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This book has 17 recommendations

Ryan Holiday (Founder/Brass Check)

It’s unusual for modern biographies to be this good. It’s especially unusually for the subject of the biography to approach the biographer in the way that Steve Jobs did (thinking that he was the intellectual heir of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein). But despite those two things, this bio is and will likely forever be a classic. It shows Jobs at his best–determined, creative, prophetic–and at his worst–petty, selfish, tyrannical and vicious. You can learn just as much about what kind of leader you probably don’t want to be from this book as you can from anything else. That’s what is so strange about Jobs and this biography. You read it and you’re blown away and impressed but I think very few of us think: yeah, I want to be that guy. I want to treat my kids that way, I want to be obsessed with trivial design things that way, I want to hate that way, and so on. You admire him but you also see him as a tragic figure. That’s how you know that Isaacson did an amazing job with this book. TC mark

Bogdan Iordache (Co-Founder/How to Web)

There are quite a few good business books on technology, and I'll list below some I find to be a good starting point. Personally, I like biographies a lot and I mostly read biographies of dead people, because those are the most honest ones. So because the computer age is still very young, there won't be a lot of biographies in my list.

Robert Hajnal (Founder/Trail Running Academy)

[Books I recommend] For growing a business:

  • Steve Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson;
  • Call to action – Bryan Eisenberg, Jeffrey Eisenberg & Lisa T. Davis;
  • Get to the top on Google – David Viney;
  • Losing my Virginity – Richard Branson;
  • The Snowball – Alice Schroeder.

Ovidiu Drugan (Owner/Set Sail Nautic School)

For business best practice.

Michael Hebenstreit (Founder/MH Themes)

If you want to become an entrepreneur and succeed in a competitive environment, then there are some evergreen books as well, for example: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

Brian Chesky (Co-Founder/AirBnB)

For Chesky, a source may come in the form of a biography of a business hero such as Steve Jobs or Walt Disney. His primary book source on management technique is Andy Grove’s High Output Management.

Burly Vinson (Founder/Snappies)

Not sure if this counts as a business book, but Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson is a great book. It really lets you get a glimpse into the mind of one of the most successful creators/entrepreneurs in recent history.

Ed Vinicombe (Co-Founder/UXclub)

Instead of the mundane "Marketing Tricks and Tips" kind of books, I enjoy personal stories of entrepreneurs and learning about their approach to life and business. One in particular that stands out (rather predictably) is the story of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. Their autobiographies are fantastic reads and if you haven't read them - go and do it now! I love learning about their personalities and attitude to life - that is massively motivating for me in business.

Fabrice Grinda (Serial Entrepreneur, Investor)

I have lots of books to recommend, but they are not related to my career path. The only one that is remotely related is Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. That said here are books I would recommend.

Seth Louey (Co-Founder & CEO/BotList)

I believe that younger generations should focus on what they are passionate about. We are seeing a trend in tech where working remote, using your personal brand to grow your products, and funding through blockchain technology is the new way of creating startups. So I would read up on The Lean Startup, anything by Gary Vee, Artificial Intelligence, and biography/philosophy of Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, and Steve Jobs.

Lewis Smith (Entrepreneur & Developer/BodyTracker)

Also not a programming book, but inspiring if you are starting your own thing.

Pat Walls (Founder/StarterStory)

Favorite non-business book: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson - if that counts as non-business.

Chelsea Frank (Founder/Life and Limb Gel)

Many books on the most successful people in business are very compelling. I recently read “Steve Jobs: An Autobiography” by Walter Isaacson followed by “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future” By Ashlee Vance. The parallels of the success of the unique individuals as well as their personalities was very interesting. I am quite sure, however, that their definition of “success” resembled something I would not wish to hold. I was also very sure that while they may both be considered some of the greatest minds in our history, they both struggled deeply with inner happiness and contentment.

Florian Hubner (CEO/Decondia, Startup Creator)

Probably all these autobiographies about great entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. They showed me the possibilities of entrepreneurship if you just have patience and ambition. And still right now…these books produce so many feelings of euphoria so that I just can't stop creating new stuff.

Yaro Starak (Founder/Entrepreneurs-Journey.com)

I love really detailed biographies, the thick ones, like the Arnold Schwarzenegger one and also Steve Jobs, the one done a few years ago was nice and solid really goes into the details, I love those. They’ve always been really impactful, whether it’s an entrepreneur or an athlete or a well-known celebrity or expert or historical figure, those biographies have had a big impact on me as well and just enjoyable to listen to.

Santiago Basulto (Co-Founder/rmotr.com)

I love to read biographies and stories of companies. Hatching Twitter is a really good book, and if you’re into that sort of books, bios of Steve Jobs (by Isaacson) or Jeff Bezos are great too.

Dan Lok (Serial Entrepreneur)

One of the must read books.

Amazon description

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.  

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

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Ryan Holiday, Bogdan Iordache, Robert Hajnal, Ovidiu Drugan, Michael Hebenstreit, Brian Chesky, Burly Vinson, Ed Vinicombe, Fabrice Grinda, Seth Louey, Lewis Smith, Pat Walls, Chelsea Frank, Florian Hubner, Yaro Starak, Santiago Basulto, Dan Lok

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Walter Isaacson

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