Books Recommended by Ben Horowitz
High Output Management
Andrew S. Grove
Source: "Andy Grove, who built himself from nothing to run Intel, stopped what he was doing to teach us his magic. And not through some ghostwriter either — Andy wrote this book himself. What an incredible gift." - Ben Horowitz
Who Is Michael Ovitz?
Michael Ovitz
Source: "It is truly rare to read a book this honest from a living legend. The Hollywood superhero lets us peak behind his mask and understand his weaknesses and methods." - Ben Horowitz
No Rules Rules
Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention
Reed Hastings
Source: "A great book. I highly recommend it for anyone run a company, but especially those who want a culture that encourages long-term innovation." - Ben Horowitz
Build
An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making
Tony Fadell
Source: "Delivers priceless advice for any young person who wants to build something great or change the world for the better." - Ben Horowitz
Writing My Wrongs
Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison
Shaka Senghor
Source: "The memoir of a man who went to prison for 19 years, then became an author and MIT fellow." - Ben Horowitz
The Black Jacobins
Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution
C.L.R. James
Source: "My favorite leadership book ever and one of the great stories in human history." - Ben Horowitz
Dapper Dan
Made in Harlem: A Memoir
Daniel R. Day
Source: "An amazing entrepreneurial story covering everything from dice to fashion." - Ben Horowitz
Lenin
The Man, the Dictator, and the Master of Terror
Victor Sebestyen
Source: "A thrilling biography that provides great insight into how Communism works in practice." - Ben Horowitz
Skin in the Game
Incerto, Book 5
Nassim Taleb
Source: "A book about the dynamics of how large-scale, highly random systems behave." - Ben Horowitz
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
Jack Weatherford
Source: "Unexpectedly the most interesting book on the topic of how you think about inclusion." - Ben Horowitz
Focus
The Future of Your Company Depends on It
Al Ries
Source: "Excellent [book] on branding, naming, and marketing." - Ben Horowitz
Black Spartacus
The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture
Sudhir Hazareesingh
Source: "Perhaps the sharpest portrait yet of Louverture." - Ben Horowitz
My Years with General Motors
Alfred Sloan
Source: "Very interesting particularly on scale issues." - Ben Horowitz
My American Journey
Colin Powell
Source: "Very, very interesting on leadership." - Ben Horowitz
Zero to One
Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Peter Thiel
Source: "I learned a lot reading it." - Ben Horowitz
The Innovator's Dilemma
When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
Clayton M. Christensen
Source: "A great book on strategy." - Ben Horowitz
The Startup Community Way
Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Brad Feld
Source: "Brand new knowledge." - Ben Horowitz
Swimming Across
A Memoir
Andrew S. Grove
Source: "A great book." - Ben Horowitz
Toussaint Louverture
A Revolutionary Life
Philippe Girard
Source: "Excellent." - Ben Horowitz
FAQ
Did Ben Horowitz recommend all these books?
Not necessarily. This book list has Ben Horowitz must-read recommendations, but it also has a mix of mentions and suggestions.
How do you know Ben Horowitz mentioned these books?
Every suggestion made by Ben Horowitz is validated by our editors. You can find the sources to the recommendations linked next to the books.
Did Ben Horowitz actually create this list?
No. This reading list was curated by our editors based on confirmed mentions from Ben Horowitz, the sources are made available under each recommendation.
23 books
Got feedback? Email us 📧