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Ev Williams

Ev Williams Recommended Books

Ev Williams has recommended 149 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.

Ev Williams is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur.

(Read more on Wikipedia)

Online Presence

149 Books Recommended

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Mating

A Novel

by Norman Rush
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Know-It-All

by A.J. Jacobs
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Mastery

The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment

by George Leonard
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Antifragile

Incerto, Book 3

by Nassim Taleb
"Few books have made me think more than this one over the last decade." - Ev Williams (Source)

Why Most Things Fail

Evolution, Extinction and Economics

by Paul Ormerod
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman
"I love surprising scientific findings, as well as information about how our brains work. [This book] is a treasure trove of both." - Ev Williams (Source)

Ender Saga (19 books)

On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"

Adventures of a Curious Character

by Richard P. Feynman
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Hackers & Painters

Big Ideas from the Computer Age

by Paul Graham
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

by Dave Eggers
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Sam Altman

Slack

Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency

by Tom DeMarco
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Snow Crash

by Neal Stephenson

The Cluetrain Manifesto

by Rick Levine
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Smart and Gets Things Done

Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent

by Avram Joel Spolsky
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Everything Bad is Good for You

by Steven Johnson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Fuzzy Thinking

The New Science of Fuzzy Logic

by Bart Kosko
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Getting Things Done

The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

by David Allen
"Still the best advice on getting your life in order and freeing up your brain to be creative." - Ev Williams (Source)

Gates

How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America

by Stephen Manes
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Dancing Naked in the Mind Field

by Kary Mullis
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Peter Attia

Revolutionary Wealth

by Alvin Toffler
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Carlos Slim

The Wisdom of Crowds

by James Surowiecki
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Ben Shapiro, Kevin Rose, Kevin Systrom

The Effective Executive

The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done

by Peter F. Drucker
"[The author] writes about first principles and makes things seem obvious—once he explains them in his straightforward way." - Ev Williams (Source)

Microserfs

A Novel

by Douglas Coupland
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Mind Wide Open

by Steven Johnson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Focus

The Future of Your Company Depends on It

by Al Ries
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Ben Horowitz, Michael Hyatt

Out Of Control

The New Biology Of Machines, Social Systems, And The Economic World

by Kevin Kelly
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Steve Jurvetson

Small Pieces Loosely Joined

A Unified Theory Of The Web

by David Weinberger
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Power of One

The Power of One, Book 1

by Bryce Courtenay
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Wired

A Romance

by Gary Wolf
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Wool

Wool, Book 5

by Hugh Howey
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

by Richard Bach
"[The author's] message was that there is a bigger world out there, and that I didn’t need to conform to those around me." - Ev Williams (Source)

Mindfulness for Beginners

Reclaiming the Present Moment and Your Life

by Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Mindfulness meditation is the most important habit I’ve taken up in my adult life." - Ev Williams (Source)

Mindset

The New Psychology of Success

by Carol S. Dweck
"One of those ideas that is obvious only once you know it." - Ev Williams (Source)

Don't Make Me Think

A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

by Steve Krug
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Einstein's Dreams

by Alan Lightman
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Hackers

Heroes of the Computer Revolution

by Steven Levy
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Positioning

The Battle for Your Mind

by Al Ries
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Built to Last

Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

by Jim Collins
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Fountainhead

by Ayn Rand
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Long Tail

Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More

by Chris Anderson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Seth Godin, Eric Schmidt

The Pragmatic Programmer

From Journeyman to Master

by Andrew Hunt
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Jeff Atwood

The Social Life of Information

by John Seely Brown
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Tipping Point

How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

by Malcolm Gladwell
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

What Should I Do with My Life?

The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question

by Po Bronson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

A Whole New Mind

Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

by Daniel Pink
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Ray Dalio

Absurdistan

A Novel

by Gary Shteyngart
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Adam Sessler

Airframe

by Michael Crichton
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Bit Literacy

Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload

by Mark Hurst
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Losing My Virginity

How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way

by Richard Branson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Jen Sincero

Tesla

Man Out of Time

by Margaret Cheney
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Echo Maker

by Richard Powers
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Selfish Gene

by Richard Dawkins
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Way of Life, According to Laotzu

by Witter Bynner
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Dr. Andrew Weil, Tim O’Reilly

Travels

by Michael Crichton
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Understanding Comics

The Invisible Art

by Scott McCloud
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Seth Godin

You Shall Know Our Velocity!

by Dave Eggers
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Cat's Cradle

A Novel

by Kurt Vonnegut
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Get Back in the Box

How Being Great at What You Do Is Great for Business

by Douglas Rushkoff
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Keith Rabois

Joel on Software

And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity

by Joel Spolsky
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Me Talk Pretty One Day

by David Sedaris
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Stumbling on Happiness

by Daniel Todd Gilbert
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The China Study

The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-Term Health

by T. Colin Campbell
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

James Cameron, Suzy Amis Cameron

The Innovator's Dilemma

When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

by Clayton M. Christensen

The Monk and the Riddle

The Art of Creating a Life While Making a Living

by Randy Komisar
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Keith Rabois

The Perfect Store

Inside eBay

by Adam Cohen
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

User Interface Design for Programmers

by Joel Spolsky
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Reinventing Fire

Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era

by Amory Lovins
"Offers a thoroughly researched set of options for engineering our way out of the [climate change] crisis." - Ev Williams (Source)

Also recommended by:

Bill Gates

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

An Inquiry Into Values

by Robert M. Pirsig
"One of the few novels I’ve ever read twice." - Ev Williams (Source)

In Search of Excellence

Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies

by Tom Peters
"Didn’t solve the problems of my tiny web development shop." - Ev Williams (Source)

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by Judith Viorst
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Crossing the Chasm

Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers

by Geoffrey A. Moore
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering

by Robert L. Glass
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Fooled by Randomness

The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets

by Nassim Taleb
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Good to Great

Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't

by Jim Collins
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

In the Beginning... Was the Command Line

by Neal Stephenson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Lolita

by Vladimir Nabokov
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Nonzero

The Logic of Human Destiny

by Robert Wright
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Nick Thompson, Jonathan Haidt

On Intelligence

How a New Understanding of the Brain Will Lead to the Creation of Truly Intelligent Machines

by Jeff Hawkins
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Patrick Collison, Keith Rabois

On the Road

by Jack Kerouac
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Ready for Anything

52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done

by David Allen
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Sphere

by Michael Crichton
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Art of the Start

The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything

by Guy Kawasaki
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Keith Rabois

The Bonfire of the Vanities

A Novel

by Tom Wolfe
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Christopher Hitchens, Charles Koch

The First American

The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

by H. W. Brands
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Starfish and the Spider

The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations

by Ori Brafman
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Changpeng Zhao

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

A Novel

by Milan Kundera
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Martian

The Martian, Book 1

by Andy Weir
"What’s great about this adventure—which I find rare in pop culture—is the celebration of the mind, invention, and science." - Ev Williams (Source)

Adverbs

A Novel

by Daniel Handler
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Anthem

by Ayn Rand
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Bill & Dave

How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company

by Michael S. Malone
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Cryptonomicon

by Neal Stephenson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Cumulus

by Eliot Peper
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Daniel Pink

Emergence

by Steven Johnson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates

A Novel

by Tom Robbins
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Founders at Work

Stories of Startups' Early Days

by Jessica Livingston
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Freakonomics

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

by Steven D. Levitt
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Daymond John, James Altucher

Interface Culture

How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create & Communicate

by Steven A. Johnson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

It's Not About the Bike

My Journey Back to Life

by Lance Armstrong
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Jimmy Corrigan

The Smartest Kid on Earth

by Chris Ware
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Jitterbug Perfume

A Novel

by Tom Robbins
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Made to Stick

Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

by Chip Heath
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Moneyball

The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

by Michael Lewis
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Ogilvy on Advertising

by David Ogilvy
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Neville Medhora, Noah Kagan

Seeing What's Next

Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change

by Clayton M. Christensen
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Shopgirl

A Novella

by Steve Martin
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

by Michael Chabon
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Fred Wilson

The Black Swan

Incerto, Book 2

by Nassim Taleb
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Blind Side

Evolution of a Game

by Michael Lewis
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Catcher in the Rye

by J.D. Salinger
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Corrections

A Novel

by Jonathan Franzen
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Oprah Winfrey

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

by Mark Haddon
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Da Vinci Code

Robert Langdon, Book 2

by Dan Brown
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Shah Rukh Khan

The Diamond Age

Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer

by Neal Stephenson
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The Halo Effect

... and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers

by Phil Rosenzweig
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Matt Mullenweg

The Victorian Internet

The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-Line Pioneers

by Tom Standage
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

The World Without Us

by Alan Weisman
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Richard Branson

Winning

The Ultimate Business How-To Book

by Jack Welch
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Sam Altman, Patrick Bet-David

The Making of a Manager

What to Do When Everyone Looks to You

by Julie Zhuo
"Its practical wisdom is immediately useful for the newly minted manager—and us old ones." - Ev Williams (Source)

The Dip

A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

by Seth Godin
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Brian Armstrong, Chris Do, Thomas Frank

Blink

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

by Malcolm Gladwell
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile. (Source)

Also recommended by:

Kevin Systrom, Mike Shinoda

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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149 Ev Williams Recommended Books (2026)