Books Recommended by Daniel Ek
The Minefield Girl
Sofia Ek
Source: "About [the author's] experiences being a young Western woman living and doing business in a dictatorship, and it’s a story of love and hustle in a land where nothing is what it appears to be." - Daniel Ek
Raising Girls
How to Help Your Daughter Grow Up Happy, Healthy, and Strong
Steve Biddulph
Source: "Has been super helpful to me in setting out a clear map of girls' developmental stages and how we can make sure we don’t sell out the potential or uniqueness of our daughters." - Daniel Ek
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
Source: "It was fascinating to talk to [the author] about how this book came to be such a hit—he never backed down, and he allowed people to read it for free in order to then boost sales." - Daniel Ek
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Fates of Human Societies
Jared Diamond
Source: "A brilliant Pulitzer Prize-winning book about how the modern world was formed, analyzing how societies developed differently on different continents." - Daniel Ek
Leading
Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United
Alex Ferguson
Source: "[The author] grew Manchester United into one of the best known brands today, and that’s what fascinates me about him." - Daniel Ek
Poor Charlie's Almanack
The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
Charlie Munger
Source: "I’ve been enjoying Charlie Munger’s speeches online for years; this is the ultimate collection of the best of them." - Daniel Ek
Black Box Thinking
The Surprising Truth About Success
Matthew Syed
Source: "Since reading this book, I’ve literally incorporated this approach to problem-solving into every day." - Daniel Ek
Bass Culture
When Reggae Was King
Lloyd Bradley
Source: "A great history of reggae music and the influences it has on other genres." - Daniel Ek
7 Powers
The Foundations of Business Strategy
Hamilton Helmer
Source: "At Spotify the 7 Powers are widely used as we discuss new initiatives." - Daniel Ek
Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
Source: "Both sobering and conservatively optimistic in equal measure." - Daniel Ek
Ashton KutcherBill GatesBill GurleyDaniel EkDemis HassabisJames CameronJoe RoganKarlie KlossKeith RaboisKishore BiyaniLex FridmanMark ZuckerbergNaval RavikantPeter AttiaRay DalioReid HoffmanRichard BransonRyan SheaSam KassSebastian JungerVinod KhoslaWhitney CummingsPewDiePieMelinda GatesAnthony PomplianoChangpeng ZhaoPatrick O'ShaughnessyChris EvansMark MansonSimon MayoPenn JilletteHit Men
Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business
Fredric Dannen
Source: "Still the essential biography of the music industry." - Daniel Ek
The Promise of a Pencil
How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change
Adam Braun
Source: "Amazing book, amazing cause." - Daniel Ek
FAQ
Did Daniel Ek recommend all these books?
Not necessarily. This book list has Daniel Ek must-read recommendations, but it also has a mix of mentions and suggestions.
How do you know Daniel Ek mentioned these books?
Every suggestion made by Daniel Ek is validated by our editors. You can find the sources to the recommendations linked next to the books.
Did Daniel Ek actually create this list?
No. This reading list was curated by our editors based on confirmed mentions from Daniel Ek, the sources are made available under each recommendation.
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