Top 100 Sam Altman Recommended Books¶
"Books are the best way to learn new things."
Sam Altman, the entrepreneur and investor, has shared his reading list over the years, highlighting books that influenced his thinking and success. Whether you're looking for insights on technology, philosophy, or self-improvement, these recommendations will provide valuable lessons.
Topics¶
Overview¶
- Title: "Top 100 Sam Altman Recommended Books"
- Subtitle: "Discover a diverse range of books shaping the mind of a visionary"
- Tagline: "Books are the gateway to knowledge and success."
- Description: "Sam Altman's list includes tech, business, history, and philosophy titles that provide unique insights."
- Keywords: Books, Sam Altman, Recommendations, Reading List, Top 100
Cheat¶
# Top 100 Sam Altman Recommended Books
- Explore a curated list of books across various genres
- "Books are the gateway to knowledge and success."
- Philosophy, technology, business, self-development, and more
- 5 Topics
## Topics
- Topic 1: Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Strategy, Finance
- Topic 2: Technology, AI, Innovation, Future, Coding
- Topic 3: Philosophy, Psychology, Ethics, Mindset, Self-improvement
- Topic 4: History, Politics, Society, Culture, Economics
- Topic 5: Science, Health, Nature, Environment, Curiosity
Topic 1: "Business & Entrepreneurship"¶
"Learn from the best minds in business and strategy."
Books focusing on leadership, entrepreneurship, and developing successful strategies for both life and business.
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries: Learn how to build a startup efficiently
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel: Peter Thiel's philosophy on building the future
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz: Navigating the toughest aspects of running a business
- High Output Management by Andy Grove: Lessons from a Silicon Valley legend
- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen: Why businesses fail and how to succeed
- Principles by Ray Dalio: Key principles for success in business and life
- Measure What Matters by John Doerr: Understanding the power of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
- The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman: Mastering business without formal education
- Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson: Radical new ways to run a business
- The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker: Managing for effective results
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: Essential interpersonal skills for business success
- Good to Great by Jim Collins: Why some companies make the leap, and others don't
- Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore: Navigating early market adoption
- The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki: A guide for startups in the modern world
- Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson: An insider's guide to venture capital
- The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank: Startup processes for new ventures
- Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull: Behind the scenes at Pixar and lessons in creativity
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber: Rethinking the entrepreneur myth
- The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco: Breaking the conventional path to wealth
- The Outsiders by William N. Thorndike: CEOs who excelled at capital allocation
Topic 2: "Technology & Innovation"¶
"Shaping the future through innovation."
Books related to technological advancement, AI, coding, and the future of technology.
- Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom: Risks and opportunities of AI
- The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil: The future of technology and AI
- The Second Machine Age by Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee: How digital technologies are transforming our lives
- Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark: AI and the future of humanity
- Hackers & Painters by Paul Graham: Reflections on coding, innovation, and startups
- The Code Book by Simon Singh: The history and future of cryptography
- The Innovators by Walter Isaacson: The people who revolutionized technology
- Deep Work by Cal Newport: Focusing in a distracted world
- Hooked by Nir Eyal: Building habit-forming products
- The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim: A novel about IT, DevOps, and helping your business win
- The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks: Essays on software engineering
- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans by Melanie Mitchell: AI explained
- The Shallows by Nicholas Carr: How the internet is affecting our brains
- The Four by Scott Galloway: Takedown of the tech giants (Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google)
- Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold: Understanding how computers work
- The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder: A story of innovation and determination in computer engineering
- In the Plex by Steven Levy: How Google thinks, works, and shapes our lives
- Masters of Doom by David Kushner: The story of the creators of the video game industry
- Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths: Applying computer science to everyday life
- Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann: The foundations of scalable systems
Topic 3: "Philosophy & Self-Improvement"¶
"Find wisdom and improve your mindset."
Books that dive into ethics, self-development, and improving one’s thought process and life.
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: Classic Stoic philosophy
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: Understanding the two systems that drive our thinking
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: How habits shape our lives
- Atomic Habits by James Clear: Tiny changes that lead to remarkable results
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari: A brief history of humankind
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* by Mark Manson: A counterintuitive approach to living a good life
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz: Simple principles for personal freedom
- Grit by Angela Duckworth: The power of passion and perseverance
- 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson: Guidance for order in a chaotic world
- The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday: Turning adversity into advantage
- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: Thriving in uncertainty
- How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan: The science of psychedelics and self-transformation
- Deep Work by Cal Newport: Mastering focus in a noisy world
- Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Achieving happiness through optimal experiences
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl: Reflections on the human capacity to endure
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey: Timeless principles of personal change
- Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins: How to take control of your life
- Principles by Ray Dalio: Life and work principles for personal and professional success
- Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday: Overcoming the ego that stands in our way
- Daring Greatly by Brené Brown: Courage and vulnerability in life and work
Topic 4: "History & Society"¶
"Learn from the past to understand the present."
Books providing insights on history, society, politics, and economics.
- The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant: A brief survey of the world’s history
- Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond: The fates of human societies
- The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan: A new history of the world
- Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson: The origins of power, prosperity, and poverty
- Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin: The political genius of Abraham Lincoln
- A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn: An alternative view of U.S. history
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty: Wealth and inequality in modern economics
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith: Foundational text on economics
- Freakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner: Hidden forces behind economics and society
- The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama: Reflections on the evolution of political systems
- The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker: A history of violence and its decline
- Sapiens
by Yuval Noah Harari: History of the human species 13. The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek: An influential work on free-market economics 14. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough: The story of aviation pioneers 15. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari: Reflections on the world we live in today 16. Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert: Global capitalism and the cotton industry 17. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer: A detailed history of Nazi Germany 18. The Origins of Political Order by Francis Fukuyama: From prehuman times to the French Revolution 19. The Civil War by Shelby Foote: A comprehensive history of the American Civil War 20. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber: Insights into the development of modern capitalism
Topic 5: "Science & Curiosity"¶
"Stay curious and explore the wonders of science."
Books exploring the fascinating world of science, nature, and health.
- A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking: Understanding the universe
- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins: Insights into evolutionary biology
- The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee: The history and future of genetic science
- Cosmos by Carl Sagan: A journey into space and time
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: The story of HeLa cells and modern science
- The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee: A biography of cancer
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker: The science of sleep and dreams
- The Body by Bill Bryson: A guide to the human body
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson: The dangers of chemical pesticides
- The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert: Humanity’s impact on Earth’s biodiversity
- Behave by Robert Sapolsky: The biology of humans at our best and worst
- What If? by Randall Munroe: Serious answers to absurd hypothetical questions
- Bad Blood by John Carreyrou: The rise and fall of Theranos
- The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene: String theory and the fabric of space and time
- Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter: Interconnecting patterns in art, music, and mathematics
- Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson: A quick guide to the universe
- The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel: A biography of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan
- The Vital Question by Nick Lane: Energy and evolution
- The Double Helix by James D. Watson: The discovery of DNA
- Chaos by James Gleick: A deep dive into the science of chaos theory
Top 100 List¶
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
- High Output Management by Andy Grove
- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
- Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant
- A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
- Principles by Ray Dalio
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
- The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
- The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil
- Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
- The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank
- Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
- Freakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
- Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson
- The Innovators by Walter Isaacson
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
- Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
- The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
- Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
- Cosmos by Carl Sagan
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
- Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter
- The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
- Masters of Doom by David Kushner
- Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert
- The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- The Code Book by Simon Singh
- Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Hooked by Nir Eyal
- Measure What Matters by John Doerr
- Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley
- The Second Machine Age by Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty
- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer
- The Vital Question by Nick Lane
- Chaos by James Gleick
- Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
- Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
- The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek
- The Four by Scott Galloway
- Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths
- The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim
- The Civil War by Shelby Foote
- The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber
- In the Plex by Steven Levy
- The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks
- Hackers & Painters by Paul Graham
- The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
- Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson
- What If? by Randall Munroe
- The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
- Behave by Robert Sapolsky
- The Double Helix by James D. Watson
- The Outsiders by William N. Thorndike
- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko
- Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
- How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
- The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber
- The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel
- The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Masters of Doom by David Kushner
- The Double Helix by James D. Watson
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
- Chaos by James Gleick
- Principles by Ray Dalio
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Top 100 List¶
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
- High Output Management by Andy Grove
- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
- Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant
- A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
- Principles by Ray Dalio
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
- The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
- The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil
- Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
- The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank
- Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
- Freakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
- Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson
- The Innovators by Walter Isaacson
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
- Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
- The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
- Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
- Cosmos by Carl Sagan
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
- The Code Book by Simon Singh
- Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter
- The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
- Masters of Doom by David Kushner
- Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert
- The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Hooked by Nir Eyal
- Measure What Matters by John Doerr
- Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty
- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer
- The Vital Question by Nick Lane
- Chaos by James Gleick
- Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
- Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
- The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek
- The Four by Scott Galloway
- Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths
- The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim
- The Civil War by Shelby Foote
- The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber
- In the Plex by Steven Levy
- The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks
- Hackers & Painters by Paul Graham
- The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
- Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson
- What If? by Randall Munroe
- The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
- Behave by Robert Sapolsky
- The Double Helix by James D. Watson
- The Outsiders by William N. Thorndike
- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
- Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
- How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
- The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber
- The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel
- The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Masters of Doom by David Kushner
- The Double Helix by James D. Watson
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
- Chaos by James Gleick
- Principles by Ray Dalio
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
- Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom
- The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
- Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Top 100 Table¶
| Rank | Name | Topic | Tagline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lean Startup | Business & Entrepreneurship | Learn how to build a startup efficiently |
| 2 | Zero to One | Business & Entrepreneurship | Peter Thiel's philosophy on building the future |
| 3 | The Hard Thing About Hard Things | Business & Entrepreneurship | Navigating the toughest aspects of running a business |
| 4 | High Output Management | Business & Entrepreneurship | Lessons from a Silicon Valley legend |
| 5 | The Innovator's Dilemma | Business & Entrepreneurship | Why businesses fail and how to succeed |
| 6 | Superintelligence | Technology & Innovation | Risks and opportunities of AI |
| 7 | Meditations | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Classic Stoic philosophy |
| 8 | The Lessons of History | History & Society | A brief survey of the world’s history |
| 9 | A Brief History of Time | Science & Curiosity | Understanding the universe |
| 10 | Principles | Business & Entrepreneurship | Key principles for success in business and life |
| 11 | Sapiens | History & Society | A brief history of humankind |
| 12 | Guns, Germs, and Steel | History & Society | The fates of human societies |
| 13 | The Power of Habit | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | How habits shape our lives |
| 14 | Creativity, Inc. | Business & Entrepreneurship | Behind the scenes at Pixar |
| 15 | Deep Work | Technology & Innovation | Focusing in a distracted world |
| 16 | Thinking, Fast and Slow | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Understanding the two systems that drive our thinking |
| 17 | The Silk Roads | History & Society | A new history of the world |
| 18 | How to Win Friends and Influence People | Business & Entrepreneurship | Essential interpersonal skills |
| 19 | Good to Great | Business & Entrepreneurship | Why some companies make the leap, and others don't |
| 20 | Life 3.0 | Technology & Innovation | AI and the future of humanity |
| 21 | Man's Search for Meaning | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Enduring life's toughest challenges |
| 22 | The Personal MBA | Business & Entrepreneurship | Master business without an MBA |
| 23 | The Gene | Science & Curiosity | The history and future of genetics |
| 24 | The Singularity Is Near | Technology & Innovation | The future of AI and humanity |
| 25 | Rework | Business & Entrepreneurship | New ways to run a business |
| 26 | The Four Steps to the Epiphany | Business & Entrepreneurship | Startup processes for new ventures |
| 27 | Awaken the Giant Within | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | How to take control of your life |
| 28 | Freakonomics | History & Society | The hidden side of everything |
| 29 | Why Nations Fail | History & Society | The origins of power and prosperity |
| 30 | The Innovators | Technology & Innovation | The people who revolutionized technology |
| 31 | Atomic Habits | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Tiny changes that lead to remarkable results |
| 32 | The Art of the Start | Business & Entrepreneurship | A guide for startups |
| 33 | Bad Blood | Business & Entrepreneurship | The rise and fall of Theranos |
| 34 | The Millionaire Fastlane | Business & Entrepreneurship | Breaking the conventional path to wealth |
| 35 | Team of Rivals | History & Society | The political genius of Abraham Lincoln |
| 36 | The Better Angels of Our Nature | History & Society | A history of violence and its decline |
| 37 | Cosmos | Science & Curiosity | A journey into space and time |
| 38 | Grit | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | The power of passion and perseverance |
| 39 | The Obstacle Is the Way | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Turning adversity into advantage |
| 40 | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Science & Curiosity | The story of HeLa cells |
| 41 | The Code Book | Technology & Innovation | The history and future of cryptography |
| 42 | Godel, Escher, Bach | Science & Curiosity | Interconnecting patterns in art and science |
| 43 | The End of History and the Last Man | History & Society | Political evolution |
| 44 | 21 Lessons for the 21st Century | History & Society | Reflections on the present world |
| 45 | Masters of Doom | Technology & Innovation | The creators of the video game industry |
| 46 | Empire of Cotton | History & Society | Global capitalism and the cotton industry |
| 47 | The Wright Brothers | History & Society | Aviation pioneers |
| 48 | Antifragile | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Thriving in uncertainty |
| 49 | Designing Data-Intensive Applications | Technology & Innovation | The foundations of scalable systems |
| 50 | The Body | Science & Curiosity | A guide to the human body |
| 51 | The Shallows | Technology & Innovation | How the internet is affecting our brains |
| 52 | The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Timeless principles of personal change |
| 53 | Hooked | Technology & Innovation | Building habit-forming products |
| 54 | Measure What Matters | Business & Entrepreneurship | The power of OKRs |
| 55 | Crossing the Chasm | Business & Entrepreneurship | Navigating early market adoption |
| 56 | The Four Agreements | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Simple principles for personal freedom |
| 57 | The Millionaire Next Door | Business & Entrepreneurship | The surprising secrets of America's wealthy |
| 58 | Why We Sleep | Science & Curiosity | The science of sleep and dreams |
| 59 | The E-Myth Revisited | Business & Entrepreneurship | Rethinking the entrepreneur myth |
| 60 | Capital in the Twenty-First Century | History & Society | Wealth and inequality in modern economics |
| 61 | The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich | History & Society | History of Nazi Germany |
| 62 | The Vital Question | Science & Curiosity | Energy and evolution |
| 63 | Chaos | Science & Curiosity | The science of chaos theory |
| 64 | Creativity, Inc. | Business & Entrepreneurship | Lessons in creativity from Pixar |
| 65 | Ego Is the Enemy | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Overcoming the ego that stands in your way |
| 66 | The Wealth of Nations | History & Society | Foundational text on economics |
| 67 | The Road to Serfdom | History & Society | An influential work on free-market economics |
| 68 | The Four | Technology & Innovation | Takedown of the tech giants |
| 69 | Algorithms to Live By | Technology & Innovation | Applying computer science to everyday life |
| 70 | The Phoenix Project | Technology & Innovation | A novel about IT, DevOps, and business |
| 71 | The Civil War | History & Society | A comprehensive history of the American Civil War |
| 72 | The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism | History & Society | Insights into the development of modern capitalism |
| 73 | In the Plex | Technology & Innovation | How Google thinks, works, and shapes our lives |
| 74 | The Mythical Man-Month | Technology & Innovation | Essays on software engineering |
| 75 | Hackers & Painters | Technology & Innovation | Reflections on coding and startups |
| 76 | The Soul of a New Machine | Technology & Innovation | Innovation in computer engineering |
| 77 | Silent Spring | Science & Curiosity | The dangers of chemical pesticides |
| 78 | Venture Deals | Business & Entrepreneurship | An insider's guide to venture capital |
| 79 | What If? | Science & Curiosity | Serious answers to absurd questions |
| 80 | The Elegant Universe | Science & Curiosity | String theory and the fabric of space and time |
| 81 | Behave | Science & Curiosity | The biology of humans |
| 82 | The Double Helix | Science & Curiosity | The discovery of DNA |
| 83 | The Outsiders | Business & Entrepreneurship | CEOs excelling at capital allocation |
| 84 | The Selfish Gene | Science & Curiosity | Insights into evolutionary biology |
| 85 | Awaken the Giant Within | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Take control of your life |
| 86 | How to Change Your Mind | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | The science of psychedelics and transformation |
| 87 | The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism | History & Society | Insights into modern capitalism |
| 88 | The Man Who Knew Infinity | Science & Curiosity | Biography of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan |
| 89 | The Gene | Science & Curiosity | The future of genetics |
| 90 | Grit | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Passion and perseverance |
| 91 | Masters of Doom | Technology & Innovation | Story of the video game industry |
| 92 | The Double Helix | Science & Curiosity | The discovery of DNA |
| 93 | The Wealth of Nations | History & Society | Foundational text on economics |
| 94 | Chaos | Science & Curiosity | The science of chaos theory |
| 95 | Principles | Business & Entrepreneurship | Life and work principles |
| 96 | Man's Search for Meaning | Philosophy & Self-Improvement | Finding meaning in the hardest of circumstances |
| 97 | Superintelligence | Technology & Innovation | Risks and opportunities of AI |
| 98 | The Silk Roads | History & Society | A new history of the world |
| 99 | Life 3.0 | Technology & Innovation | AI and the future of humanity |
| 100 | Sapiens | History & Society | A brief history of humankind |
Conclusion¶
These top 100 books span across business, technology, philosophy, science, and history, embodying the lessons that have influenced Sam Altman's thinking. Whether you're an entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, or curious learner, there's wisdom to gain from every title on this list. Happy reading!