Books Recommended by Startup Founders

The books most recommended by startup founders, drawn from their real public recommendations.

Tory BurchReese WitherspoonPeter ThielMark ZuckerbergBill ClintonBill GatesSteve Jobs
325 experts · 24 most-recommended books · Updated on June 6, 2026
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Books startup founders recommend most

  1. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
    The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
    Ben Horowitz
    Recommended by Larry Page, Michael Dell +15 more
  2. Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future
    Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future
    Blake Masters
    Recommended by Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman +7 more
  3. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
    Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
    Nir Eyal, Ryan Hoover
    Recommended by Alexis Ohanian, Bill Gross +7 more
  4. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
    The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
    Eric Ries
    Recommended by Dustin Moskovitz, Sheryl Sandberg +6 more
  5. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition
    Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition
    Robert B. Cialdini
    Recommended by Max Levchin, Rand Fishkin +5 more
  6. The Great CEO Within: The Tactical Guide to Company Building
    The Great CEO Within: The Tactical Guide to Company Building
    Matt Mochary, Alex Maccaw, Misha Talavera
    Recommended by Alexis Ohanian, Naval Ravikant +5 more
  7. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
    Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
    Greg McKeown
    Recommended by Reid Hoffman, Daymond John +5 more
  8. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
    Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
    Phil Knight
    Recommended by Bill Gates, Alexis Ohanian +5 more
  9. The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change)
    The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change)
    Clayton M. Christensen
    Recommended by Naval Ravikant, Chris Dixon +5 more
  10. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
    Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
    Matthew Walker PhD
    Recommended by Bill Gates, Alexis Ohanian +4 more
  11. Good To Great : Why Some Companies Make The Leap and Others Don't
    Good To Great : Why Some Companies Make The Leap and Others Don't
    Jim Collins
    Recommended by Max Levchin, Rand Fishkin +4 more
  12. The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness
    The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness
    Morgan Housel
    Recommended by Anthony Pompliano, Noah Kagan +4 more
  13. Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change
    Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change
    Marc Benioff, Monica Langley
    Recommended by Ray Dalio, Richard Branson +4 more
  14. Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers
    Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers
    Geoffrey A. Moore
    Recommended by Chris Dixon, Guy Kawasaki +3 more
  15. How to Win Friends and Influence People
    How to Win Friends and Influence People
    DALE CARNEGIE
    Recommended by Alexis Ohanian, Daymond John +3 more
  16. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
    Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
    Susan Cain
    Recommended by Noah Kagan, Guy Kawasaki +3 more
  17. Snow Crash: A Novel
    Snow Crash: A Novel
    Neal Stephenson
    Recommended by Larry Page, Sergey Brin +3 more
  18. Thinking, Fast and Slow
    Thinking, Fast and Slow
    Daniel Kahneman
    Recommended by Xavier, Naval Ravikant +3 more
  19. High Output Management
    High Output Management
    Andrew S. Grove
    Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen +3 more
  20. The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization
    The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization
    Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Jessie Stricchiola
    Recommended by Rand Fishkin, Aleyda Solis +3 more
  21. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
    Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
    Carol S. Dweck
    Recommended by Bill Gates, James Altucher +3 more
  22. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
    Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
    Cal Newport
    Recommended by Derek Sivers, Gabriel Weinberg +3 more
  23. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Good to Great, 2)
    Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Good to Great, 2)
    Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras
    Recommended by Jack Ma, Tim O'Reilly +2 more
  24. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
    Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
    Yuval Noah Harari
    Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates +2 more

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