9 Books Elon Musk Thinks Everyone Should Read
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and other game-changing tech companies, somehow finds time to read a lot of books when he’s not sending rockets into space.
From classic sci-fi works to complex studies on artificial intelligence, Musk credits books with helping him achieve his success. In fact, when asked how he learned to build rockets, he famously replied, “I read books.”
Most people don’t have the luxury of time to read a book every day. According to a study by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, most Americans find time to read just 17 minutes per day. At that rate, it could take you more than a month to read one of Musk’s recommended non-fiction titles.
Enter Blinkist. The award-winning knowledge app that breaks down lengthy non-fiction books into their core concepts. You can get through most of Blinkist’s explainer packs in as little as 15 minutes and even take learning with you using the app’s audio function.
– Holger Seim, CEO of Blinkist
Blinkist’s newest feature is Guides, an exciting new way to learn and absorb knowledge in a comprehensive and effective manner. Guides allow you to take an even deeper dive into a particular topic you are curious about. Guided by experts and thought leaders, Blinkist utilizes both new, original audio content and existing Blinks to provide practical insights of great value. By adding quizzes and practical tools to the routing, this feature helps you test and retain what you’ve learned. Guides also include valuable resources such as exercises, infographics, and recaps to facilitate your learning journey.
Elon might not be a part of it yet but Blinkist does offer guided courses by Tiago Forte and Nir Eyal among others. Want to start simple first? Let’s see the titles that Elon Musk has credited for changing his life, each available in the Blinkist library.
9 Books From Elon Musk’s Reading List
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs
- 25 min reading time
- audio version available
Just like Musk, Steve Jobs forged his own path in the tech industry. This book chronicles the audacious, adventurous life of the innovative entrepreneur and eccentric founder of Apple. Drawing from Jobs’s earliest experiences with spirituality and LSD to his pinnacle as a worldwide tech icon, Steve Jobs describes the man’s successful ventures as well as the battles he fought along the way. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 19 minutes.
2. Human Compatible by Stuart Russell
Human Compatible
- 22 min reading time
- audio version available
Human Compatible explains why the creation of artificial intelligence could be humanity’s final act, a topic that Musk has been very vocal about. The book calls to attention the potential catastrophe that society is heading towards and discusses what needs to be done to avoid it. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 12 minutes.
3. Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
Zero to One
- 22 min reading time
- audio version available
In praise of this book, Musk tweeted: “Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and (this book) shows how.” Zero to One explores how companies can better predict the future and take action to ensure that their startup is a success. The author enlivens the book’s key takeaways with his own experiences. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 18 minutes.
4. Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes & Erik M. Conway
Merchants of Doubt
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
This book examines some of the world’s foremost scientific debates on the environment, smoking, and nuclear weapons. The explainer will describe how a handful of highly vocal scientists have heavily misrepresented these issues through the mainstream media, often to aid corporate and industry interests. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 13 minutes.
5. Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark
Life 3.0
- 13 min reading time
- audio version available
If you’re sensing a common theme among the books on this list, Musk is really into exploring the future of artificial intelligence. In this work, MIT professor Max Tegmark writes about keeping artificial intelligence beneficial for human life and ensuring technological progress remains aligned with humanity’s goals for the future. It’s one of the few books Musk recommends that deals with the possibility of AI being used as a force for good in the world rather than evil. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 13 minutes.
6. The Big Picture by Sean M. Carroll
The Big Picture
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
Musk is all about the future and origins of humanity and making life multi-planetary. The Big Picture is an ambitious look at the world as we know it and how we can use scientific thinking to make sense of most of it. An insightful examination of the origins of life, consciousness, and the universe itself, this book gives readers a deductive way of considering the most challenging questions that philosophy, physics, and biology have to offer. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 13 minutes.
7. Lying by Sam Harris
Lying
- 9 min reading time
- audio version available
Lying explains why the act of telling lies is so dangerous. And that means all lies, from the tiny lies that people tell on a daily basis to the massive lies sometimes told on the world stage. All in all, it’s always better to tell the truth. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 9 minutes.
8. Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom
Superintelligence
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
Musk has repeatedly warned against the dangers of unchecked artificial intelligence. “We need to be super careful with AI,” he tweeted in 2014, saying it’s “potentially more dangerous than nukes.” To find out why these risks are so scary, Musk says it’s worth reading Superintelligence. The book makes a daring inquiry into what would happen if computational intelligence surpassed human intelligence. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 15 minutes.
9. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
The Wealth of Nations
- 11 min reading time
- audio version available
The Wealth of Nations is a profoundly influential work in the study of economics and examines precisely how nations become wealthy. Adam Smith — who Musk is a fan of even tweeting “Adam Smith FTW” — advocates that by allowing individuals to freely pursue their self-interest in a free market, without government regulation, nations will prosper. Get the key ideas with Blinkist in just 9 minutes.
Blinkist is ten years old – and giving out gifts
The Blinkist knowledge app is celebrating its tenth birthday this year. To mark the occasion, there is a very special gift for all new and existing users to take advantage of. With the new Blinkist Connect function, anyone who owns the premium version of the app can give away a second premium access account with all the app benefits free of charge.
This way, users can make someone in their family or circle of friends happy and be inspired together – or even share the cost of the subscription. No special code needed – simply register, get Premium and invite the second person via the Blinkist Connect function.
Learn from the Best
Blinkist’s library of nonfiction titles has over 5,700 explainer packs spread across 27 categories of learning. Plus, with the addition of collections, you can see what the world’s top thinkers — not only Elon Musk — recommend. From Thrive Global Founder and CEO Arianna Huffington to podcast host and author Natalie Lue.
– anonymous 5-star review on the App Store
Listen and Learn
To allow you to learn on the go, every Blinkist explainer comes in audio format. These audio explainers give you the key ideas from a nonfiction title as read by a professional narrator. Plus, Blinkist’s most popular new feature, Shortcasts, gives users the key messages from popular experts in 15 minutes or less. It’s like a Blinkist explainer pack for a long podcast.
– Hitha Palepu, entrepreneur and author
Start learning from Elon Musk’s recommended books and take Blinkist for a test drive today.
