The eight books
1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
At 14, in what he calls an existential crisis, Musk read Nietzsche and Schopenhauer and found them bleak. Adams helped instead: the book "highlighted an important point, which is that a lot of times the question is harder than the answer." He has since called Adams his favorite philosopher.
2. The Foundation series, Isaac Asimov
A galactic empire falls and a small group works to shorten the dark age that follows. Musk calls it "a futuristic version of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," and has posted that the series is fundamental to the creation of SpaceX.
3. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein
A lunar penal colony, run by a supercomputer, rises against Earth. Walter Isaacson's biography names it as a Musk favorite.
4. Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down, J.E. Gordon
Why bridges, aircraft and bones hold up, written for readers with no engineering. "It is really, really good if you want a primer on structural design," Musk told KCRW.
5. Superintelligence, Nick Bostrom
What happens when machines become smarter than the people who build them, and how that could be controlled. In 2014 Musk posted: "Worth reading Superintelligence by Bostrom. We need to be super careful with A.I. Potentially more dangerous than nukes."
6. Zero to One, Peter Thiel
His PayPal co-founder's case that the companies worth building make something new rather than copying what works. Musk's line on the cover: "Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how." Zero to One summary
7. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, Walter Isaacson
Franklin as printer, inventor and statesman. "You can see how he was an entrepreneur," Musk said of the book in an interview with Kevin Rose.
8. Einstein: His Life and Universe, Walter Isaacson
Musk named it in the same interview as a biography that influenced him.
Common questions
What is Elon Musk's favorite book?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He read it as a teenager, and he has said his "philosophical foundation is in line with Douglas Adams."
Which book should I start with?
For how Musk thinks about the future, The Hitchhiker's Guide and Foundation. For how he builds, Structures and Zero to One.
Can I listen to these books?
Ask the composer above for a 15-minute episode on any one of them, or for the whole list as a course. SUN also has a summary of Zero to One.
More reading lists: Bill Gates' reading list, Steve Jobs' favorite books, Andrew Huberman's book recommendations, Joe Rogan's book recommendations, Jordan Peterson's reading list, Charlie Kirk's book recommendations.