austen Allred Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source
    • Mark Zuckerberg Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Jack Dorsey Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    Snow Crash is amazing

    Source

19. 19. The Checklist Manifesto

    

    By Atul Gawande

    Recommended by 9 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source
    • Ramit Sethi Source
    • Michael McCullough Source
    • Keith Rabois Source
    • Jack Dorsey Source
    • Charles Poliquin Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Shane Parrish Source

    The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

    Source

20. 20. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    

    By Stephen Covey

    Recommended by 9 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Noah Kagan Source
    • Michael McCullough Source
    • Kishore Biyani Source
    • Ken Block Source
    • Jenn Im Source
    • Dustin Moskovitz Source
    • Dave Ramsey Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Richard Branson Source

    Should I have to say anything about this book? If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?

    Source

21. 21. Skin in the Game

    

    By Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    Recommended by 9 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Keith Rabois Source
    • Chris Dixon Source
    • Changpeng Zhao Source
    • Ben Horowitz Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Shane Parrish Source

    must read book

    Source

22. 22. Good to Great

    

    By Jim Collins

    Recommended by 9 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Tracy DiNunzio Source
    • Max Levchin Source
    • Jason Calacanis Source
    • Frank Blake Source
    • Daniel Ek Source
    • Brian Armstrong Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Dave Ramsey Source

    The scientific method can be applied to business. This book draws powerful lessons from data.

    Source

23. 23. 1984

    

    By George Orwell

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Richard Branson Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • David Sacks Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Elon Musk Source
    • Sam Altman Source
    • Steve Jobs Source

    Our enemy is speech control and thought control – the increasing use, in plain sight, of George Orwell's \"1984\" as an instruction manual.

    Source

24. 24. Steve Jobs

    

    By Walter Isaacson

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Gary Vaynerchuk Source
    • Elon Musk Source
    • Ed Zschau Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Keith Rabois Source
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger Source
    • Shane Parrish Source

    Walter is incredibly thorough in his research. Highly recommend his other books!

    Source

25. 25. The 4-hour Workweek

    

    By Tim Ferriss

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Tristan Harris Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Gary W. Keller Source
    • Derek Sivers Source
    • David Heinemeier Hansson Source
    • Caterina Fake Source
    • Blake Mycoskie Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source

    I had read The 4-Hour Workweek sometime in advance of that and so had Jason... We were both just impressed with that.

    Source

26. 26. The Intelligent Investor

    

    By Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Patrick Collison Source
    • Kevin Rose Source
    • Bill Ackman Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Warren Buffett Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • David Heinemeier Hansson Source

    Of all the investments I ever made, buying Ben's book was the best (except for my purchase of two marriage licenses).

    Source

27. 27. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

    

    By Robert M. Pirsig

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Paul Graham Source
    • Fred Wilson Source
    • Drew Houston Source
    • Bryan Johnson Source
    • Austen Allred Source
    • Jeff Immelt Source
    • David Heinemeier Hansson Source
    • Jason Fried Source

    My daughter was reading “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” which brought me back to my youth. I picked it up and read a couple of chapters just for old time’s sake.

    Source

28. 28. Why We Sleep

    

    By Matthew Walker

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Keith Rabois Source
    • Jason Fried Source
    • Bryan Johnson Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Alexis Ohanian Source
    • David Heinemeier Hansson Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source

    Read this book and think again. "Why We Sleep" is highly recommended

    Source

29. 29. Getting to Yes

    

    By William Ury, Roger Fisher, Bruce Patton

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Dustin Moskovitz Source
    • Drew Houston Source
    • Ann Miura-ko Source
    • Tony Fadell Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Jason Fried Source
    • Tony Robbins Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source

    Getting to Yes is one, and that's all about telling a story… telling a really great story for why people should say yes.

    Source

30. 30. The Black Swan: Second Edition

    

    By Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Nick Kokonas Source
    • James Altucher Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source

    He is also famous for The Black Swan, Antifragile, and Fooled by Randomness, all of which are worth reading.

    Source

31. 31. Antifragile

    

    By Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    Recommended by 8 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Tom Bilyeu Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • James Altucher Source
    • Changpeng Zhao Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source

    6. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder This book changed how I see the world. As if that wasn’t enough, it also introduced me to iatrogenics, fragilistas, and connected inversion and via negativa (something I should have connected much sooner).

    Source

32. 32. Ready Player One

    

    By Ernest Cline

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Jenn Im Source
    • Brian Armstrong Source
    • Austen Allred Source
    • Astro Teller Source
    • Shaan Puri Source
    • Mark Zuckerberg Source
    • Tom Bilyeu Source

    A compelling picture of how VR might play out. People will spend more and more time in the meta-verse (side note: and likely end up using digital currency).

    Source

33. 33. Homo Deus

    

    By Yuval Noah Harari

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Tai Lopez Source
    • Richard Branson Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Scott Galloway Source

    Not that I agree with all of it, but it is still mind-bending speculation about our future as a follow-up to a previous favorite, Sapiens. It’s directionally right.

    Source

34. 34. Range

    

    By David Epstein

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Keith Rabois Source
    • Changpeng Zhao Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Tony Fadell Source
    • Shane Parrish Source

    This book examines the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists and discovers that in most fields , generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. This book argues that cultivating range prepares us for things we can’t anticipate and adversity. We’ve believed in a single path to excellence: Start early, specialize soon, narrow your focus, aim for efficiency. This book suggests to hold off on starting those piano lessons too early. I’ve always loved exploration so this is very much in sync with my beliefs. Every high school and college student should read it.

    Source

35. 35. Crossing the Chasm

    

    By Geoffrey Moore

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Guy Kawasaki Source
    • Drew Houston Source
    • Chris Dixon Source
    • Changpeng Zhao Source
    • Andrew Ng Source
    • Aaron Levie Source
    • Tony Fadell Source

    Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Consumers, Geoffrey Moore

    Source

36. 36. Influence

    

    By Robert Cialdini

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Alex Hormozi Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Tony Robbins Source
    • Scott Galloway Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source

    I read this book many many many years ago it's a very very book good book

    Source

37. 37. Mindset

    

    By Carol Dweck

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Tony Robbins Source
    • Tom Bilyeu Source
    • Dustin Moskovitz Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source

    You’ve got to go pick up Mindset by the Stanford University because you keep telling your kid how perfect they are, and you’re going to ruin them.

    Source

38. 38. A Guide to the Good Life

    

    By William Braxton Irvine

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Jason Fried Source
    • Derek Sivers Source
    • David Heinemeier Hansson Source
    • Austen Allred Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Shane Parrish Source

    A Guide to the Good Life is such a good book.

    Source

39. 39. Atomic Habits

    

    By James Clear

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Biz Stone Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Meghan Markle Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger Source

    Over months and years, the accumulated effect of small habitual daily behaviors is staggering. This book warns that this compounding works both ways, so we’d better make sure we’re making it work in a positive direction, not for the negative. A decent book on self-help tools, not a category I am generally a fan of.

    Source

40. 40. The Ride of a Lifetime

    

    By Robert Iger

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Tim Ferriss Source
    • Jason Calacanis Source
    • Brian Chesky Source
    • Alexis Ohanian Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Bill Gates Source
    • Michael Bloomberg Source

    Highly recommend “The Ride of a Lifetime” by @RobertIger to anyone with big aspirations.

    Source

41. 41. Masters of Doom

    

    By David Kushner

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Patrick Collison Source
    • Jeff Atwood Source
    • Austen Allred Source
    • Alexis Ohanian Source
    • Elon Musk Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • David Heinemeier Hansson Source

    Masters of Doom is a great book

    Source

42. 42. Fooled by Randomness

    

    By Nassim Nicholas Taleb

    Recommended by 7 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Nick Kokonas Source
    • James Altucher Source
    • Howard S. Marks Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source

    He is also famous for The Black Swan, Antifragile, and Fooled by Randomness, all of which are worth reading.

    Source

43. 43. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

    

    By Walter Isaacson

    Recommended by 6 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Tim Ferriss Source
    • Paul Graham Source
    • Elon Musk Source
    • Ed Zschau Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    like something like Franklin's, both his autobiography and say the biography that's recently been written by, well not that recently, but in, I guess, five or ten years ago when it was written, the biography by Isaacson on Franklin is really good.

    Source

44. 44. The Alchemist

    

    By Paulo Coelho

    Recommended by 6 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Garry Tan Source
    • Aubrey Marcus Source
    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Jack Dorsey Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Scott Galloway Source

    This is one of the first books that profoundly changed my life for the better.

    Source

45. 45. The Four Agreements

    

    By Don Miguel Ruiz

    Recommended by 6 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Jack Dorsey Source
    • Aubrey Marcus Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Meghan Markle Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Reese Witherspoon Source

    A lot of people know Don Miguel Ruiz from The Four Agreements.

    Source

46. 46. How to Change Your Mind

    

    By Michael Pollan

    Recommended by 6 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Vinod Khosla Source
    • Tim Ferriss Source
    • Paul Stamets Source
    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Aubrey Marcus Source
    • Bill Gates Source

    The true subject of this “mental travelogue” is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives. It is also a fun exploration of psychedelic drugs, especially for someone who has never tried them.

    Source

47. 47. The Prince

    

    By Niccolò Machiavelli

    Recommended by 6 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Ryan Holiday Source
    • Garry Tan Source
    • Fred Wilson Source
    • Shane Parrish Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Stephen A. Schwarzman Source

    I have a lot to read in my pile but after reading Blood & Beauty last week — an excellent read by the way — I was inspired to pick up this masterful work again

    Source

48. 48. 12 Rules for Life

    

    By Jordan Peterson

    Recommended by 6 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Naval Ravikant Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source
    • Tom Bilyeu Source
    • Aubrey Marcus Source
    • David Heinemeier Hansson Source

    Highly recommend this book.

    Source

49. 49. Think and Grow Rich

    

    By Napoleon Hill

    Recommended by 6 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Tom Bilyeu Source
    • Neville Medhora Source
    • Daymond John Source
    • Shaan Puri Source
    • Dave Ramsey Source
    • Patrick Bet-David Source

    Listed #46 in his Top 100 Books.

    Source

50. 50. The Fountainhead

    

    By Ayn Rand

    Recommended by 6 of 271 entrepreneurs

    • Travis Kalanick Source
    • Noah Kagan Source
    • Mark Cuban Source
    • Larry Ellison Source
    • Marc Andreessen Source
    • Donald Trump Source

    The soul is that which can't be ruled. It must be broken. Drive a wedge in, get your fingers on it--and the man is yours. You won't need a whip--he'll bring it to you and ask to be whipped. Set him in reverse--and his own mechanism will do your work for you.

    Source

Every Entrepreneur on Ultimate Book List

• Ryan Holiday — 1041 recommendations
• Shane Parrish — 705 recommendations
• Bill Gates — 486 recommendations
• Tim Ferriss — 406 recommendations
• Richard Branson — 252 recommendations
• Donald Trump — 223 recommendations
• Patrick Collison — 217 recommendations
• Reese Witherspoon — 204 recommendations
• Patrick Bet-David — 195 recommendations
• Marc Andreessen — 181 recommendations
• Naval Ravikant — 170 recommendations
• Elon Musk — 152 recommendations
• Keith Rabois — 115 recommendations
• David Heinemeier Hansson — 112 recommendations
• Vinod Khosla — 107 recommendations
• Steve Jobs — 93 recommendations
• Jack Dorsey — 92 recommendations
• Aubrey Marcus — 75 recommendations
• Scott Galloway — 73 recommendations
• Paul Graham — 71 recommendations
• Martha Stewart — 63 recommendations
• Sam Altman — 63 recommendations
• Tom Bilyeu — 63 recommendations
• Michael Bloomberg — 56 recommendations
• Warren Buffett — 56 recommendations
• Balaji Srinivasan — 50 recommendations
• Brian Armstrong — 49 recommendations
• Arnold Schwarzenegger — 48 recommendations
• Jason Fried — 46 recommendations
• Mark Zuckerberg — 39 recommendations
• Tony Robbins — 36 recommendations
• Dave Ramsey — 35 recommendations
• Meghan Markle — 34 recommendations
• Mark Cuban — 33 recommendations
• Noah Kagan — 29 recommendations
• Alexis Ohanian — 28 recommendations
• David Sacks — 28 recommendations
• Austen Allred — 27 recommendations
• Tony Fadell — 27 recommendations
• Chris Dixon — 26 recommendations
• Ramit Sethi — 25 recommendations
• Max Levchin — 24 recommendations
• Tai Lopez — 23 recommendations
• Changpeng Zhao — 22 recommendations
• Matt Mullenweg — 20 recommendations
• Dustin Moskovitz — 18 recommendations
• Jason Calacanis — 18 recommendations
• Caterina Fake — 17 recommendations
• Jeff Atwood — 17 recommendations
• Simon Sinek — 17 recommendations
• Arianna Huffington — 16 recommendations
• Derek Sivers — 16 recommendations
• Bryan Johnson — 15 recommendations
• Mark Twain — 15 recommendations
• Kevin Systrom — 14 recommendations
• Tim Draper — 14 recommendations
• Kevin Rose — 13 recommendations
• Peter Thiel — 13 recommendations
• Tristan Harris — 13 recommendations
• Alex Hormozi — 12 recommendations
• Anthony Scaramucci — 12 recommendations
• Garry Tan — 12 recommendations
• Bill Ackman — 11 recommendations
• Chris Sacca — 11 recommendations
• Glenn Beck — 11 recommendations
• Neville Medhora — 11 recommendations
• Shaan Puri — 11 recommendations
• David Friedberg — 10 recommendations
• Drew Houston — 10 recommendations
• Jeff Bezos — 10 recommendations
• Marc Benioff — 10 recommendations
• Mark Wahlberg — 10 recommendations
• Stephen A. Schwarzman — 10 recommendations
• Ann Miura-ko — 9 recommendations
• Ben Horowitz — 9 recommendations
• Chase Jarvis — 9 recommendations
• Fred Wilson — 9 recommendations
• Guy Kawasaki — 9 recommendations
• James Altucher — 9 recommendations
• Howard S. Marks — 8 recommendations
• Adam Robinson — 8 recommendations
• Chip Conley — 8 recommendations
• Ed Latimore — 8 recommendations
• Gary W. Keller — 8 recommendations
• Jeff Immelt — 8 recommendations
• Aaron Levie — 7 recommendations
• Andrew Ng — 7 recommendations
• Ezra Klein — 7 recommendations
• Jenn Im — 7 recommendations
• Jensen Huang — 7 recommendations
• Krista Tippett — 7 recommendations
• Liz Lambert — 7 recommendations
• Reid Hoffman — 7 recommendations
• Tony Hsieh — 7 recommendations
• Cameron Winklevoss — 6 recommendations
• Daniel Ek — 6 recommendations
• Daniel Gross — 6 recommendations
• Daymond John — 6 recommendations
• Kishore Biyani — 6 recommendations
• Larry Page — 6 recommendations
• Mike Maples Jr. — 6 recommendations
• Ashton Kutcher — 5 recommendations
• Brian Chesky — 5 recommendations
• Chamath Palihapitiya — 5 recommendations
• Dario Amodei — 5 recommendations
• Jay-Z — 5 recommendations
• Jim Kwik — 5 recommendations
• Nick Kokonas — 5 recommendations
• Peter Diamandis — 5 recommendations
• Tim Cook — 5 recommendations
• Anthony Pompliano — 4 recommendations
• Cathie Wood — 4 recommendations
• Charles Poliquin — 4 recommendations
• Ed Zschau — 4 recommendations
• Frank Blake — 4 recommendations
• Joe Gebbia — 4 recommendations
• Larry Ellison — 4 recommendations
• Carl Icahn — 3 recommendations
• Dan Engle — 3 recommendations
• David Allen — 3 recommendations
• Demis Hassabis — 3 recommendations
• Evan Spiegel — 3 recommendations
• Gary Vaynerchuk — 3 recommendations
• Jerry Colonna — 3 recommendations
• Jim Cramer — 3 recommendations
• Julie Rice — 3 recommendations
• Kathryn Minshew — 3 recommendations
• Luis von Ahn — 3 recommendations
• Michael McCullough — 3 recommendations
• Paul Stamets — 3 recommendations
• Sergey Brin — 3 recommendations
• Sophia Amoruso — 3 recommendations
• Whitney Wolfe Herd — 3 recommendations
• Adam Gazzaley — 2 recommendations
• Barbara Corcoran — 2 recommendations
• Brian MacKenzie — 2 recommendations
• Chris Anderson — 2 recommendations
• Cindy Eckert — 2 recommendations
• Dorian Yates — 2 recommendations
• Grant Cardone — 2 recommendations
• Jen Rubio — 2 recommendations
• Joe De Sena — 2 recommendations
• John Collison — 2 recommendations
• John Francis Crowley — 2 recommendations
• Ken Block — 2 recommendations
• Marissa Mayer — 2 recommendations
• Nick Ganju — 2 recommendations
• Reed Hastings — 2 recommendations
• Rick Rubin — 2 recommendations
• Scott Belsky — 2 recommendations
• Tracy DiNunzio — 2 recommendations
• Travis Kalanick — 2 recommendations
• Alex Blumberg — 1 recommendations
• Andrew Yang — 1 recommendations
• Andy Stanley — 1 recommendations
• Astro Teller — 1 recommendations
• Ben Greenfield — 1 recommendations
• Bill Rasmussen — 1 recommendations
• Biz Stone — 1 recommendations
• Blake Mycoskie — 1 recommendations
• Brian Grazer — 1 recommendations
• Craig Newmark — 1 recommendations
• Geoff Ralston — 1 recommendations
• Jacqueline Novogratz — 1 recommendations
• Jason Khalipa — 1 recommendations
• Jon Taffer — 1 recommendations
• Katie Couric — 1 recommendations
• Lewis Howes — 1 recommendations
• Marcus Lemonis — 1 recommendations
• Mukesh Ambani — 1 recommendations
• Pavel Durov — 1 recommendations
• Sharon Salzberg — 1 recommendations
• 50 Cent — 0 recommendations
• Aaron Walker — 0 recommendations
• Adam Bornstein — 0 recommendations
• Al Ries — 0 recommendations
• Alan G. Lafley — 0 recommendations
• Andrew Carnegie — 0 recommendations
• Andrew Wilkinson — 0 recommendations
• Anja Manuel — 0 recommendations
• Anthony D. Williams — 0 recommendations
• Ben Casnocha — 0 recommendations
• Bob Goff — 0 recommendations
• Brad Feld — 0 recommendations
• Camila Russo — 0 recommendations
• Carmen Simon — 0 recommendations
• Charles Saatchi — 0 recommendations
• Charlie Gilkey — 0 recommendations
• Chet Holmes — 0 recommendations
• Chris Anderson — 0 recommendations
• Dan Kennedy — 0 recommendations
• Danny Hillis — 0 recommendations
• David Bach — 0 recommendations
• Donald O. Clifton — 0 recommendations
• Ebenezer Howard — 0 recommendations
• Elad Gil — 0 recommendations
• Elena Aguilar — 0 recommendations
• Eric M. Jackson — 0 recommendations
• Erik Prince — 0 recommendations
• Gary Marcus — 0 recommendations
• George Gilder — 0 recommendations
• Graham Coleman — 0 recommendations
• Gwyneth Paltrow — 0 recommendations
• Harvey Silverglate — 0 recommendations
• Hayao Miyazaki — 0 recommendations
• Hector Garcia — 0 recommendations
• Holly Sklar — 0 recommendations
• Howard Love — 0 recommendations
• Ivan Savov — 0 recommendations
• Jacob Weisberg — 0 recommendations
• James Clear — 0 recommendations
• Jason Mendelson — 0 recommendations
• Jay Samit — 0 recommendations
• Jeff Olson — 0 recommendations
• Jennie Allen — 0 recommendations
• Jim Clayton — 0 recommendations
• Jim Ziolkowski — 0 recommendations
• Joe Calloway — 0 recommendations
• Johanna Basford — 0 recommendations
• John C. Bogle — 0 recommendations
• John Robb — 0 recommendations
• John Romaniello — 0 recommendations
• Jon Kabat-Zinn — 0 recommendations
• Jonah Sachs — 0 recommendations
• Joseph Sugarman — 0 recommendations
• Josh Lerner — 0 recommendations
• Julian Baggini — 0 recommendations
• Keith Ferrazzi — 0 recommendations
• Kennedy Odede — 0 recommendations
• Kevin Freiberg — 0 recommendations
• Lars Tvede — 0 recommendations
• Laura Ries — 0 recommendations
• Laurence Endersen — 0 recommendations
• Lester R. Brown — 0 recommendations
• Linda Kavelin Popov — 0 recommendations
• Lindsay McGregor — 0 recommendations
• M. E. Thomas — 0 recommendations
• Marco Pierre White — 0 recommendations
• Marcus Buckingham — 0 recommendations
• Marie Forleo — 0 recommendations
• Mark Roberge — 0 recommendations
• Matt Higgins — 0 recommendations
• Matthew Kohut — 0 recommendations
• Michael Shellenberger — 0 recommendations
• Mo Gawdat — 0 recommendations
• Nancy Lublin — 0 recommendations
• Neel Doshi — 0 recommendations
• Neil Howe — 0 recommendations
• Nick Palmisciano — 0 recommendations
• Nicole Lapin — 0 recommendations
• Nolan Bushnell — 0 recommendations
• Olivia Fox Cabane — 0 recommendations
• Parag Khanna — 0 recommendations
• Paul Lindley — 0 recommendations
• Paul Terhorst — 0 recommendations
• Peter Schwartz — 0 recommendations
• Ping Fu — 0 recommendations
• Ray Kroc — 0 recommendations
• Rod Beckstrom — 0 recommendations
• Shaan Patel — 0 recommendations
• Shawn Achor — 0 recommendations
• Stephen Key — 0 recommendations
• Steve Blank — 0 recommendations
• Steven Goldfeder — 0 recommendations
• Steven Kotler — 0 recommendations
• Steven Stralser — 0 recommendations
• Ted Turner — 0 recommendations
• Tony Schwartz — 0 recommendations
• Wayétu Moore — 0 recommendations
• Wayne Allyn Root — 0 recommendations
• William Ury — 0 recommendations

Frequently asked questions

What is the top book recommended by entrepreneurs?

Principles ranks first, recommended by 21 entrepreneurs.

How is the ranking counted?

We count each person once per book, using only public people, books and approved recommendations. Books are ranked by recommenders in this group, then by total public recommenders. Source links are shown where available.

How many entrepreneurs are included?

This group includes 271 public profiles, including profiles with no public recommendations. 73 have recommended at least 10 books.