Books Recommended by Elon Musk
Life 3.0
Max Tegmark
Source: "A compelling guide to the challenges and choices in our quest for a great future of life, intelligence and consciousness—on Earth and beyond." - Elon Musk
On War
Carl von Clausewitz
Source: "There should be a chapter saying 'if you have a decisive technology advantage, you can actually win with minimal casualties.'" - Elon Musk
Superintelligence
Nick Bostrom
Source: "Worth reading [this book]. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes." - Elon Musk
Dune (6 books)
Frank Herbert
Source: "Brilliant. [The author] advocates placing limits on machine intelligence." - Elon Musk
Merchants of Doubt
Naomi Oreskes
Source: "Worth reading [this book]. Same who tried to deny smoking deaths are denying climate change." - Elon Musk
Acts of Love
Talulah Riley
Source: "All characters – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional..." - Elon Musk
Deep Learning
Ian Goodfellow
Source: "Written by three experts in the field, [this book] is the only comprehensive book on the subject." - Elon Musk
A Song Of Ice And Fire (5 books)
George R. R. Martin
Source: "Best books in recent years imo are Iain Banks & George Martin." - Elon Musk
Screw Business As Usual
Richard Branson
Source: "This approach should be taken to heart by all, as it really is the smart move." - Elon Musk
Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand
Source: "A counterpoint to communism and useful as such, but should be tempered with kindness." - Elon Musk
Waiting for Godot
Samuel Beckett
Source: "Have recently come to appreciate the awesome, absurdist humor of [this book]." - Elon Musk
Culture (10 books)
Iain M. Banks
Source: "Compelling picture of a grand, semi-utopian galactic future. Hopefully not too optimistic about AI." - Elon Musk
The Selfish Gene
Richard Dawkins
Source: "Most people don't realize that the origin of the word 'meme' is [this book]." - Elon Musk
Catherine the Great
Robert K. Massie
Source: "I know what you're probably thinking ... did she really f* a horse?" - Elon Musk
Structures
J. E. Gordon
Source: "Really, really good if you want a primer on structural design." - Elon Musk
Foundation (7 books)
Isaac Asimov
Source: "[This series is] fundamental to [the] creation of SpaceX." - Elon Musk
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
Source: "Must admit to liking [this book]. Sad, romantic and beautifully named." - Elon Musk
Zero to One
Peter Thiel
Source: "[This author] has built multiple breakthrough companies, and [this book] shows how." - Elon Musk
Stranger in a Strange Land
Robert A. Heinlein
Source: "I like [this book], although it kind of goes off the rails at the end." - Elon Musk
The Lord of the Rings (4 books)
J. R. R. Tolkien
Source: "I know it's cliche, but [this] is my favorite book ever." - Elon Musk
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