7 books Elon Musk recommends and you should read as well!
We are all good at making excuses when it comes to reading books. No time, too much work, brain drains and what not! Elon Musk, one of the busiest man in the world, is an avid reader as well. Here are some of the book that he recommends for everyone to read.
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
This is a witty and telling biography of Benjamin Franklin who was a scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, business strategist, political thinker and one of America's founding fathers. Musk considers him to be an entrepreneurial idol who started from nothing and became one of history's most important figures through innovation and sheer hard work.
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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
While facing an existential crisis in his teens, Musk stumbled upon this science-fiction masterpiece by Douglas Adams and learned that not all questions of life are answerable. This book tackles the mysteries of the unknowable universe through an imaginative and hilarious narrative that never fails to engage and entertain.
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Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
In Zero to One, Peter Thiel talks about how entrepreneurs of today need to create for the future by finding unique innovations in unexpected places if they want to be hugely successful. One of PayPal's co-founders along with Musk, Thiel taps into his considerable experience as an entrepreneur and investor to divulge the mechanics of running a startup while expounding on his own philosophies in this book.
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The Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov
It makes sense that Musk, a man far ahead in time than the rest of humankind, would draw inspiration from the writings of Isaac Asimov. The Foundation books tell stories of a future in which humankind stands on the brink of an era of enlightenment; one where science, technology, and art are used to build a new empire on the ruins of a bygone, barbaric era. Musk says that Asimov's writings helped him realise the potential of today's technology and encouraged him to pursue his entrepreneurial passions.
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Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Golding's classic book is a story of a group of boys struggling to live in a world with no social, political, or moral boundaries when they're stranded on a remote island. Musk says that this 'survival of the fittest' story relates to him as an entrepreneur, particularly the three characteristic traits of survival, competition, and greed.
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Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele
One can draw several parallels between the life of Elon Musk and the story of Howard Hughes, a brilliant, eccentric inventor and a social outcast. Hughes ultimately spiralled into addiction and madness, losing his business empire in the process, and perhaps the reasons for his downfall are what Musk wishes to understand and avoid through reading this book.
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Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway
Musk is an outspoken proponent of science and strongly feels that it should play a pivotal role in the setting of government policy. He is also wary of efforts trying to do the opposite which is why he recommends Merchants of Doubt. This book is a compendium of stories about a group of corporate- and politician-funded scientists who instilled doubt about valid scientific research by lying to the public about things ranging from climate change to tobacco smoke for 40 years.
