Daniel Ek Book Recommendations

Black Box Thinking

The Surprising Truth About Success

by Matthew Syed

"Since reading this book, I’ve literally incorporated this approach to problem-solving into every day." - Daniel Ek (Source)

Hit Men

Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business

by Fredric Dannen

"Still the essential biography of the music industry." - Daniel Ek (Source)

Leading

Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United

by Alex Ferguson

"[The author] grew Manchester United into one of the best known brands today, and that’s what fascinates me about him." - Daniel Ek (Source)

Guns, Germs, and Steel

The Fates of Human Societies

by Jared Diamond

"A brilliant Pulitzer Prize-winning book about how the modern world was formed, analyzing how societies developed differently on different continents." - Daniel Ek (Source)

Poor Charlie's Almanack

The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

by Charlie Munger

"I’ve been enjoying Charlie Munger’s speeches online for years; this is the ultimate collection of the best of them." - Daniel Ek (Source)

Sapiens

A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

"Both sobering and conservatively optimistic in equal measure." - Daniel Ek (Source)

Raising Girls

How to Help Your Daughter Grow Up Happy, Healthy, and Strong

by Steve Biddulph

"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 (Source)

The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

"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 (Source)

The Minefield Girl

by Sofia Ek

"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 (Source)

Bass Culture

When Reggae Was King

by Lloyd Bradley

"A great history of reggae music and the influences it has on other genres." - Daniel Ek (Source)

7 Powers

The Foundations of Business Strategy

by Hamilton Helmer

"At Spotify the 7 Powers are widely used as we discuss new initiatives." - Daniel Ek (Source)

Good to Great

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

by Jim Collins

"A really interesting book." - Daniel Ek (Source)

The Promise of a Pencil

How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change

by Adam Braun

"Amazing book, amazing cause." - Daniel Ek (Source)