Reading List

The books for what you are building.

Tell us your business model, industry and stage, or how you invest, and get the books worth your time, picked from 30,000 on building and backing companies. Chosen by ratings and what they are about.

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Atomic HabitsJames Clear · 4.31★FreakonomicsSteven D. Levitt · 4.01★The Tipping PointMalcolm Gladwell · 4.01★Rich Dad Poor DadRobert T. Kiyosaki · 4.08★BlinkMalcolm Gladwell · 3.96★Thinking, Fast and SlowDaniel Kahneman · 4.16★The Art of WarSun Tzu · 3.94★
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The best matches for everything you told us, ranked.

  • 1

    Everybody Lies

    Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are

    Seth Stephens-Davidowitz · 2017

    3.9043,226 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    Foreword by Steven Pinker Blending the informed analysis of The Signal and the Noise with the instructive iconoclasm of Think Like a Freak, a fascinating, illuminating, and witty look at what the vast amounts of information now instantly available to us…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    The Thinking Machine

    Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip

    Stephen Witt · 2025

    4.295,636 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    “Stephen Witt’s deep reporting shines through every page of The Thinking Machine. The result is a page-turning biography of perhaps the most consequential CEO and company in the world.”, David Epstein, New York Times bestselling author of Range Nvidia is…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    The Infinity Machine

    Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence

    Sebastian Mallaby · 2026

    4.423,320 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    From one of our leading chroniclers of the intersection of innovation and capitalism, a landmark  reckoning, based on unprecedented access, with one of the world’s most brilliant and driven tech visionaries and his game-changing company.Even by the standard…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Genius Makers

    The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World

    Cade Metz · 2021

    4.263,395 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    "This colorful page-turner puts artificial intelligence into a human perspective. Through the lives of Geoff Hinton and other major players, Metz explains this transformative technology and makes the quest thrilling." Walter Isaacson, author of The Code…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Human + machine

    Paul R. Daugherty · 2018

    28 Open Library reading lists

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we work right now. Are you ready? In the past, robots were typically large pieces of machinery, sectioned off from human workers to perform precise, mechanical tasks on an assembly line. But now, bots and other…

    On AmazonAudibleOpen Library

  • 6

    Prediction Machines

    The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence

    Ajay Agrawal · 2018

    3.864,021 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    "What does AI mean for your business? Read this book to find out." -- Hal Varian, Chief Economist, Google Artificial intelligence does the seemingly impossible, magically bringing machines to life--driving cars, trading stocks, and teaching children. But…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 7

    The Connection Algorithm

    Take Risks, Defy the Status Quo, and Live Your Passions

    Jesse Tevelow · 2015

    3.73450 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    A #1 Bestseller in Entrepreneurship A #1 Bestseller in Management A #1 Bestseller in Personal Success A #1 Bestseller in Knowledge Capital "Young Jesse Tevelow is on to something. His new book, The Connection Algorithm, is chock full of phenomenal strategies…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 8

    The Future Is Faster Than You Think

    How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives

    Peter H. Diamandis · 2020

    4.135,412 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    From the New York Times bestselling authors of Abundance and Bold comes a practical playbook for technological convergence in our modern era.In their book Abundance, bestselling authors and futurists Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler tackled grand global…

    On AmazonAudible

Books on ai and data.

  • 1

    AI 2041

    Ten Visions for Our Future

    Kai-Fu Lee · 2021

    3.815,969 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Blood in the Machine

    The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech

    Brian Merchant · 2023

    4.192,069 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    Longlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year The "rich and gripping" true story of the first time machines came for human jobs, and how the Luddite uprising explains the power, threat, and toll of big tech and AI today (Naomi Klein) The most…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    The Optimist

    Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future

    Keach Hagey · 2025

    3.791,312 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    From an acclaimed Wall Street Journal reporter comes the first biography of the enigmatic leader of the AI revolution, charting his ascent within the tech world as well as his ambitions for this powerful new technology. On November 30, 2022, OpenAI…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    The Industries of the Future

    Alec J. Ross · 2016

    3.968,471 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    This book answers the question: 'What's next?' The Internet had a world-changing impact on businesses and the global community over the twenty years from 1994 to 2014. In the next ten years, change will happen even faster. As Hillary Clinton's Senior…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    The Nvidia Way

    Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant

    Tae Kim · 2024

    4.304,727 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    "The definitive look at the most remarkable business story of this era.", Morgan Housel, New York Times best-selling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever"The Nvidia Way is a riveting history of Nvidia’s unexpected ascent to the top of the tech…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    The Art of Statistics

    How to Learn from Data

    David Spiegelhalter · 2019

    4.155,969 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    In this "important and comprehensive" guide to statistical thinking ( New Yorker ), discover how data literacy is changing the world and gives you a better understanding of life’s biggest problems.     Statistics are everywhere, as integral to science as…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 7

    Future Ethics

    Cennydd Bowles · 2018

    4.29273 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    ‘Eloquent, insightful and utterly a must read for anyone who is inventing the future or cares about living in it.’, Christina Wodtke, Stanford University ‘Cennydd’s long-lens view of ethics is exactly what designers, product managers and builders of today’s…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 8

    Machine, Platform, Crowd

    Harnessing Our Digital Future

    Andrew McAfee · 2017

    4.042,898 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    “A clear and crisply written account of machine intelligence, big data and the sharing economy. But McAfee and Brynjolfsson also wisely acknowledge the limitations of their futurology and avoid over-simplification.” ― Financial Times In The Second Machine Age…

    On AmazonAudible

Published in the last three years, newest first, for what you told us.

  • 1

    Supremacy

    AI, ChatGPT, and the Race That Will Change the World

    Parmy Olson · 2024

    4.046,375 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    In November of 2022, a webpage was posted online with a simple text box. It was an AI chatbot called ChatGPT, and was unlike any app people had used before. It was more human than a customer service agent, more convenient than a Google search. Behind the…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Reshuffle

    Who wins when AI restacks the knowledge economy

    Sangeet Paul Choudary · 2025

    4.32316 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    What happens when the “know-how” that once defined expertise migrates from humans to AI tools? How do organizations reorganize when machines take over not just tasks but entire workflows? And most importantly, how does this reshaping of knowledge work change…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    The Age of Extraction

    How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity

    Tim Wu · 2025

    3.871,213 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    Tech platforms manipulate attention, extract wealth, and deepen inequality. In this new book, Tim Wu (The Attention Merchants) explains how we can reclaim control and create a balanced economy that works for everyone.“The magic of Tim Wu’s The Age of…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    The Technological Republic

    Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West

    Alexander C. Karp · 2025

    3.533,868 ratings · Goodreads

    AI and dataCompany building

    About the book

    INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A cri de coeur that takes aim at the tech industry for abandoning its history of helping America and its allies.”, The Wall Street Journal From the Palantir co-founder, one of tech’s boldest thinkers and The…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    Simple Marketing For Smart People

    The One Question You Need to Win Customers without Gimmicks, Hype, or Hard Selling

    Billy Broas · 2024

    4.35305 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthFirst salesCompany building

    About the book

    Why do so many smart people struggle with marketing? The answer is smart people love complexity, and complexity brews problems. Does your marketing feel like it has way too many moving parts? If so, Simple Marketing for Smart People is the solution you’ve…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    The First-Time Manager

    Sales

    Mike Weinberg · 2023

    4.43282 ratings · Goodreads

    First salesCompany building

    About the book

    The First Time Manager Series has sold over 500,000 copies and is a go-to guide for new and aspiring sales managers on what to expect and how to succeed. The jump from sales superstar to sales manager has made or broken many a sales career. As a…

    On AmazonAudible

How companies like yours were actually built, from the people who built them.

  • 1

    Shoe Dog

    A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

    Phil Knight · 2016

    4.45389,310 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Steve Jobs

    Walter Isaacson · 2011

    4.161,391,990 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    Walter Isaacson's worldwide bestselling biography of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years--as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    Veeck As In Wreck

    The Autobiography of Bill Veeck

    Bill Veeck · 1962

    4.132,173 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder stories

    About the book

    Bill Veeck was an inspired team builder, a consummate showman, and one of the greatest baseball men ever involved in the game. His classic autobiography, written with the talented sportswriter Ed Linn, is an uproarious book packed with information about the…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Sam Walton, Made in America

    My Story

    Sam Walton · 1992

    4.1628,881 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    As Sam Walton himself said, this is "...a story about entrepreneurship, and risk, and hard work, and knowing where you want to go and being willing to do what it takes to get there. And it's a story about believing in your idea even when maybe some other…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 5

    The Jordan Rules

    The Inside Story of One Turbulent Season with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

    Sam Smith · 1992

    4.2519,445 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder stories

    About the book

    Sam Smith’s seminal, New York Times bestselling “eye-opener” ( The San Diego Union-Tribune ) on Michael Jordan and the 1990-1991 Chicago Bulls team, perfect for fans of ESPN’s hit documentary series The Last Dance. This is the book that changed the way the…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 6

    Bitter Brew

    The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer

    William Knoedelseder · 2012

    4.056,011 ratings · Goodreads

    Founder storiesCompany building

    About the book

    “Bitter Brew deftly chronicles the contentious succession of kings in a uniquely American dynasty. You’ll never crack open a six again without thinking of this book.”, John Sayles, Director of Eight Men Out and author of A Moment in the Sun The creators of…

    On AmazonAudible

What founders at seed keep coming back to, if you have not read them yet.

  • 1

    The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

    Violate Them at Your Own Risk

    Al Ries · 1993

    4.0522,738 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany building

    About the book

    There are laws of nature, so why shouldn't there be laws of marketing? As Al Ries and Jack Trout, the world-renowned marketing consultants and bestselling authors of Positioning, note, you can build an impressive airplane, but it will never leave the ground if…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 2

    Crossing the Chasm

    Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers

    Geoffrey A. Moore · 2002

    4.0332,109 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany buildingFirst sales

    About the book

    Here is the bestselling guide that created a new game plan for marketing in high-tech industries. Crossing the Chasm has become the bible for bringing cutting-edge products to progressively larger markets. This edition provides new insights into the realities…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 3

    Inspired

    How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

    Marty Cagan · 2008

    4.2226,350 ratings · Goodreads

    Company buildingFinding product-market fit

    About the book

    Learn to design, build, and scale products consumers can't get enough of How do today's most successful tech companies–Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla–design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of…

    On AmazonAudible

  • 4

    Building A Story Brand

    Donald Miller · 2017

    4.2726,500 ratings · Goodreads

    Marketing and growthCompany building

    About the book

    New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller uses the seven universal elements of powerful stories to teach readers how to dramatically improve how they connect with customers and grow their businesses. Donald Miller’s StoryBrand process is a proven…

    On AmazonAudible

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From the record

Written by the people who write the cheques

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