Elon Musk Recommended Books
Elon Musk has recommended 101 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
Elon Musk is an engineer and technology entrepreneur.
(Read more on Wikipedia)101 Books Recommended
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Twelve Against the Gods
The Story of Adventure
"It's really quite good." - Elon Musk (Source)
The Big Picture
On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself
"Highly recommend." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Deep Learning
"Written by three experts in the field, [this book] is the only comprehensive book on the subject." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Dune (6 books)
"Brilliant. [The author] advocates placing limits on machine intelligence." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Adam Savage, Andrew Chen, Ev Williams, Jeff Bezos, Kelly Starrett, Kyle Maynard, Laird Hamilton, Seth Godin, Stewart Brand, Tim Draper, Tim Ferriss, Tim O’Reilly, Zooko Wilcox, Cameron Winklevoss, Sahil Lavingia, Paulo Coelho
Lying
"Excellent cover art and lots of good reasons not to lie!" - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Screw Business As Usual
Turning Capitalism into a Force for Good
"This approach should be taken to heart by all, as it really is the smart move." - Elon Musk (Source)
Superintelligence
Paths, Dangers, Strategies
"Worth reading [this book]. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Naval Ravikant, Sam Harris, Sam Altman, Will MacAskill, Marc Goodman
Game of Thrones (5 books)
"Best books in recent years imo are Iain Banks & George Martin." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Daemon
"A great read." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Stalin
The Court of the Red Tsar
"One of the few books so dark I had to stop reading." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Ignition!
An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants
One of Elon Musk's favorite books about space. (Source)
Culture (11 books)
"Compelling picture of a grand, semi-utopian galactic future. Hopefully not too optimistic about AI." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
A Woman Makes a Plan
Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success
"My Mom wrote a book ❤️." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Acts of Love
"All characters – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional..." - Elon Musk (Source)
The Wealth of Nations
"Adam Smith FTW obv." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Naval Ravikant, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nick Szabo, Noam Chomsky, Brandon Stanton, Bill Gurley, Patrick Bet-David
Foundation (7 books)
"[This series is] fundamental to [the] creation of SpaceX." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Adam Gazzaley, Demis Hassabis, Lex Fridman, Naval Ravikant, Ryan Shea, Sam Altman, Stewart Brand, Austen Allred, Cameron Winklevoss, Sahil Lavingia
If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens ... Where is Everybody?
Seventy-Five Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life
"Great book. Read it when it came out." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
One of Elon Musk's favorite books about space. (Source)
Also recommended by:
Paul Graham, John Carmack, Bill Gates, Christopher Sommer, Ryan Shea
Atlas Shrugged
"A counterpoint to communism and useful as such, but should be tempered with kindness." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Steve Jobs, Peter Thiel, Shah Rukh Khan, Joe De Sena, Peter Diamandis, Ev Williams, Gabby Reece, Travis Kalanick, Brian Armstrong, Amelia Boone, Bob Metcalfe, Blake Scholl, Fred Wilson, Phil Jackson, John Carmack, Mark Cuban, Ray Dalio, Austen Allred, Russell Brunson, Paul Krugman, Rand Paul, Patrick Bet-David
The Lord of the Rings (4 books)
"I know it's cliche, but [this] is my favorite book ever." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Laird Hamilton, Naval Ravikant, Neil Gaiman, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Nolan Bushnell, James Clear
Das Kapital
A Critique of Political Economy
"Read [this book] when I was 14." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Merchants of Doubt
How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
"Worth reading [this book]. Same who tried to deny smoking deaths are denying climate change." - Elon Musk (Source)
Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines
One of Elon Musk's favorite books about space. (Source)
The Story of Civilization (11 books)
"The first books are a little dry. Gets much better when Ariel is co-author." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Machine Stops
"Worth reading." - Elon Musk (Source)
Our Final Invention
Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era
"Worth reading." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Benjamin Franklin
An American Life
"A great biography. [...] Highly recommended." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Tim Ferriss, Ray Dalio, George Raveling, Scott Belsky, Brandon Stanton, Ed Zschau, Charlie Munger
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Book 1
"A book of philosophy disguised as a silly humor book." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Shah Rukh Khan, Naval Ravikant, Seth Rogen, Richard Branson, Tim Ferriss, Evan Goldberg, Sahil Lavingia, Jack Edwards, Zack D'Aleo
Human Compatible
Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control
"Worth reading." - Elon Musk (Source)
Howard Hughes
His Life and Madness
"A cautionary tale." - Elon Musk (Source)
Steve Jobs
"Quite interesting." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Scott Adams, Ray Dalio, Bill Gates, Gary Vaynerchuk, George Raveling, Chris Fussell, Scott Belsky, Ed Zschau
Waiting for Godot
A Tragicomedy in Two Acts
"Have recently come to appreciate the awesome, absurdist humor of [this book]." - Elon Musk (Source)
The Fault in Our Stars
"Must admit to liking [this book]. Sad, romantic and beautifully named." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Catherine the Great
Portrait of a Woman
"I know what you're probably thinking ... did she really f* a horse?" - Elon Musk (Source)
Starhammer
"A bit more obscure." - Elon Musk (Source)
The Stainless Steel Rat
"A bit more obscure." - Elon Musk (Source)
Liftoff
Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
"Book is accurate." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
"Really good." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Charlie Munger, Paul Graham, Walter Isaacson, Cory Booker, Brandon Stanton, Vince Vaughn, Jamie Dimon
Stranger in a Strange Land
"I like [this book], although it kind of goes off the rails at the end." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Structures
Or Why Things Don't Fall Down
"Really, really good if you want a primer on structural design." - Elon Musk (Source)
Life 3.0
Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
"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 (Source)
Also recommended by:
Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Keith Rabois, Lex Fridman, PewDiePie
Zero to One
Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
"[This author] has built multiple breakthrough companies, and [this book] shows how." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Andrew Ng, Ben Horowitz, Bryan Johnson, Chris Dixon, Dustin Moskovitz, Eric Weinstein, Keith Rabois, Kishore Biyani, Lee Stranahan, Luis von Ahn, Marc Andreessen, Mark Zuckerberg, Matt Mullenweg, Max Levchin, Nassim Taleb, Sam Altman, Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Tom Bilyeu, Ryan Petersen, Brian Dean, Rupert Murdoch
The Selfish Gene
"Most people don't realize that the origin of the word 'meme' is [this book]." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Charlie Munger, Matt Ridley, Brian Armstrong, Ev Williams, Nick Szabo, Phil Libin, Mr. Money Mustache, Bob Metcalfe, David Deutsch, Tai Lopez, Mark Manson
Storm of Steel
"Intense. Great book." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Age of Napoleon
The Story of Civilization, Book 11
"An amazing book." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Art Of War
"I've read [this book] many times." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Jocko Willink, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Marc Benioff, Evan Spiegel, Dave Camarillo, Ryan Petersen, Travis Kalanick, Vlad Tenev, Fred Wilson, Lex Fridman, Patrick Bet-David
On War
"There should be a chapter saying 'if you have a decisive technology advantage, you can actually win with minimal casualties.'" - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake
"[This] book is ?" - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
"Read through [this book]. I'd recommend that." - Elon Musk (Source)
Masters of Doom
How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
"A great book." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Patrick Collison, Alexis Ohanian, Jeff Atwood, Tobi Lütke, Austen Allred, Trung Phan
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
"[The author]'s famous book." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World
From Marathon to Waterloo
"Insightful analysis, ensconced in eloquent prose." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Life of Greece
The Story of Civilization, Book 2
"Rereading [this book]." - Elon Musk (Source)
American Caesar
Douglas MacArthur 1880 - 1964
Elon Musk recommended this book on Twitter. (Source)
Also recommended by:
Not Much of an Engineer
Elon Musk recommended this book on Twitter. (Source)
The Wages of Destruction
The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy
Elon Musk recommended this book on Twitter. (Source)
What We Owe the Future
"Worth reading. This is a close match for my philosophy." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
A.J. Jacobs, Ezra Klein, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julia Galef, Liv Boeree, Sam Harris, Stephen Fry
Explore/Create
My Life in Pursuit of New Frontiers, Hidden Worlds, and the Creative Spark
"A chronicle of wonder, and the many wondrous things the future may hold." - Elon Musk (Source)
What's Our Problem?
A Self-Help Book for Societies
"Worth reading." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Iliad
"Best story ever." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Capitalist Manifesto
"An excellent explanation of why capitalism is not just successful, but morally right, especially chapter 4." - Elon Musk (Source)
Destined for War
Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?
"Worth reading." - Elon Musk (Source)
Also recommended by:
Ray Dalio, Fareed Zakaria, Walter Isaacson, Anthony Scaramucci, David Sacks, Lloyd Blankfein
The Parasitic Mind
How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense
"Great book." - Elon Musk (Source)
Other Recommenders
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
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