Share:
Kevin Systrom Recommended Books
Kevin Systrom has recommended 17 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
Kevin Systrom is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He co‑founded Instagram.
(Read more on Wikipedia)17 Books Recommended
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
How to Read a Book
The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
by Mortimer J. Adler
"[The author's] thesis is that the most important part of reading a book is to actually read the table of contents and familiarize yourself with the major structure of the book." - Kevin Systrom (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Shane Parrish recommended this bookShane Parrish
"If you believe that you’re not getting everything out of your reading that you should, this book is awesome." - Shane Parrish
Shane Parrish's recommendation of this book
The Goal
A Process of Ongoing Improvement
by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
"About basically manufacturing and supply chain management. It sounds really boring, but I promise you it’s really good." - Kevin Systrom (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people
Jeff Bezos recommended this bookJeff Bezos
Part of "Jeff's Reading List."
Jeff Bezos's recommendation of this book 
Trung Phan recommended this bookTrung Phan
"About the Operations industry." - Trung Phan
Trung Phan's recommendation of this book
The Mathematics of Politics
by E. Arthur Robinson
"I’m interested in both politics and also the math behind elections." - Kevin Systrom (Source)
The Lessons of History
by Will & Ariel Durant
"A great book." - Kevin Systrom (Source)
Also recommended by
7 people
Ray Dalio recommended this bookRay Dalio
"This is the Durants. They were maybe the greatest historians of all time." - Ray Dalio
Ray Dalio's recommendation of this book 
Naval Ravikant recommended this bookNaval Ravikant
"A fantastic book." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book 
Tim Ferriss recommended this bookTim Ferriss
"It’s excellent." - Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss's recommendation of this book - Shane Parrish recommended this book
Shane Parrish
"I’ll be re-reading this a few times." - Shane Parrish
Shane Parrish's recommendation of this book 
Mark Manson recommended this bookMark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
Mark Manson's recommendation of this book 
James Clear recommended this bookJames Clear
"[One of] the 10 books with the most page-for-page wisdom." - James Clear
James Clear's recommendation of this book +1
More recommendations
- Lyn Alden
"One of the most important books for long-term investors to read." - Lyn Alden
- Lyn Alden
The Lean Startup
How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
by Eric Ries
"The principles from [this book], I still apply today." - Kevin Systrom (Source)
Also recommended by
14 people
Andrew Ng recommended this bookAndrew Ng
"Gives one specific tactic for innovating quickly." - Andrew Ng
Andrew Ng's recommendation of this book 
Ben Horowitz recommended this bookBen Horowitz
"Great." - Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz's recommendation of this book 
Dustin Moskovitz recommended this bookDustin Moskovitz
"At Asana, we've been lucky to benefit from [the author]'s advice firsthand; this book will enable him to help many more entrepreneurs answer the tough questions about their business." - Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz's recommendation of this book 
Jason Calacanis recommended this bookJason Calacanis
"You need to read [this book]." - Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis's recommendation of this book 
Marc Andreessen recommended this bookMarc Andreessen
"[The author] has created a science where previously there was only art. A must read for every serious entrepreneur—and every manager interested in innovation." - Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen's recommendation of this book 
Mark Cuban recommended this bookMark Cuban
One of the 7 books Mark Cuban credits his success to.
Mark Cuban's recommendation of this book +8
More recommendations
- Mike Maples, Jr.
"[I was] lucky enough to have a front-row seat at the birth of these ideas." - Mike Maples, Jr.
- Tim O’Reilly
"[This book] isn't just about how to create a more successful entrepreneurial business, it's about what we can learn from those businesses to improve virtually everything we do." - Tim O’Reilly
- Chris Dixon
Chris Dixon recommended this book on Twitter.
- Raoul Pal
Raoul Pal recommended this book on Twitter.
- Sheryl Sandberg
"Provides a great inside look at how the tech industry approaches building products and businesses." - Sheryl Sandberg
- Steve Blank
"A 'must have' for your shelf." - Steve Blank
- Marty Cagan
"Buy it." - Marty Cagan
- Patrick Bet-David
Patrick Bet-David recommended this book on his website.
- Mike Maples, Jr.
Principles
Life and Work
by Ray Dalio
"I was blown away. It’s both a guide to life, a guide to business, and also I think an insight into [the author] and someone who’s built an amazing business." - Kevin Systrom (Source)
Also recommended by
24 people
Arianna Huffington recommended this bookArianna Huffington
"Beautifully written and filled with such wisdom." - Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"Ray Dalio has provided me with invaluable guidance and insights that are now available to you in Principles." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Bryan Johnson recommended this bookBryan Johnson
"[The author] open sourced Bridgewater’s methods in [this book] and the results were good evidence that collectives can operate at higher levels when they are open and honest about and can see past their cognitive flaws." - Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson's recommendation of this book 
Diddy recommended this bookDiddy
"[Ray Dalio]'s a great guy and has a great book out you all need to get called Principles. It’s a major key!!" - Diddy
Diddy's recommendation of this book 
Doug McMillon recommended this bookDoug McMillon
"Greg Penner, our chairman, asked me to read it." - Doug McMillon
Doug McMillon's recommendation of this book 
Drew Houston recommended this bookDrew Houston
"Sketched really concise and good thoughts for [how to approach life]." - Drew Houston
Drew Houston's recommendation of this book +18
More recommendations
- Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book on Twitter.
- Gary Vaynerchuk
"The book's buzz and the reaction of the people has been overwhelming." - Gary Vaynerchuk
- Howard Marks
"I think the guiding quote of the book is [one] from Mark Twain, 'History does not repeat, but it does rhyme.'" - Howard Marks
- Jack Dorsey
"Helpful in showing people how to operate by clearly articulated and shared principles that lead to faster progress." - Jack Dorsey
- Marc Benioff
"A masterpiece - It's a must-read!" - Marc Benioff
- Mark Cuban
"The book I wish I had as a young entrepreneur." - Mark Cuban
- Michael Bloomberg
"Everyone with goals and dreams can learn from [the author]'s approach." - Michael Bloomberg
- Naval Ravikant
"As with most non-fiction, the meat was in the beginning." - Naval Ravikant
- Reed Hastings
"Had a profound positive impact on my leeadership style." - Reed Hastings
- Tim Ferriss
"I highly, highly recommend this book. It has already changed how I think about making decisions in my life and in my business." - Tim Ferriss
- Tony Robbins
"[Ray Dalio] tells you how he figured it all out – and about all the principles that guided him toward success in his life, business and finances." - Tony Robbins
- Austen Allred
"So good." - Austen Allred
- Patrick O'Shaughnessy
"Bridgewater’s infamous [book]." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
- Tom Bilyeu
"The most powerful business book I've ever read." - Tom Bilyeu
- Lex Fridman
"A book I highly recommend." - Lex Fridman
- James Clear
"[One of] the 10 books with the most page-for-page wisdom." - James Clear
- Marty Cagan
"In my view, the most important business book of 2017." - Marty Cagan
- Ben Greenfield
Most Recommended Books reached out to Ben Greenfield directly.
- Dustin Moskovitz
The Signal and the Noise
Why So Many Predictions Fail-but Some Don't
by Nate Silver
"An investigation into our ability to predict future events." - Kevin Systrom (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people- Bill Gates recommended this book
Bill Gates
"About predictions in many domains besides politics." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Jon Stewart recommended this bookJon Stewart
"Absolutely fascinating book." - Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart's recommendation of this book
The Tipping Point
How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook. (Source)
Also recommended by
6 people
Joe Rogan recommended this bookJoe Rogan
"Hearing him do the audio part is great." - Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan's recommendation of this book 
Ev Williams recommended this bookEv Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book 
Kevin Rose recommended this bookKevin Rose
"A bunch of really good information here on how to make ideas go viral." - Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose's recommendation of this book 
Mike Shinoda recommended this bookMike Shinoda
"I love books like [this book]." - Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda's recommendation of this book 
Jenn Im recommended this bookJenn Im
Jenn Im recommended this book on Twitter.
Jenn Im's recommendation of this book 
Michael Hyatt recommended this bookMichael Hyatt
Michael Hyatt recommended this book on his website.
Michael Hyatt's recommendation of this book
Visual Explanations
Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative
by Edward R. Tufte
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook. (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Jeff Atwood recommended this bookJeff Atwood
"Essential." - Jeff Atwood
Jeff Atwood's recommendation of this book
The Wisdom of Crowds
by James Surowiecki
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook. (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Ben Shapiro recommended this bookBen Shapiro
"It's very good." - Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro's recommendation of this book - Kevin Rose recommended this book
Kevin Rose
"Was a big one for me. That meant a lot to me and there are still some great little tidbits in there." - Kevin Rose
Kevin Rose's recommendation of this book - Ev Williams recommended this book
Ev Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book
The Anatomy of Buzz
How to Create Word of Mouth Marketing
by Emanuel Rosen
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook. (Source)
Small Is the New Big
and 183 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas
by Seth Godin
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook. (Source)
Nudge
Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
by Richard H. Thaler
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook. (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people- Ben Shapiro recommended this book
Ben Shapiro
"A somewhat creepy book." - Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro's recommendation of this book 
Mr. Money Mustache recommended this bookMr. Money Mustache
"On decision making." - MMM
Mr. Money Mustache's recommendation of this book
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families
Stories from Rwanda
by Philip Gourevitch
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook. (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Lisa Ling recommended this bookLisa Ling
"This meticulously account is told from both the Hutu and Tutsi perspectives and is impressively comprehensive. It is so well told, in fact, that I felt like I was there experiencing the horror with my own eyes." - Lisa Ling
Lisa Ling's recommendation of this book
Blink
The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
by Malcolm Gladwell
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook. (Source)
Also recommended by
2 people- Ev Williams recommended this book
Ev Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book - Mike Shinoda recommended this book
Mike Shinoda
"I know most of the guys in the band read [this book]." - Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda's recommendation of this book
Competing Against Luck
The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice
by Clayton M. Christensen
"Great book [...] Terrible title, but within it there's effectively an expression of this thing called 'jobs to be done theory.'" - Kevin Systrom (Source)
Also recommended by
1 person
Jack Dorsey recommended this bookJack Dorsey
"A great read from a wise man." - Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey's recommendation of this book
The New New Thing
A Silicon Valley Story
by Michael Lewis
"I read [this book] and I said to myself this feels like an area of the world I can come to and be myself.'" - Kevin Systrom (Source)
Also recommended by
3 people
Ryan Holiday recommended this bookRyan Holiday
Ryan Holiday recommended this book on his blog.
Ryan Holiday's recommendation of this book 
Keith Rabois recommended this bookKeith Rabois
"[One of three] classic books to read, albeit perhaps with less immediate/practical relevance today." - Keith Rabois
Keith Rabois's recommendation of this book 
Austen Allred recommended this bookAusten Allred
"[One of] my favorite books for understanding the history of Silicon Valley." - Austen Allred
Austen Allred's recommendation of this book
Edited by
Richard Reis
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Follow@richardreeze
Anurag Ramdasan
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
Follow@anuragwho
Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts