What are Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books? How have books helped him become the successful billionaire he is now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whenever someone asks the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX how he learned to build rockets, Musk simply says, \u201cI read books.\u201d Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books range from sci-fi and fantasy novels to deep-dives into artificial intelligence, so he has quite the library to refer back to when building rockets or designing sustainable cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep reading for a list of Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books, most of which he\u2019s recommended on his Twitter account or in interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Elon Musk has often used Twitter to share his favorite books. Now that Musk has bought Twitter for a whopping $44 billion<\/a>, he more than likely will be using Twitter as his own personal book club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books that he\u2019s recommended on the social media platform<\/a>, divided into three genres: science and technology, business and biographies, and sci-fi\/fantasy novels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a profile by The New Yorker<\/em><\/a>, Musk claimed that he was so picked on as a kid in South Africa that his only escape was the fictitious worlds of science-fiction and fantasy novels. Musk\u2019s love of fiction books is so strong that he named some of his Tesla and SpaceX products after names coined in sci-fi novels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books that inspired him to ambitiously turn science fiction into reality<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord of the Rings <\/em>is cited as one of Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books because of J. R. R. Tolkien\u2019s attention to detail<\/a> when it comes to world-building and incorporating philosophical ideas about the human condition into his fantasy novel. Set in the fictional Middle-earth (which is described as sometime in the distant past), The Lord of the Rings<\/em> is a classic hero\u2019s journey<\/a> story with hobbit Frodo Baggins vowing to destroy the One Ring that has unstoppable power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk often expresses his love for The Lord of the Rings<\/em> on Twitter, claiming it was his go-to book when he wanted to escape the bullying he faced. He once tweeted<\/a>, \u201cI know it’s cliche, but LotR is my favorite book ever \ud83d\ude42 Want to see the set and take my kids on tour of greater [New Zealand].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dune<\/em> is set in a near-future where noble houses control their own planets. While quite a hefty read of complex and difficult world-building, Dune<\/em> explores the central ideas of politics, technology, and environmentalism\u2014all of which Musk has a profound interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though Dune<\/em> is a sci-fi novel set in the future, you won\u2019t find any supercomputers or artificial intelligence in its world. The story explains that there was once an ideological war on artificial intelligence\u2014one side of the humans believed it was harmless to rely on superintelligence for natural aspects of life, while the other side believed superintelligence would destroy humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Living up to his reputation of being a hard advocate against artificial intelligence, Musk praised the Dune<\/em> series for touching on the subject. He tweeted<\/a>, \u201cDune<\/em> series by Herbert [is] also brilliant. He advocates placing limits on machine intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elon Musk warns against creating artificial intelligence, citing technological advancement<\/a> as a step towards disempowering humanity. Throughout his career, he\u2019s recommended many books that will educate you on the harm of artificial intelligence. In addition, he offers other books on controversial subjects, such as humanity\u2019s impact on global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are three of Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books on technology and science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, <\/em>cosmologist Max Tegmark argues that artificial intelligence (AI) doesn\u2019t exactly mean the downfall of humans. While emphasizing that it\u2019s definitely possible, there are safe ways to ensure that humans and advanced technology<\/a> can have a future together. \u201cLife 3.0\u201d refers to the third phase of human development\u2014Life 1.0 refers to the initial biological origins, Life 2.0 refers to the cultural and adaptive development of humans, and Life 3.0 is the hypothetical development of technological intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Life 3.0<\/em> explores how the different possible futures if AI becomes advanced enough to match with humans. In addition, you\u2019ll learn about the change in societal structures to accommodate machine intelligence and what humans need to do to ensure their survival against the rise of these machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk recommended Life 3.0<\/em> on Twitter<\/a>: \u201cWorth reading Life 3.0<\/em> by [Max Tegmark]. A.I. will be the best or worst thing ever for humanity, so let\u2019s get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Superintelligence<\/em>, Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom says that the hypothetical \u201csuperintelligence\u201d (human-level artificial intelligence<\/a>) will eventually surpass humans as the primary lifeform on Earth by 2105. Superintelligence<\/em> explains the journey of creating artificial intelligence, where we are right now in developing it, and the moral issues that arise from these developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of Superintelligence<\/em>, Musk said<\/a>, <\/em>\u201cWorth reading Superintelligence<\/em> by Bostrom. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Artificial intelligence is a concept that many people have questions about, but the answers are still widely debated. One of these questions is, \u201cHow ethical is artificial intelligence, and are we in danger of it?\u201d In Our Final Invention<\/em>, James Barrat sets out to answer this question. Barrat includes both the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence<\/a> that matches or exceeds human intelligence, but remains a cautious tone about the technology throughout the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk spoke on Twitter about his distaste for artificial intelligence and recommended Our Final Invention<\/em> saying<\/a>, \u201cWhile on the subject of AI risk, Our Final Invention<\/em> by [James Barrat] is also worth reading.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nTITLE: Merchants of Doubt Merchants of doubt are people or organizations<\/a> who discredit science that threatens their agenda or ideology. The first merchants of doubt were members of the tobacco industry\u2014when scientists discovered that smoking caused cancer, which was bad for businesses. It was also bad for capitalism<\/a> in general because it suggested that the market wasn\u2019t self-regulating, and the lack of regulation was killing people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Merchants of Doubt<\/em>, science historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway study the doubt-mongering techniques used in several other important \u201cdebates\u201d\u2014nuclear disarmament, acid rain, the ozone layer, climate change, and the pesticide DDT<\/a>. These techniques are still in use today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk agrees<\/a> with Conway and Oreskes\u2019s take on the global warming controversy being similar to earlier controversies about tobacco smoking: \u201cWorth reading Merchants of Doubt<\/em>. Same who tried to deny smoking deaths [are] denying climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given that he prefers science (both real and imagined), it\u2019s not surprising that those are the popular genres among Elon Musk\u2019s favorite book recommendations. However, he does occasionally tweet about other books that inspired him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Billionaire and entrepreneur Richard Branson has one goal he wants to achieve: flip capitalism upside down by focusing more on caring for people and the planet rather than profit. In his book Screw Business as Usual<\/em>, Branson writes how he\u2019s working to deconstruct capitalism and why you should change your perspective<\/a> on our capitalistic society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some readers might think it\u2019s a bit hypocritical for a billionaire such as Musk to recommend a book written by a billionaire who achieved his fortune through the same capitalistic society he opposes. However, Branson\u2019s guide to an eco-friendly way of doing business aligns with Musk\u2019s attempts at making SpaceX and Tesla<\/a> sustainable ventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many of his other book reviews, Musk took to Twitter<\/a> to give his take on Screw Business as Usual<\/em>: \u201cLiked “Screw Business as Usual” a lot. This approach should be taken to heart by all, as it really is the smart move.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this intimate biography, Walter Isaacson (the best-selling author of many other biographies about prominent figures) gives the full scope of Benjamin Franklin\u2019s life from his time as a runaway apprentice to becoming one of the most influential political leaders in America. The witty, in-depth look into Franklin\u2019s life and work shows how he helped create America\u2019s identity and values, which still resonate today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk kept his Twitter followers updated during his journey of reading Benjamin Franklin: An American Life<\/em>. He first tweeted<\/a>, \u201cAm reading a great biography of Ben Franklin by Isaacson. Highly recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he\u2019s not tweeting about his favorite books, Musk still manages to talk about books during interviews or editorial reviews. Below you\u2019ll find more of Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books, ranging from a science-fiction alien adventure to captivating biographies and business books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an ambitious boy growing up in South Africa, it\u2019s understandable why Musk looked to Douglas Adams\u2019s book The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy<\/em> for answers to his big questions. The story follows Arthur Dent, the last surviving man of Earth, who hitchhikes around outer space to discover the truth about Earth\u2019s existence. While it sounds like a funny space adventure on the surface, The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy<\/em> actually provides satirical insight into philosophy and religion, and reflects on what it truly means to be human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy<\/em> is often regarded as one of Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books. In an interview with Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues, Musk said<\/a>, \u201cI read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy<\/em> which is quite positive, I think, and it highlighted an important point which is that a lot of times the question is harder than the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also authored by Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe<\/em> details the rise of Albert Einstein as he uses his imagination to become one of the most important figures in the field of science. It\u2019s no wonder Musk looks to Einstein as an inspiration. His biography shows that while he was often laughed at for questioning conventional wisdom, he eventually proved them wrong by combining creativity and intelligence to answer the world\u2019s biggest questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When speaking about the influential books he read to build his career, Musk recommended Einstein: His Life and Universe<\/em>, saying<\/a>, \u201cI didn’t read, actually, very many general business books, but I like biographies and autobiographies, I think those are pretty helpful. Actually, a lot of them aren’t really business. […] I also feel it\u2019s worth reading books on scientists and engineers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Authored by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness<\/em> dives deep into the mind of the business magnate and filmmaker that infamously became known for his reclusiveness and eccentric behavior later in life. In addition to his work as a film producer and businessman, he became one of the most important figures in aviation<\/a> history by breaking many world records, one of which includes flying around the world in 91 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an interview with CNN<\/a>, Musk said that he read Howard Hughes\u2019s biography and made a snide remark about the pilot and business magnate\u2019s behavior in his later years: “Definitely want to make sure I don’t grow my fingernails too long and start peeing in jars.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nTITLE: Zero to One<\/a> Zero to One<\/em><\/a> is entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel\u2019s unconventional advice for technology startups<\/a>. Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal and the first outside investor in Facebook, argues that technology has stagnated. Most new companies improve incrementally on existing products, but Thiel argues that the most valuable and game-changing startups create something new. In other words, they move the world from zero to one<\/a>. Creating new things is not only the best path to profit\u2014it\u2019s also the path to human progress<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite Musk and Thiel being competitors (Thiel replaced Musk as CEO of PayPal while Musk was on vacation<\/a>), Zero to One<\/em> was praised as one of Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books in an editorial review<\/a>: \u201cPeter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are some obvious themes among Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books. Artificial intelligence and fantastical ideas are at the core of these books because they represent what Musk is trying to achieve with his big ideas. He may be a person who always finds himself in controversy, but there\u2019s no denying his reading habits have gotten him far in life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What are Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books? How have books helped him become the successful billionaire he is now? Whenever someone asks the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX how he learned to build rockets, Musk simply says, \u201cI read books.\u201d Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books range from sci-fi and fantasy novels to deep-dives into artificial intelligence, so he has quite the library to refer back to when building rockets or designing sustainable cars. Keep reading for a list of Elon Musk\u2019s favorite books, most of which he\u2019s recommended on his Twitter account or in interviews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":65544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,33],"tags":[71],"class_list":["post-65972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-people","tag-book-list","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nSci-Fi\/Fantasy Novels<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Lord of the Rings<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Dune<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Science and Technology Books<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Life 3.0<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Our Final Invention<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Merchants of Doubt<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\nAUTHOR: Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway
\nTIME: 63
\nREADS: 48.7
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/merchants-of-doubt-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: merchants-of-doubt-summary-naomi-oreskes-and-erik-m-conway
\nAMZN_ID: XYZ
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nMusk\u2019s Other Recommendations on Twitter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Screw Business as Usual<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Elon Musk Book Recommendations Outside of Twitter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Einstein: His Life and Universe<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Zero to One<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\nAUTHOR: Peter Thiel
\nTIME: 42
\nREADS: 229.7
\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/zero-to-one-cover.png
\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: zero-to-one-summary-peter-thiel
\nAMZN_ID: XYZ
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nTakeaways<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n