Books Recommended by Tech Leaders

The books most recommended by tech leaders, drawn from their real public recommendations.

XavierRuiDemis HassabisTimnit GebruRay KurzweilSean HarrisTristan Harris
79 experts · 24 most-recommended books · Updated on June 6, 2026
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Books tech leaders 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 Hillel Fuld, Marty Cagan +2 more
  2. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
    Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
    Nir Eyal, Ryan Hoover
    Recommended by Hillel Fuld, Joe Martin +2 more
  3. The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition
    The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition
    Don Norman
    Recommended by Jakob Nielsen, Trevor Sumner +1 more
  4. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
    Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
    John Carreyrou
    Recommended by Barry Ritholtz, Josh Sternberg +1 more
  5. Thinking, Fast and Slow
    Thinking, Fast and Slow
    Daniel Kahneman
    Recommended by Xavier, Derek Sivers +1 more
  6. 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 Shreyas Doshi, Corey Hoffstein +1 more
  7. Radical Focus: Achieving Your Most Important Goals with Objectives and Key Results (Empowered Teams)
    Radical Focus: Achieving Your Most Important Goals with Objectives and Key Results (Empowered Teams)
    Christina R Wodtke
    Recommended by Marty Cagan, Dan Olsen +1 more
  8. Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch: AI Applications Without a PhD
    Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch: AI Applications Without a PhD
    Jeremy Howard, Sylvain Gugger
    Recommended by Peter Norvig, Oren Etzioni +1 more
  9. This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race
    This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race
    Nicole Perlroth
    Recommended by Alex Stamos, John Markoff +1 more
  10. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
    On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
    William Zinsser
    Recommended by David Heinemeier Hansson, Derek Sivers
  11. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition
    Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition
    Robert B. Cialdini
    Recommended by Barry Ritholtz, Trevor Sumner
  12. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Signature Series (Fowler))
    Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Signature Series (Fowler))
    Martin Fowler
    Recommended by David Heinemeier Hansson, Steve Yegge
  13. Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives
    Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives
    David Eagleman
    Recommended by Derek Sivers, Shreyas Doshi
  14. Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
    Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
    Brent Schlender, Rick Tetzeli
    Recommended by John Gruber, Anil Dash
  15. The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI
    The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI
    Ray Kurzweil
    Recommended by Ray Kurzweil, Vint Cerf
  16. The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning
    The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning
    Scott Galloway
    Recommended by Derek Sivers, Barry Ritholtz
  17. Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
    Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
    David Epstein
    Recommended by Michael Arrington, Marshall Kirkpatrick
  18. Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back
    Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back
    Cory Doctorow, Rebecca Giblin
    Recommended by Evan Kirstel, Anil Dash
  19. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
    The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
    David Graeber, David Wengrow
    Recommended by Justin Hendrix, Marshall Kirkpatrick
  20. Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business
    Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business
    Paul Jarvis
    Recommended by David Heinemeier Hansson, Chris Guillebeau
  21. Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice
    Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice
    Bill Browder
    Recommended by Ryan Graves, Mike Dudas
  22. Build What Matters: Delivering Key Outcomes with Vision-Led Product Management
    Build What Matters: Delivering Key Outcomes with Vision-Led Product Management
    Ben Foster, Rajesh Nerlikar
    Recommended by Marty Cagan, Gibson Biddle
  23. Machines That Think: The Future of Artificial Intelligence
    Machines That Think: The Future of Artificial Intelligence
    Toby Walsh
    Recommended by Peter Norvig, Oren Etzioni
  24. The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics and Society
    The Exponential Age: How Accelerating Technology is Transforming Business, Politics and Society
    Azeem Azhar
    Recommended by Anup Kaphle, Marshall Kirkpatrick

The tech leaders

Xavier
Xavier
Cofounder-CTO Curai, stealth AI-Health startup. Quora TW & former VP Eng. Netflix alumni. Recsys, ML, AI, eHealth, Software. Catalan in the Valley. Runner.
3 book recommendations
The Missing README: A Guide for the New Software EngineerHow to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We NeedThinking, Fast and Slow
SW
Steve Wozniak
Cofounder, Apple Computer and Chief Scientist, Prime Data
4 book recommendations
Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business StrategyBlockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the WorldCan Your Customer Service Do This?: Create an Anticipatory Customer Experience that Builds Loyalty Forever
Rui
Rui
Decade in China tech as investor & analyst. Ask me anything. Created: @techbuzzchina. Join: https://t.co/KxRkRHWYJm
2 book recommendations
Mountains Beyond Mountains: Healing the World: The Quest of Dr. Paul FarmerStreet of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road
Demis Hassabis
Demis Hassabis
2 book recommendations
Game Changer: AlphaZero's Groundbreaking Chess Strategies and the Promise of AIConsider Phlebas
Timnit Gebru
Timnit Gebru
she/her
2 book recommendations
How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our FutureLabor Law for the Rank & Filer: Building Solidarity While Staying Clear of the Law
Ray Kurzweil
Ray Kurzweil
Chief AI Officer at Beyond Imagination, Futurist and Author
7 book recommendations
Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think (Exponential Technology Series)A New Way to Age: The Most Cutting-Edge Advances in AntiagingThe Future Is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives (Exponential Technology Series)
Sean Harris
Sean Harris
InfoSec, 𝕸𝖊𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖉 |Tech Geek| 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗮 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁| Host of Bolivian Idol, weekend podcaster at RockDocs. com
2 book recommendations
Managing Your Business Risk in the Cybersecurity Minefield: Critical Strategies from 21 Cybersecurity ExpertsCybersecurity Is Everybody's Business: Solve the Security Puzzle for Your Small Business and Home
Tristan Harris
Tristan Harris
@HumaneTech_ Co-founder. Former Google Design Ethicist. Featured in Netflix documentary #TheSocialDilemma
2 book recommendations
The Ministry for the Future: A NovelThe Democratic Surround: Multimedia and American Liberalism from World War II to the Psychedelic Sixties
John Carmack
John Carmack
Founder & CEO of Keen Technologies
12 book recommendations
The Difference EngineThe Expanse Hardcover Boxed Set: Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, Abaddon's Gate: Now a Prime Original SeriesA Fire Upon the Deep
Shannon McClintock Miller
Shannon McClintock Miller
District Teacher Librarian and Innovation Director, Van Meter Schools
13 book recommendations
The Teen Guide to Global Action: How to Connect with Others (Near and Far) to Create Social ChangeA Boy Like YouMom and Me, Me and Mom (Mother Daughter Gifts, Mother Daughter Books, Books for Moms, Motherhood Books) (You and Me, Me and You)
Ryan Graves
Ryan Graves
Founder and CEO of Saltwater
6 book recommendations
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for JusticeJab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social WorldThe Quants: How a New Breed of Math Whizzes Conquered Wall Street and Nearly Destroyed It
Robert Stephens
Robert Stephens
Founder, The Geek Squad co-founder assist Former CTO, Best Buy office 415-735-6987 Be useful or entertaining, preferably both.
3 book recommendations
The Maintenance RaceA World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance - Portrait of an AgeMr. Lincoln's T-Mails: The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War

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