Books Investors Recommend Most
Based on 4253 sourced recommendations from 122 investors. Updated October 31, 2026.
1. Sapiens

By Yuval Noah Harari
Recommended by 12 of 122 investors
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Richard Branson Source
- Ray Dalio Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Karlie Elizabeth Kloss Source
- Daniel Ek Source
- Changpeng Zhao Source
- Bill Gurley Source
- David Sacks Source
- Shane Parrish 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.
Source2. Principles

By Ray Dalio
Recommended by 12 of 122 investors
- Tim Ferriss Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Marc Benioff Source
- Kevin Systrom Source
- Howard S. Marks Source
- Dustin Moskovitz Source
- Drew Houston Source
- Bryan Johnson Source
- Austen Allred Source
- Stephen A. Schwarzman Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Shane Parrish Source
I highly, highly recommend this book. It has already changed how I think about making decisions in my life and in my business.
Source3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things

By Ben Horowitz
Recommended by 11 of 122 investors
- Tim Ferriss Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Fred Wilson Source
- Dustin Moskovitz Source
- Drew Houston Source
- Chris Dixon Source
- Larry Page Source
- Peter Thiel Source
- Tony Fadell Source
- Shane Parrish 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.
Source4. Zero to One

By Peter Thiel, Blake Masters
Recommended by 10 of 122 investors
- Sam Altman Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Dustin Moskovitz Source
- Chris Dixon Source
- Bryan Johnson Source
- Elon Musk Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Jeff Immelt Source
- David Sacks Source
- Shane Parrish Source
bookshelf for @kyro! most books are science/tech but here is the section w/novels. I nominate @paulg and @peterthiel.
Source5. High Output Management

By Andrew Grove
Recommended by 10 of 122 investors
- Sahil Lavingia Source
- Ron Conway Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Larry Ellison Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Drew Houston Source
- Brian Chesky Source
- Brian Armstrong Source
- Ben Horowitz Source
- Tim Ferriss 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.
Source6. Thinking, Fast and Slow

By Daniel Kahneman
Recommended by 9 of 122 investors
- Sahil Lavingia Source
- Ron Conway Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Bryan Johnson Source
- Tony Fadell Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Tim Ferriss Source
I always go back to it… Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman.
Source7. How to Win Friends and Influence People

By Dale Carnegie
Recommended by 9 of 122 investors
- Warren Buffett Source
- Tim Draper Source
- Sahil Lavingia Source
- Paul Graham Source
- Dustin Moskovitz Source
- Daymond John Source
- Barbara Corcoran Source
- Alex Hormozi Source
- Shane Parrish Source
Seven Rules For Making Your Home Life Happier. Interestingly, this section was included in the original 1936 edition of How to Win Friends and Influence People but omitted from the revised 1981 edition.
Source8. Shoe Dog

By Phil Knight
Recommended by 9 of 122 investors
- Warren Buffett Source
- Jason Calacanis Source
- Brian Armstrong Source
- Bill Gurley Source
- Austen Allred Source
- Alexis Ohanian Source
- Stephen A. Schwarzman Source
- Tony Fadell Source
- Shane Parrish Source
Memoir by the Nike founder and CEO, Phil Knight.
Source9. 1984

By George Orwell
Recommended by 8 of 122 investors
- Richard Branson Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Vinod Khosla Source
- David Sacks Source
- Elon Musk Source
- Sam Altman Source
- Hillary Clinton 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.
Source10. The Innovator's Dilemma

By Clayton Christensen
Recommended by 8 of 122 investors
- Guy Kawasaki Source
- Drew Houston Source
- Chris Dixon Source
- Caterina Fake Source
- Bill Gurley Source
- Ben Horowitz Source
- Aaron Levie Source
- Steve Jobs Source
It's important that we make this transformation, because of what Clayton Christensen calls "the innovator's dilemma," where people who invent something are usually the last ones to see past it, and we certainly don't want to be left behind. (Jobs to Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs, 2011, ch. 40)
Source11. Only the Paranoid Survive

By Andrew Grove
Recommended by 8 of 122 investors
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Ben Horowitz Source
- Balaji Srinivasan Source
- Warren Buffett Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- Charlie Munger Source
- Steve Jobs Source
Andy Grove has written a terrific book, incidentally, "Only the Paranoid Survive," which describes strategic inflection points. I recommend that every one of you read that book, because it is a terrific book.
Source12. Skin in the Game

By Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Recommended by 8 of 122 investors
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Chris Dixon Source
- Changpeng Zhao Source
- Ben Horowitz Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Shane Parrish Source
The best book I've read in 2018, I highly recommend it. Lots of great ideas in there. Lots of good mental models and constructs.
Source13. Crossing the Chasm

By Geoffrey Moore
Recommended by 8 of 122 investors
- Ron Conway Source
- Guy Kawasaki Source
- Drew Houston Source
- Chris Dixon Source
- Changpeng Zhao Source
- Bill Gurley Source
- Aaron Levie Source
- Tony Fadell Source
Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Consumers, Geoffrey Moore
Source14. Man's Search For Meaning

By Viktor Frankl
Recommended by 7 of 122 investors
- Shane Parrish Source
- Sam Altman Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Dustin Moskovitz Source
- Bryan Johnson Source
- Elon Musk Source
- Tim Ferriss Source
1. Man’s Search For Meaning A gift from a friend. As hard as you think your life is, it pales in comparison to Auschwitz. I took two big things away from this book: (1) the ultimate freedom is the ability to choose your attitude in the face of any circumstance and (2) the more you target success, the more you will miss it.
Source15. Atlas Shrugged

By Ayn Rand
Recommended by 7 of 122 investors
- Steve Jobs Source
- Peter Thiel Source
- Fred Wilson Source
- Brian Armstrong 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.
Source16. Poor Charlie's Almanack

By Charlie Munger
Recommended by 7 of 122 investors
- Warren Buffett Source
- Tim Ferriss Source
- Tai Lopez Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Drew Houston 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
Source17. The Lean Startup

By Eric Ries
Recommended by 7 of 122 investors
- Mike Maples Jr. Source
- Kevin Systrom Source
- Jason Calacanis Source
- Chris Dixon Source
- Ben Horowitz Source
- Jeff Immelt Source
- Shane Parrish Source
The two things that influenced me the most were Marc Andreessen's 2011 Wall Street Journal article, 'Why Software Is Eating the World,' and 'The Lean Startup' — Eric Ries's book, which I literally read in a day.
Source18. Getting to Yes

By William Ury, Roger Fisher, Bruce Patton
Recommended by 7 of 122 investors
- Dustin Moskovitz Source
- Drew Houston Source
- Ann Miura-ko Source
- Tony Fadell Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- Charlie Munger 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.
Source19. Range

By David Epstein
Recommended by 7 of 122 investors
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Michael J. Mauboussin Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Changpeng Zhao Source
- Tony Fadell Source
- Bill Gurley 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.
Source20. Meditations

By Marcus Aurelius
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Shane Parrish Source
- Sam Altman Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Austen Allred Source
- Adam Robinson 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.
Source21. Snow Crash

By Neal Stephenson
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Larry Page Source
- Cameron Winklevoss Source
- Austen Allred Source
- Tim Ferriss Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Bill Gurley Source
Snow Crash is amazing
Source22. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

By Robert M. Pirsig
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Paul Graham Source
- Fred Wilson Source
- Drew Houston Source
- Bryan Johnson Source
- Austen Allred Source
- Jeff Immelt 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.
Source23. Why We Sleep

By Matthew Walker
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Michael J. Mauboussin Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Bryan Johnson Source
- Alexis Ohanian Source
- Tim Ferriss Source
Definitely people, if they're interested in unpacking sleep, Why We Sleep , I believe, is the title of Matt's book
Source24. Influence

By Robert Cialdini
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Alex Hormozi Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Bill Gurley Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- Charlie Munger Source
- Tim Ferriss Source
I'm positive you've read this book: Robert Cialdini's Influence. Classic, classic book. Everybody should read it, memorize it
Source25. Antifragile

By Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- James Altucher Source
- Changpeng Zhao 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).
Source26. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

By Richard Feynman
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Tim Ferriss Source
- Sahil Lavingia Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Larry Page Source
- Brian Armstrong Source
- Elon Musk Source
anyone who wants to read a fantastic book should read, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, one of my favorites.
Source27. The Lessons of History

By Will Durant, Ariel Durant
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Tim Ferriss Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- Ray Dalio Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Kevin Systrom Source
- Elon Musk Source
A concise book of lessons drawn from the survey of history. The book comes highly recommended by someone I met at the Berkshire Hathaway meeting last weekend. I can’t believe I haven’t read this before. I’ll be re-reading this a few times and I’ve started listening to the audio version in the car as well
Source28. The Sovereign Individual

By James Dale Davidson
Recommended by 6 of 122 investors
- Sahil Lavingia Source
- Peter Thiel Source
- Naval Ravikant Source
- Balaji Srinivasan Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- Brian Armstrong Source
It's a good book, but this is more like the next step — the Sovereign Collective.
Source29. The Checklist Manifesto

By Atul Gawande
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Tim Ferriss Source
- Michael McCullough Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Shane Parrish Source
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
Source30. Homo Deus

By Yuval Noah Harari
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
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.
Source31. The Black Swan: Second Edition

By Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
He is also famous for The Black Swan, Antifragile, and Fooled by Randomness, all of which are worth reading.
Source32. The Ride of a Lifetime

By Robert Iger
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
33. Made to Stick

By Chip Heath, Dan Heath
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
- Sahil Lavingia Source
- Changpeng Zhao Source
- Brian Armstrong Source
- Shane Parrish Source
- Vinod Khosla Source
How to make your message memorable so it will spread.
Source34. Behave

By Robert Sapolsky
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
- Vinod Khosla Source
- Michael J. Mauboussin Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Bryan Johnson Source
Among the best insights into our brain and behavior. A top of the charts for me for this year, along with Scale.
Source35. Fooled by Randomness

By Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
- James Altucher Source
- Howard S. Marks 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.
Source36. Superforecasting

By Philip E. Tetlock, Dan Gardner
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
- Shane Parrish Source
- Michael J. Mauboussin Source
- Alexis Ohanian Source
- Keith Rabois Source
- Vinod Khosla Source
Attentive readers will note this is the second time I’ve read this book this month. I’m interviewing the author for The Knowledge Project soon
Source37. Born Standing Up

By Steve Martin
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
- Sahil Lavingia Source
- Marc Andreessen Source
- Jason Calacanis Source
- Tim Ferriss Source
- Bill Gurley Source
It had a profound effect on me. So great. Must read.
Source38. Loonshots

By Safi Bahcall
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
This book explores the beauty, quirkiness, and complexity of ideas, especially new and out-of-the-box ones. Loonshots shows how group dynamics and workplace politics conspire against the psychological safety people need in order to boldly share their wildest ideas. A key to understanding why Silicon Valley culture is changing the world.
Source39. High Growth Handbook

By Elad Gil
Recommended by 5 of 122 investors
Read a book called The High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil. Arguably one of the best certainly angel investors of the last few decades. His hit rate is absolutely insane.
Source40. The Coddling of the American Mind

By Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
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?
Source41. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

By Walter Isaacson
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
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.
Source42. Steve Jobs

By Walter Isaacson
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
Walter is incredibly thorough in his research. Highly recommend his other books!
Source43. The Intelligent Investor

By Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
Of all the investments I ever made, buying Ben's book was the best (except for my purchase of two marriage licenses).
Source44. How to Change Your Mind

By Michael Pollan
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
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.
Source45. The Rational Optimist

By Matt Ridley
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
Matt Ridley is a longtime favorite. Originally a PhD zoologist, Ridley went on to write great books like The Red Queen and The Rational Optimist, and wrote for The Economist for a while. This book makes the argument for how trial-and-error style evolution occurs across a wide range of phenomena. I don’t know that I agr
Source46. The Selfish Gene

By Richard Dawkins
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
Yeah, most people don't realize that the origin of the word meme is the, I believe, 1976 book by Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, in which he coined the word meme, that ideas propagate like genes based on sort of like a survival of the fittest paradigm, only the strongest memes survive.
Source47. The Prince

By Niccolò Machiavelli
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
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
Source48. Good to Great

By Jim Collins
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
The scientific method can be applied to business. This book draws powerful lessons from data.
Source49. Thinking in Bets

By Annie Duke
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
, which comes out this week. I was lucky to have an advance copy. I read this in preparation for having Annie Duke on the podcast. Anyone interested in making better decisions can learn a lot from this book
Source50. Masters of Doom

By David Kushner
Recommended by 4 of 122 investors
Masters of Doom is a great book
Source
Every Investor on Ultimate Book List
- Hillary Clinton — 763 recommendations
- Shane Parrish — 705 recommendations
- Tim Ferriss — 406 recommendations
- Richard Branson — 252 recommendations
- Donald Trump — 223 recommendations
- Marc Andreessen — 181 recommendations
- Naval Ravikant — 170 recommendations
- Elon Musk — 152 recommendations
- Keith Rabois — 115 recommendations
- Vinod Khosla — 107 recommendations
- Steve Jobs — 93 recommendations
- Paul Graham — 71 recommendations
- Sam Altman — 63 recommendations
- Bill Gurley — 56 recommendations
- Warren Buffett — 56 recommendations
- Balaji Srinivasan — 50 recommendations
- Brian Armstrong — 49 recommendations
- Michael J. Mauboussin — 43 recommendations
- Charlie Munger — 32 recommendations
- Sahil Lavingia — 31 recommendations
- Alexis Ohanian — 28 recommendations
- David Sacks — 28 recommendations
- Austen Allred — 27 recommendations
- Tony Fadell — 27 recommendations
- Chris Dixon — 26 recommendations
- Ray Dalio — 24 recommendations
- Tai Lopez — 23 recommendations
- Changpeng Zhao — 22 recommendations
- Dustin Moskovitz — 18 recommendations
- Jason Calacanis — 18 recommendations
- Caterina Fake — 17 recommendations
- Bryan Johnson — 15 recommendations
- Kevin Systrom — 14 recommendations
- Ron Conway — 14 recommendations
- Tim Draper — 14 recommendations
- Peter Thiel — 13 recommendations
- Alex Hormozi — 12 recommendations
- Anthony Scaramucci — 12 recommendations
- Garry Tan — 12 recommendations
- Bill Ackman — 11 recommendations
- Chris Sacca — 11 recommendations
- David Friedberg — 10 recommendations
- Drew Houston — 10 recommendations
- Jeff Bezos — 10 recommendations
- Marc Benioff — 10 recommendations
- Stephen A. Schwarzman — 10 recommendations
- Ann Miura-ko — 9 recommendations
- Ben Horowitz — 9 recommendations
- Fred Wilson — 9 recommendations
- Guy Kawasaki — 9 recommendations
- James Altucher — 9 recommendations
- Howard S. Marks — 8 recommendations
- Adam Robinson — 8 recommendations
- Jeff Immelt — 8 recommendations
- Aaron Levie — 7 recommendations
- Karlie Elizabeth Kloss — 7 recommendations
- Cameron Winklevoss — 6 recommendations
- Daniel Ek — 6 recommendations
- Daniel Gross — 6 recommendations
- Daymond John — 6 recommendations
- Larry Page — 6 recommendations
- Mike Maples Jr. — 6 recommendations
- Brian Chesky — 5 recommendations
- Chamath Palihapitiya — 5 recommendations
- John Legend — 5 recommendations
- Anthony Pompliano — 4 recommendations
- Cathie Wood — 4 recommendations
- Larry Ellison — 4 recommendations
- Mohnish Pabrai — 4 recommendations
- Peter Schiff — 4 recommendations
- Steve Jurvetson — 4 recommendations
- Carl Icahn — 3 recommendations
- Jerry Colonna — 3 recommendations
- Jim Cramer — 3 recommendations
- Julie Rice — 3 recommendations
- Kathryn Minshew — 3 recommendations
- LeBron James — 3 recommendations
- Michael McCullough — 3 recommendations
- Barbara Corcoran — 2 recommendations
- Brendan Moynihan — 2 recommendations
- Cindy Eckert — 2 recommendations
- Grant Cardone — 2 recommendations
- Jen Rubio — 2 recommendations
- Lloyd Blankfein — 2 recommendations
- Marissa Mayer — 2 recommendations
- Alfred Lin — 1 recommendations
- Andrew Yang — 1 recommendations
- Ben Greenfield — 1 recommendations
- Geoff Ralston — 1 recommendations
- Jacqueline Novogratz — 1 recommendations
- Nir Eyal — 1 recommendations
- Alexander Green — 0 recommendations
- Arthur Levitt — 0 recommendations
- B. Mark Smith — 0 recommendations
- Ben Casnocha — 0 recommendations
- Brad Feld — 0 recommendations
- Elad Gil — 0 recommendations
- Fred Schwed — 0 recommendations
- George Gilder — 0 recommendations
- Harry Browne — 0 recommendations
- Jacques Vallée — 0 recommendations
- Jaron Lanier — 0 recommendations
- Jason Mendelson — 0 recommendations
- Jim Clayton — 0 recommendations
- Joe Calloway — 0 recommendations
- Joel Greenblatt — 0 recommendations
- John C. Bogle — 0 recommendations
- John Romaniello — 0 recommendations
- Josh Lerner — 0 recommendations
- L. J. Rittenhouse — 0 recommendations
- Lars Tvede — 0 recommendations
- Laurence Endersen — 0 recommendations
- Mark P. Mills — 0 recommendations
- Matt Higgins — 0 recommendations
- Mohamed A. El-Erian — 0 recommendations
- Nancy Lublin — 0 recommendations
- Peter L. Bernstein — 0 recommendations
- Ravee Mehta — 0 recommendations
- Ruchir Sharma — 0 recommendations
- Ted Turner — 0 recommendations
- Tren Griffin — 0 recommendations
- William J. Bernstein — 0 recommendations
Frequently asked questions
What is the top book recommended by investors?
Sapiens ranks first, recommended by 12 investors.
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 investors are included?
This group includes 122 public profiles, including profiles with no public recommendations. 46 have recommended at least 10 books.