Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla, which revolutionized electric vehicle manufacturing, and SpaceX, which achieved reusable rocket technology. He's also founded Neuralink and The Boring Company. Musk is known for his prolific reading habits and often credits books as influential to his thinking on technology and business.
57 Books Recommended by Elon Musk
Ranked by popularity across all reading lists on this site
Zero to One
24 people recommended[This author] has built multiple breakthrough companies, and [this book] shows how.
Also recommended by: Eric Jorgenson, Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Kishore Biyani, Marc Andreessen, Rupert Murdoch, Sam Altman, Andrew Ng, Ben Horowitz, Bryan Johnson, Brian Dean, Chris Dixon, Eric Weinstein, Keith Rabois, Lee Stranahan, Luis Von Ahn, Matt Mullenweg, Max Levchin, Nassim Taleb, Patrick Oshaughnessy, Ryan Petersen, Tom Bilyeu, Derek Sivers
Atlas Shrugged
23 people recommendedA counterpoint to communism and useful as such, but should be tempered with kindness.
Also recommended by: Mark Cuban, Peter Thiel, Steve Jobs, Brian Armstrong, Ev Williams, Ray Dalio, Travis Kalanick, Amelia Boone, Bob Metcalfe, Austen Allred, Blake Scholl, Patrick Bet David, Fred Wilson, Gabby Reece, Joe De Sena, John Carmack, Paul Krugman, Peter Diamandis, Phil Jackson, Rand Paul, Russell Brunson, Shah Rukh Khan
The Selfish Gene
13 people recommendedMost people don't realize that the origin of the word 'meme' is [this book].
Also recommended by: Brian Armstrong, Ev Williams, Bob Metcalfe, Charlie Munger, David Deutsch, Mark Manson, Matt Ridley, Mr Money Mustache, Nick Szabo, Phil Libin, Tai Lopez, Derek Sivers
The Art Of War
13 people recommendedI've read [this book] many times.
Also recommended by: Raj Shamani, Evan Spiegel, Marc Benioff, Travis Kalanick, Vlad Tenev, Dave Camarillo, Patrick Bet David, Fred Wilson, Jocko Willink, Lex Fridman, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Ryan Petersen
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
10 people recommendedA book of philosophy disguised as a silly humor book.
Also recommended by: Naval Ravikant, Richard Branson, Evan Goldberg, Jack Edwards, Sahil Lavingia, Seth Rogen, Shah Rukh Khan, Tim Ferriss, Zack Daleo
Steve Jobs
9 people recommendedQuite interesting.
Also recommended by: Gary Vaynerchuk, Bill Gates, Ray Dalio, Chris Fussell, Ed Zschau, George Raveling, Scott Adams, Scott Belsky
The Wealth of Nations
8 people recommendedAdam Smith FTW obv.
Also recommended by: Naval Ravikant, Bill Gurley, Brandon Stanton, Patrick Bet David, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Nick Szabo, Noam Chomsky
Benjamin Franklin
8 people recommendedA great biography. [...] Highly recommended.
Also recommended by: Ray Dalio, Brandon Stanton, Charlie Munger, Ed Zschau, George Raveling, Scott Belsky, Tim Ferriss
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
8 people recommendedReally good.
Also recommended by: Jamie Dimon, Brandon Stanton, Charlie Munger, Cory Booker, Paul Graham, Vince Vaughn, Walter Isaacson
What We Owe the Future
8 people recommendedWorth reading. This is a close match for my philosophy.
Also recommended by: Aj Jacobs, Ezra Klein, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Julia Galef, Liv Boeree, Sam Harris, Stephen Fry
Life 3.0
7 people recommendedA compelling guide to the challenges and choices in our quest for a great future of life, intelligence and consciousnessβon Earth and beyond.
Also recommended by: Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Keith Rabois, Lex Fridman, Pewdiepie, Derek Sivers
Masters of Doom
7 people recommendedA great book.
Also recommended by: Patrick Collison, Tobi Lutke, Alexis Ohanian, Austen Allred, Jeff Atwood, Trung Phan
Destined for War
7 people recommendedWorth reading.
Also recommended by: Lloyd Blankfein, Ray Dalio, Anthony Scaramucci, David Sacks, Fareed Zakaria, Walter Isaacson
Deep Learning
6 people recommendedWritten by three experts in the field, [this book] is the only comprehensive book on the subject.
Also recommended by: Balaji Srinivasan, Vinod Khosla, Balaji S. Srinivasan, Nassim Taleb, Satya Nadella
Lying
6 people recommendedExcellent cover art and lots of good reasons not to lie!
Also recommended by: Brian Armstrong, Vinod Khosla, Aj Jacobs, Tim Ferriss, Derek Sivers
Superintelligence
6 people recommendedWorth reading [this book]. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.
Also recommended by: Naval Ravikant, Sam Altman, Marc Goodman, Sam Harris, Will Macaskill
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
6 people recommendedOne of Elon Musk's favorite books about space.
Also recommended by: Bill Gates, Christopher Sommer, John Carmack, Paul Graham, Ryan Shea
Stalin
4 people recommendedOne of the few books so dark I had to stop reading.
Also recommended by: Brandon Stanton, Jordan Peterson, Ross Kaminsky
Stranger in a Strange Land
4 people recommendedI like [this book], although it kind of goes off the rails at the end.
Also recommended by: Bill Gates, Sahil Lavingia, Tim Ferriss
On War
4 people recommendedThere should be a chapter saying 'if you have a decisive technology advantage, you can actually win with minimal casualties.'
Also recommended by: Dave Camarillo, Nelson Mandela, Ryan Holiday
What’s Our Problem?
4 people recommendedWorth reading.
Also recommended by: Tobi Lutke, Joe Gebbia, Liv Boeree
The Iliad
4 people recommendedBest story ever.
Also recommended by: Jk Rowling, Paul Graham, Stewart Brand
Das Kapital
3 people recommendedRead [this book] when I was 14.
Also recommended by: Osho, Noam Chomsky
The Fault in Our Stars
3 people recommendedMust admit to liking [this book]. Sad, romantic and beautifully named.
Also recommended by: Taylor Swift, Emma Watson
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
3 people recommended[The author]'s famous book.
Also recommended by: Mahatma Gandhi, Stewart Brand
A Woman Makes a Plan
2 people recommendedMy Mom wrote a book β€οΈ.
Also recommended by: Karlie Kloss
If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens … Where is Everybody?
2 people recommendedGreat book. Read it when it came out.
Also recommended by: Patrick Collison
The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
2 people recommendedThe @SkepticsGuide book is π
Also recommended by: Neil Degrasse Tyson
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World
2 people recommendedInsightful analysis, ensconced in eloquent prose.
Also recommended by: Peter Thiel
American Caesar
2 people recommendedElon Musk recommended this book on Twitter.
Also recommended by: Ryan Holiday
Twelve Against the Gods
It's really quite good.
Screw Business As Usual
This approach should be taken to heart by all, as it really is the smart move.
Ignition!
One of Elon Musk's favorite books about space.
Acts of Love
All characters β even those based on real people β are entirely fictional...
Merchants of Doubt
Worth reading [this book]. Same who tried to deny smoking deaths are denying climate change.
Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines
One of Elon Musk's favorite books about space.
The Machine Stops
Worth reading.
Human Compatible
Worth reading.
Howard Hughes
A cautionary tale.
Waiting for Godot
Have recently come to appreciate the awesome, absurdist humor of [this book].
Catherine the Great
I know what you're probably thinking ... did she really f* a horse?
Starhammer
A bit more obscure.
The Stainless Steel Rat
A bit more obscure.
Structures
Really, really good if you want a primer on structural design.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Read through [this book]. I'd recommend that.
The Life of Greece
Rereading [this book].
Not Much of an Engineer
Elon Musk recommended this book on Twitter.
The Wages of Destruction
Elon Musk recommended this book on Twitter.
Explore/Create
A chronicle of wonder, and the many wondrous things the future may hold.
The Capitalist Manifesto
An excellent explanation of why capitalism is not just successful, but morally right, especially chapter 4.
