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Dominic Barton's Top Book Recommendations

CEO/McKinsey

Want to know what books Dominic Barton recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Dominic Barton's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1
Explore the world-changing digital transformation in China China's Mobile Economy: Opportunities in the Largest and Fastest Information Consumption Boom is a cutting-edge text that spotlights the digital transformation in China. Organised into three major areas of the digital economy within China, this ground-breaking book explores the surge in e-commerce of consumer goods, the way in which multi-screen and mobile Internet use has increased in popularity, and the cultural emphasis on the mobile Internet as a source of lifestyle- and entertainment-based content. Targeted at the... more

Dominic BartonEvery company – and every country – must succeed at digitalization to compete successfully in the 21st century. Winston Ma delivers a rare book that is both an outstanding survey of a fast-changing and vitally important economic landscape and a delightful ‘field guide’ that will enrich your understanding of what’s really happening on the ground. (Source)

Reuben Jeffery IIIWinston has written a first of its kind – a timely, insightful and eminently readable analyses of the world’s fastest growing mobile economy. A must-read for anyone interested in China, the mobile economy, or technology, more broadly. Eye-opening and thoroughly enjoyable. (Source)

John L. ThorntonChina is determined to make innovation an engine for the next stage of the country’s development, and no sector has been more creative or dynamic than the mobile economy, which in some areas has surpassed even the United States. Winston Ma’s deep dive into this fiercely competitive, constantly evolving industry dissects the companies, personalities and forces that are transforming China and that... (Source)

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2

European Identity

Recommended by Dominic Barton, and 1 others.

Dominic BartonBarton's interest in this book is clear, given the recent political turmoil in the European Union (EU), which threatens trade and global integration. Identifying the commonalities in culture and heritage among Europeans, Green argues that Europe's peoples should see each other as countrymen rather than rivals; yet citizens of the different countries still cling to their national identities, and... (Source)

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3
Ruler of Florence for seven bloody years, 1531 to 1537, Alessandro de' Medici was arguably the first person of color to serve as a head of state in the Western world. Born out of wedlock to a dark-skinned maid and Lorenzo de' Medici, he was the last legitimate heir to the line of Lorenzo the Magnificent. When Alessandro's noble father died of syphilis, the family looked to him. Groomed for power, he carved a path through the backstabbing world of Italian politics in a time when cardinals, popes, and princes vied for wealth and advantage. By the age of nineteen, he was prince of Florence,... more
Recommended by Dominic Barton, and 1 others.

Dominic BartonBarton's reading list reflects his unique upbringing and background: He was born in Africa, studied in North America, worked in Asia and then moved to London to take on the role of CEO. (Source)

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4
From the winner of the 2016 Orwell Prize and the European Press Prize for Commentator of the Year, a provocative analysis of how a new era of global instability has begun, as the flow of wealth and power turns from West to East.

Easternization is the defining trend of our age the growing wealth of Asian nations is transforming the international balance of power. This shift to the East is shaping the lives of people all over the world, the fate of nations, and the great questions of war and peace.
A troubled but rising China is now challenging America s...
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Recommended by Dominic Barton, and 1 others.

Dominic BartonEver the forward thinker, this summer he is focusing on some of the big developments on humanity's horizon, including the ways in which technology will inform the trajectory of markets and human society more broadly, and major changes foreseen in the global economy. (Source)

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5

Prediction Machines

The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence

"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 facing the sea change that AI will bring can be paralyzing. How should companies set strategies, governments design policies, and people plan their lives for a world so different from what we know? In the face of such uncertainty, many analysts either cower in fear or predict an impossibly sunny future.

But in...
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Lawrence SummersAI may transform your life. And Prediction Machines will transform your understanding of AI. This is the best book yet on what may be the best technology that has come along. (Source)

Dominic BartonPrediction Machines achieves a feat as welcome as it is unique: a crisp, readable survey of where artificial intelligence is taking us separates hype from reality, while delivering a steady stream of fresh insights. It speaks in a language that top executives and policy makers will understand. Every leader needs to read this book. (Source)

Kevin KellyThis book makes artificial intelligence easier to understand by recasting it as a new, cheap commodity--predictions. It's a brilliant move. I found the book incredibly useful. (Source)

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6

Homo Deus

A Brief History of Tomorrow

Yuval Noah Harari, author of the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestseller and international phenomenon Sapiens, returns with an equally original, compelling, and provocative book, turning his focus toward humanity’s future, and our quest to upgrade humans into gods.

Over the past century humankind has managed to do the impossible and rein in famine, plague, and war. This may seem hard to accept, but, as Harari explains in his trademark style—thorough, yet riveting—famine, plague and war have been transformed from incomprehensible and...
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Richard BransonI certainly wouldn’t consider myself a big reader of paleontology or anthropology – not good words for us dyslexics! – but I enjoy learning about how society has unfolded and history has developed in an exciting, easy to read way. The sequel, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, is a fascinating look into the future too. While these aren’t traditional business or leadership books, they are all... (Source)

Bill GatesHarari’s new book is as challenging and readable as Sapiens. Rather than looking back, as Sapiens does, it looks to the future. I don’t agree with everything the author has to say, but he has written a thoughtful look at what may be in store for humanity. (Source)

Vinod KhoslaNot that I agree with all of it, but it is still mind-bending speculation about our future as a follow-up to a previous favorite, Sapiens. It’s directionally right. (Source)

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