Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos Book Recommendations (31 Books)

Jeff Bezos is the founder, chief executive officer, and president of Amazon. Wikipedia

Books Recommended by Jeff Bezos

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  • Jeff Bezos Recommended Books

Sam Walton

Made In America

Source : "I have read [this book]. I have thought a lot about him. There was a lot to admire in the way that he started Walmart." - Jeff Bezos

Rework

David “DHH” Heinemeier Hansson

Source : "Unperturbed by conventional wisdom, [the authors] start fresh and rewrite the rules of business." - Jeff Bezos

The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day

Kazuo ishiguro.

Source : "My favorite novel. Teaches pain of regret so well you will think you lived it." - Jeff Bezos

Dune book cover 0

Dune ( 6 books)

Frank herbert.

Source : "I’m a big science-fiction fan. I love [this series]." - Jeff Bezos

Lights Out

Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric

Thomas gryta.

Source : "If you’re looking for some scary bedtime reading…" - Jeff Bezos

Creation

Life and How to Make It

Steve grand.

Source : "Bezos became enamored with [this book]." - Brad Stone

Built to Last

Built to Last

Successful habits of visionary companies, jim collins.

Source : "My favorite business book." - Jeff Bezos

Culture book cover 0

Culture ( 10 books)

Iain m. banks.

Source : "[This series is] a huge personal favorite." - Jeff Bezos

The Blind Watchmaker

The Blind Watchmaker

Why the evidence of evolution reveals a universe without design, richard dawkins.

Source : "Extraordinary." - Jeff Bezos

Data-Driven Marketing

Data-Driven Marketing

The 15 metrics everyone in marketing should know, mark jeffery.

Source : Part of "Jeff's Reading List."

The Black Swan

The Black Swan

Incerto, book 2, nassim taleb.

The Innovator's Dilemma

The Innovator's Dilemma

When new technologies cause great firms to fail, clayton m. christensen.

The Mythical Man-Month

The Mythical Man-Month

Essays on software engineering, frederick p. brooks jr..

Lean Thinking

Lean Thinking

Banish waste and create wealth in your corporation, james p. womack.

Good to Great

Good to Great

Why some companies make the leap...and others don't.

Memos from the Chairman

Memos from the Chairman

Alan c. greenberg.

The Goal

A Process of Ongoing Improvement

Eliyahu m. goldratt, did jeff bezos recommend all these books.

While this list primarily comprises books enthusiastically recommended by Jeff Bezos, it also includes a variety of titles that Jeff Bezos has mentioned or suggested in various contexts. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive reading list that reflects Jeff Bezos's literary influences, interests, and recommendations, though not every book on the list may be an explicit endorsement.

How do you know Jeff Bezos mentioned these books?

Our team meticulously verifies each book mention attributed to Jeff Bezos. This involves extensive research, including reviewing interviews, articles, podcasts, social media posts, and other public statements where Jeff Bezos has discussed their reading preferences. The sources validating these mentions are linked next to each book for transparency and to provide our users with the context in which Jeff Bezos referred to the book.

Did Jeff Bezos actually create this list?

No, Jeff Bezos did not personally compile this list. Our editorial team curates these reading lists by consolidating all verified mentions and recommendations from Jeff Bezos. We ensure the authenticity of the list by providing sources for each recommendation. These lists are intended to reflect Jeff Bezos's reading tastes and influences as accurately as possible.

Are these books endorsed or sponsored by Jeff Bezos?

The books listed are not part of any endorsement or sponsorship agreement with Jeff Bezos. They are selected based on genuine mentions and recommendations made by Jeff Bezos in various public platforms. Our goal is to provide readers with an authentic insight into the reading preferences of influential individuals.

How often is the list updated?

We update these lists regularly to include new recommendations or mentions by Jeff Bezos. Our team keeps a close eye on Jeff Bezos's latest interviews, writings, and public statements to ensure the list remains current and comprehensive.

Can I suggest a book to add to the list?

While we primarily focus on books directly mentioned by Jeff Bezos, we welcome suggestions from our readers. If you know of a book that Jeff Bezos has talked about but is not featured on our list, feel free to contact us with the source of the mention, and our editorial team will review it for potential inclusion.

How can I find books recommended by other individuals?

Our website features a wide range of reading lists curated based on the recommendations of various successful individuals. You can easily browse these lists through our navigation menu or use our search feature to find lists associated with specific individuals.

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Jeff Bezos

Books Recommended By

Jeff Bezos

The Innovators Dilemma

Clayton christensen, recommended by.

Mark Cuban: "This helped me make sense of why things worked and didn't work in the technology industry."

Jeff Bezos: "An enormously influential business book whose principles Amazon acted on and that facilitated the creation of the Kindle and AWS."

Bill Gurley: "A book that all entrepreneurs should read"

Ben Horowitz: "A great book on strategy"

Steve Jobs: "It’s imporant that we make this transformation, because of what Clayton Christensen calls “the innovator’s dilemma,” where people who invent something are usually the last ones to see past it, and we certainly don’t want to be left behind."

Blake Scholl: "Everyone talks about it, I wonder how many people actually read it. You should actually read it.

You should know what disruptive innovation actually means."

One of Max Levchin's answers to 'What's your favourite business book you'd advise to young entrepreneurs?'

One of Aaron Levie's favorite business books.

One of five business books Chris Dixon recommended on Twitter.

Rework

Jason Fried

Andrew Wilkinson: "One of my most recommended business books"

Seth Godin: "This book will make you uncomfortable. Depending on what you do all day, it might make you extremely uncomfortable. That's a very good thing, because you deserve it. We all do.

Jason and David have broken all the rules and won. Again and again they've demonstrated that the regular way isn't necessarily the right way. They just don't say it, they do it. And they do it better than just about anyone has any right to expect.

This book is short, fast, sharp and ready to make a difference. It takes no prisoners, spares no quarter, and gives you no place to hide, all at the same time.

There, my review is almost as long as the first chapter of the book. I can't imagine what possible excuse you can dream up for not buying this book for every single person you work with, right now."

Mark Cuban: “If given a choice between investing in someone who has read REWORK or has an MBA, I’m investing in REWORK every time.

A must read for every entrepreneur.”

Shane Parrish: "This book showed me that I wasn’t alone or crazy. Other people think about the workplace like I do too."

Tony Hsieh: “The wisdom in these pages is edgy yet simple, straightforward, and proven. Read this book multiple times to help give you the courage you need to get out there and make something great.”

Jeff Bezos: “Unperturbed by conventional wisdom, Jason and David start fresh and rewrite the rules of business. Their approach turns out to be as successful as it is counter-intuitive.”

Tim Ferriss: "I encourage people to think of [Rework] as an Elements of Style for building profitable businesses in a web-savvy world.

Each chapter is 2-5 pages long and delivers their tactics and principles fat-free, without fluff. Just like their business models."

Dune

Frank Herbert

Elon Musk: "Dune Series by Herbert [is] brilliant. He advocates placing limits on machine intelligence."

Tim Ferriss: "Dune presents perhaps the most incredibly detailed and oddly believable fictional landscape I’ve ever encountered."

Jeff Bezos: "I’m a big science-fiction fan. I love Dune."

Cameron Winklevoss: "I have a couple [favorite books], to name a few, Isaac Asimov's Foundation, Frank Herbert's Dune, Daniel Mason's The Piano Tuner"

Seth Godin: "If you read 'Dune', and you don’t read it for the plot but you read it for understanding geopolitics, suddenly something clicks in your head."

One of Sahil Lavingia's most recommended books.

Good To Great

Good To Great

Jim collins.

Jason Calacanis: "You have to read Good To Great. It will change the way you look at startups"

Brian Armstrong: "The scientific method can be applied to business. This book draws powerful lessons from data."

Daniel Ek: "Good to great is a really interesting book."

One of Max Levchin's answers to "What’s your favorite business book you’d recommend to young entrepreneurs?"

Included on Jeff Bezos' list of books that Amazon employees refer to as “Jeff’s Reading List.”

Built To Last

Built To Last

Jeff Bezos: "My favorite business book is Built to Last."

Bill Gurley: "Collins and Porras suggest that the very best companies set an audacious, very long-term goal that shines a light towards 'an envisioned future.'"

Included on Jamie Dimon's list of favorite books he sent to JP Morgan summer interns in 2010.

The Black Swan

The Black Swan

Nassim taleb.

Naval Ravikant: "Good books are worth re-reading. Great books are worth re-buying."

Raoul Pal recommended 'The Black Swan' on Twitter.

Sam Walton

Shane Parrish: "The big lesson I took away from Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, is that you don’t need to come up with all the ideas yourself.

Instead, you can look around and copy the best of what other people are doing."

The Player of Games

The Player of Games

Jeff Bezos: "Iain M. Banks’ amazing Culture series [is] a huge personal favorite"

Elon Musk: "Compelling picture of a grand, semi-utopian galactic future. Hopefully not too optimistic about AI."

Mark Zuckerberg: "It's a science fiction book about an advanced civilization with AI and a vibrant culture."

Consider Phlebas

Consider Phlebas

Iain m. banks.

Max Levchin shared 'Consider Phlebas' on his LinkedIn page.

The Goal

Eliyahu Goldratt

Kevin Systrom: "It is a book about basically manufacturing and supply chain management. It sounds really boring, but I promise you it’s really good."

The Mythical Man-Month

The Mythical Man-Month

Frederick p. brooks jr..

Larry Ellison gave 'The Mythical Man-Month' to every software executive whom he met at Oracle.

Use of Weapons

Use of Weapons

Look to Windward

Look to Windward

Elon Musk: "Reading Look to Windward by Banks. He is an amazing writer. Pantheon level."

The Hydrogen Sonata

The Hydrogen Sonata

Matter

State of the Art

Surface Detail

Surface Detail

Elon Musk: "[I recommend] all of [Banks' books]. Especially Surface Detail."

Excession

Thomas Gryta

Jeff Bezos: "If you’re looking for some scary bedtime reading…"

One of Andrew Wilkinson's favorite books he read in 2020.

The Remains Of The Day

The Remains Of The Day

Kazuo ishiguro.

Jeff Bezos: "Long my favorite novel. Teaches pain of regret so well you will think you lived it."

Data-Driven Marketing

Data-Driven Marketing

Mark jeffery.

Memos From The Chairman

Memos From The Chairman

Alan greenberg.

Lean Thinking

Lean Thinking

James womack.

Creation

Steve Grand

Cameron Winklevoss

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38 Books Recommended by Jeff Bezos: A Glimpse into the Visionary’s Reading List

Jeff bezos, the visionary founder of amazon and one of the most influential figures of our time, is known for his relentless drive, innovative spirit, yet, lesser-known for his love of reading. join us as we explore the books recommended by jeff bezos, in this article..

38 Books Recommended by Jeff Bezos: A Glimpse into the Visionary’s Reading List

Jeff Bezos, the visionary founder of Amazon and one of the most influential figures of our time, is known for his relentless drive, innovative spirit, yet, lesser-known for his love of reading. But what books Jeff Bezos reads exactly? And how can his choices unlock valuable insights for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone seeking inspiration? This article is here to answer just that.

Dive right into the list of books recommended by Jeff Bezos for aspiring entrepreneurs, admirers, seasoned and novice readers alike. Moreover, we will also discuss some insightful Jeff Bezos books for entrepreneurs and how to read like him.

  • 1.1 Built to Last by Jim Collins
  • 1.2 The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen
  • 1.3 Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson
  • 1.4 The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • 1.5 Zero to One by Peter Thiel
  • 1.6 Dune by Frank Herbert
  • 1.7 Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
  • 1.8 Good to Great by Jim Collins
  • 1.9 The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
  • 1.10 Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
  • 1.11 Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
  • 1.12 The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
  • 1.13 The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
  • 1.14 Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman
  • 1.15 The Martian by Andy Weir
  • 1.16 The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
  • 1.17 A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
  • 1.18 The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
  • 1.19 The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
  • 1.20 The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver
  • 1.21 The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande
  • 1.22 Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
  • 1.23 Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
  • 1.24 Capitalism in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty
  • 1.25 Factfulness by Hans Rosling
  • 1.26 The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
  • 1.27 The Startup Owner’s Manual by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
  • 1.28 The Hard Thing About Hard Things in Business by Ben Horowitz
  • 1.29 Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Idea Drought and Sparking Breakthroughs by Ed Catmull
  • 1.30 Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Is Shaping Our Future by Ashlee Vance
  • 1.31 The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
  • 1.32 Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
  • 1.33 Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
  • 1.34 The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox
  • 1.35 Memos from the Chairman by James C. Collins
  • 1.36 Sam Walton: Made in America by John Huey
  • 1.37 The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks Jr.
  • 2 How to Read Like Bezos?
  • 3.1 Letters to Shareholders: 
  • 3.2 The Everything Store by Brad Stone
  • 3.3 Amazon Unbound by Adrian Slywotzky and Richard Wise
  • 3.4 Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
  • 4 Conclusion:

38 Books Recommended by Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos book recommendations are a treasure trove of diverse titles, spanning business classics like “Built to Last” by Jim Collins and “The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clayton M. Christensen, to unexpected gems like “The Remains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro and the epic sci-fi saga “Dune” by Frank Herbert. This eclectic mix reveals a mind constantly seeking new perspectives, challenging assumptions, and fueling creativity.

For those dreaming of starting their own entrepreneurial ventures,Jeff Bezos book recommendations offer invaluable guidance. “Rework” by David Heinemeier Hansson provides practical startup strategies, while “Zero to One” by Peter Thiel challenges conventional thinking and encourages audacious innovation. These books, along with Bezos’s own annual letters to Amazon shareholders, offer a compelling insights in leadership, decision-making, and navigating the ever-evolving business landscape.

Jeff Bezos book recommendations extend far beyond the realm of commerce. He’s an enthusiastic recommender for “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari, a thought-provoking exploration of our species’ past, present, and potential future. This broader perspective reflects Bezos’s understanding that success requires not just business acumen, but also a deep understanding of the human condition and the world around us. So, whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur searching for books that inspired Jeff Bezos to start Amazon, a seasoned leader seeking business books recommended by Jeff Bezos, or simply a curious reader wanting to know what books did Jeff Bezos recommend, Bezos’s reading list offers a wealth of inspiration and insights waiting to be discovered. Dive in, explore, and let the wisdom of these pages guide you on your own journey to success.

Built to Last by Jim Collins

books recommended jeff bezos

This timeless principles for building enduring, successful companies is one of the best classic business books recommended by Jeff Bezos.

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen

books recommended jeff bezos

This practical guide addresses why established companies struggle with disruptive technologies.

Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson

books recommended jeff bezos

One of the must-read books recommended by Jeff Bezos for entrepreneurs offers practical advice for building successful software businesses.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

books recommended jeff bezos

Zero to One by Peter Thiel

books recommended jeff bezos

Another masterpiece among the books recommended by Jeff Bezos. It addresses how to create new things that people want and don’t have yet.

Dune by Frank Herbert

books recommended jeff bezos

A top contender among Jeff Bezos favorite science fiction books, set in a future feudal interstellar empire.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

books recommended jeff bezos

Explores the rise of humans from animals to global rulers.

Good to Great by Jim Collins

books recommended jeff bezos

One of the best business books recommended by Jeff Bezos. It addresses how companies make the leap from being good to being great.

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

books recommended jeff bezos

Another masterpiece among the Jeff Bezos book recommendations. It addresses how unpredictable events shape history and our lives.

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

books recommended jeff bezos

This powerful autobiography of South African anti-apartheid leader is one of the must-read pick from books Jeff Bezos reads.

Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

books recommended jeff bezos

One of the Jeff Bezos recommended books about how systems thrive on volatility and randomness.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

books recommended jeff bezos

An epic fantasy adventure that redefined the genre. One of the most popular fiction books recommended by Jeff Bezos.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

books recommended jeff bezos

Another one of the best business books recommended by Jeff Bezos featuring gritty wisdom about building and running a successful tech startup.

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

books recommended jeff bezos

Explores the universal patterns found in myths and stories across cultures with this Jeff Bezos book recommendation.

Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation is an entertaining memoir of a Nobel Prize-winning physicist.

The Martian by Andy Weir

books recommended jeff bezos

Another Jeff Bezos favorite science fiction books. The story revolves around an astronaut stranded on Mars who struggles to survive against all odds.

The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

books recommended jeff bezos

Another big hit among Jeff Bezos favorite science fiction books. It’s about tackling climate change through radical solutions.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

books recommended jeff bezos

An entertaining and informative science primer covering the universe and everything in it.

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

books recommended jeff bezos

Another one of the best business books recommended by Jeff Bezos. It’s a practical guide to starting and running a successful small business.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

books recommended jeff bezos

Explores the science of habits and how to change them for the better.

The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation explains how to predict future outcomes by understanding data effectively.

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation addresses how checklists can improve critical tasks and reduce errors in various fields.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

books recommended jeff bezos

Another masterpiece among the books recommended by Jeff Bezos. It examines the factors that contribute to success, beyond just talent.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation explores the two systems of thought in the human mind and their impact on decision-making.

Capitalism in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation analyzes the growing wealth inequality in developed countries.

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

books recommended jeff bezos

Another masterpiece among the books recommended by Jeff Bezos. It challenges pessimistic views of the world by showing how things are actually getting better in many areas.

The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation discusses how globalization and technology are leveling the playing field for businesses and individuals around the world.

The Startup Owner’s Manual by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation is a practical guide to building a successful startup, based on lean methodologies.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things in Business by Ben Horowitz

books recommended jeff bezos

One of the business books recommended by Jeff Bezos that offers more insights and guidance from Horowitz on overcoming challenges in the business world.

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Idea Drought and Sparking Breakthroughs by Ed Catmull

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation explores how Pixar fosters creativity and innovation within its organization.

Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Is Shaping Our Future by Ashlee Vance

books recommended jeff bezos

Biography of the visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk is another one of the must-read books recommended by Jeff Bezos for entrepreneurs.

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation for entreprenuers teaches you to develop and grow your business through rapid experimentation and iteration.

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation is about design products and services that users can’t help but love and engage with.

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation delves into the fascinating world of behavioral economics, exploring the often-unconscious biases and irrationalities that influence our choices, from everyday decisions like what to eat to momentous ones like career paths and romantic partners.

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos ook recommendation is a practical guide about how to optimize your business by focusing on bottlenecks and improving overall flow.

Memos from the Chairman by James C. Collins

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation is a compilation of wisdom and advice from Collins, based on his research and experience.

Sam Walton: Made in America by John Huey

books recommended jeff bezos

This Jeff Bezos book recommendation is a biography of the founder of Walmart, offering insights into building a retail empire.

The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks Jr.

books recommended jeff bezos

Another one of the best classic business books recommended by Jeff Bezos. It addresses software project management, highlights challenges and common pitfalls.

How to Read Like Bezos?

Here are some key takeaways:

  • Embrace Diversity: Don’t confine yourself to your comfort zone. Explore different genres, authors, and perspectives.
  • Think Critically: Question assumptions, challenge conventional wisdom, and actively engage with the ideas presented.
  • Seek Inspiration: Look for books that spark your curiosity, ignite your imagination, and motivate you to push boundaries.
  • Take Action: Don’t just read, apply! Use the insights gained from your reading to inform your decisions, actions, and overall approach to life.

Jeff Bezos Books for Entrepreneurs

Jeff Bezos, the visionary who transformed Amazon from a garage startup to a global powerhouse, isn’t just an e-commerce pioneer – he’s a goldmine of entrepreneurial wisdom. While Bezos hasn’t authored traditional business books himself, his insights are scattered throughout various sources, offering invaluable guidance for aspiring founders and leaders.

Letters to Shareholders: 

These annual gems are Bezos’s direct window into his leadership philosophy. Packed with strategic thinking, customer obsession, and long-term vision, they’re a must-read for anyone building a company for the future.

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

While not directly penned by Bezos, this in-depth analysis of Bezos’s leadership and Amazon’s rise offers a valuable case study for entrepreneurs to dissect and learn from.

Amazon Unbound by Adrian Slywotzky and Richard Wise

This book delves into the strategies and principles that have fueled Amazon’s success, providing valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson

In this collection of Jeff Bezos’s writings—his unique and strikingly original annual shareholder letters, plus numerous speeches and interviews that provide insight into his background, his work, and the evolution of his ideas—you’ll gain an insider’s view of the why and how of his success. Spanning a range of topics across business and public policy, from innovation and customer obsession to climate change and outer space, this book provides a rare glimpse into how Bezos thinks about the world and where the future might take us.

Conclusion:

Jeff Bezos’s reading list is not just a collection of titles; it’s a window into the mind of a visionary leader. By delving into his choices, we can gain valuable insights into leadership, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence. So, grab a book from Bezos’s bookshelf, open your mind, and prepare to be inspired. Remember, the next big idea might just be waiting to be discovered between the pages. However, Bezos’ entrepreneurial spirit is not limited to business books. Jeff Bezos reading list, spanning diverse genres like science fiction and history, reveals a mind constantly seeking inspiration and fresh perspectives. Understanding what books Jeff Bezos reads and how it shapes his vision can provide valuable insights for both aspiring entrepreneurs and Bezos admirers.

Don’t have time to devour each and every one of Jeff Bezos book recommendations? Wizdom is at your service! With concise summaries and key takeaways from all these inspiring reads, you can unlock the genius of Bezos’s bookshelf in a fraction of the time. Join Wizdom today and:

  • Accelerate your learning: Get the gist of each book in minutes, not hours.
  • Boost your knowledge: Gain valuable insights from diverse perspectives.
  • Ignite your inspiration: Discover fresh ideas and fuel your entrepreneurial spirit.

Which of these books recommended by the Amazon CEO have you already read?

Layaba Noor

Layaba Noor

Layaba Noor, also known by the pen name Yarah Noor is an author and writer based in India. Apart from writing, Noor is a passionate reader who has deep admiration for literary giants like Haruki Murakami and Paulo Coelho.

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Jeff Bezos

books recommended by Jeff Bezos

Jeffrey Preston Bezos is an American internet and aerospace entrepreneur, media proprietor, and investor. He is best known as the founder, Chief executive officer, and president of Amazon.com, Inc. The first centi-billionaire on the Forbes wealth index, Bezos was named the “richest man in modern history” after his net worth increased to $150 billion in July 2018. In September 2018, Forbes described him as “far richer than anyone else on the planet” as he added $1.8 billion to his worth when Amazon became the second company in history to have a market cap of $1 trillion.

Last Updated Jan 31, 2024

books recommended jeff bezos

The Innovator's Dilemma

Clayton m. christensen.

Good to Great

Good to Great

Jim collins.

Dune

Frank Herbert

The Black Swan

The Black Swan

Nassim nicholas taleb.

Rework

David Heinemeier Hansson

Built to Last

Built to Last

Sam Walton: Made in America

Sam Walton: Made in America

Consider Phlebas

Consider Phlebas

Iain m. banks.

The Goal

Eliyahu M. Goldratt

The Player of Games

The Player of Games

The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day

Kazuo ishiguro.

The Mythical Man-Month

The Mythical Man-Month

Frederick p. brooks jr.

Look to Windward

Look to Windward

Use of Weapons

Use of Weapons

Excession

State of the Art

The Hydrogen Sonata

The Hydrogen Sonata

Inversions

Surface Detail

Made in America

Made in America

Matter

Lean Thinking

James p. womack.

Data-Driven Marketing

Data-Driven Marketing

Mark jeffery.

Memos from the Chairman

Memos from the Chairman

Alan c. greenberg.

Creation

Steve Grand

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books recommended jeff bezos

20 Inspirational Books Jeff Bezos Recommends Reading

Essential books jeff bezos recommends.

jeff bezos books

For many reasons, self-made billionaire Jeff Bezos and books simply go hand in hand. To begin with, he catapulted his way to becoming the richest man on Earth after founding what started as an online bookstore named Amazon.

Researching the origins of this harmonious relationship takes us to the small town where his grandfather lived – a place he often spent time during childhood summers – and a tiny little Andrew Carnegie-style library where all the books had been donated by local citizens.

“This was a very small library, but it had an extensive science fiction collection, because it just so happened one of the residents of this 3,000-person town had been a science fiction fan, and donated their whole collection,” Bezos says . “And that started a love affair for me with people like Heinlein and Asimov and all the well-known science fiction authors that persists to this day.”

In order to get to the bottom of what inspired the world’s wealthiest man to the pinnacle of financial success, we’ve compiled a list of 20 books Jeff Bezos has read himself and would recommend to others.

This guide to Jeff Bezos’ favorite books was created with the help of interviews, articles, and one book in particular called The Everything Store by Brad Stone .

In his definitive biography of the Amazon company, Stone shares a list of books whose knowledge Jeff Bezos leaned on during the forming of Amazon. With that being said, Stone’s well-studied comments are commonly cited throughout our list.

Built to Last by Jim Collins

books recommended jeff bezos

Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies and studied each in direct comparison to one of its top competitors.

They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day – as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations. Throughout, the authors asked: “What makes the truly exceptional companies different from the comparison companies and what were the common practices these enduringly great companies followed throughout their history?”

Filled with hundreds of specific examples and organized into a coherent framework of practical concepts that can be applied by managers and entrepreneurs at all levels,  Built to Last  provides a master blueprint for building organizations that will prosper long into the 21st century and beyond.

Source: “My favorite business book is Built to Last ,” Bezos revealed to Fast Company during an interview. As Brad Stone puts it, this famous management read explains how companies that succeed build environments where employees who embrace the central mission flourish.

Creation by Steve Grand

books recommended jeff bezos

Working mostly alone, almost single-handedly writing 250,000 lines of computer code, Steve Grand produced  Creatures , a revolutionary computer game that allowed players to create living beings complete with brains, genes, and hormonal systems – creatures that would live and breathe and breed in real time on an ordinary desktop computer.

Enormously successful, the game inevitably raises the question: What is artificial life? And in this hallmark among books Jeff Bezos recommends reading – a chance for the devoted fan and the simply curious onlooker to see the world from the perspective of an original philosopher-engineer and intellectual maverick – Steve Grand proposes an answer.

Source: “A video game designer argues that intelligent systems can be created from the bottom up if one devises a set of primitive building blocks,” Stone writes . “The book was influential in the creation of Amazon Web Services, or AWS, the service that popularized the notion of the cloud.”

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

jeff bezos books

With its straightforward language and easy-is-better approach, Rework is the perfect playbook for anyone who’s ever dreamed of doing it on their own. Hardcore entrepreneurs, small-business owners, people stuck in day jobs who want to get out, and artists who don’t want to starve anymore will all find valuable inspiration and guidance in these pages. It’s time to rework work.

Source:  “Unperturbed by conventional wisdom, Jason and David start fresh and rewrite the rules of business. Their approach turns out to be as successful as it is counter-intuitive,” Jeff Bezos remarked after reading the book.

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

books recommended jeff bezos

A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable than it was.

The astonishing success of Google was a black swan; so was 9/11. For Nassim Nicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about our world, from the rise of religions to events in our own personal lives.

Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur? Part of the answer, according to Taleb, is that humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focused on generalities.

In this revelatory book, Taleb will change the way you look at the world, and this second edition features a new philosophical and empirical essay, “On Robustness and Fragility,” which offers tools to navigate and exploit a Black Swan event.

Source: “The scholar argues that people are wired to see patterns in chaos while remaining blind to unpredictable events, with massive consequences. Experimentation and empiricism trumps the easy and obvious narrative,” Stone says.

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen

books recommended jeff bezos

In this classic bestseller – one of the most influential business books of all time – innovation expert Clayton Christensen shows how even the most outstanding companies can do everything right – yet still lose market leadership.

Christensen explains why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation. No matter the industry, he says, a successful company with established products  will get pushed aside unless managers know how and when to abandon traditional business practices.

Offering both successes and failures from leading companies as a guide,  The Innovator’s Dilemma  gives you a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation.

Source: Dilemma, Stone says , helped spur on the creation of Kindle and Amazon Web Services – two product lines that are quite far from Amazon’s original business. “Some companies are reluctant to embrace disruptive technology because it might alienate customers and undermine their core business,” he adds. “but Christensen argues that ignoring potential disruption is even costlier.”

Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton

jeff bezos books

Meet a genuine American folk hero cut from the homespun cloth of America’s heartland: Sam Walton, who parlayed a single dime store in a hardscrabble cotton town into Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world.

The undisputed merchant king of the late twentieth century, Sam never lost the common touch. Here, finally, in imitable words. Genuinely modest, but always sure of his ambitions and achievements. Sam shares his thinking in a candid, straight-from-the-shoulder style.

Source: “In his autobiography, Walmart’s founder expounds on the principles of discount retailing and discusses his core values of frugality and a bias for action – a willingness to try a lot of things and make many mistakes,” Stone writes. “Bezos included both in Amazon’s corporate values.”

Lean Thinking by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones

In contrast with the crash-and-burn performance of companies trumpeted by business gurus in the 1990s, the firms profiled in  Lean Thinking – from tiny Lantech to midsized Wiremold to niche producer Porsche to gigantic Pratt & Whitney – have kept on keeping on, largely unnoticed, along a steady upward path through the market turbulence and crushed dreams of the early twenty-first century.

Meanwhile, the leader in lean thinking – Toyota – has set its sights on leadership of the global motor vehicle industry in this decade.

Instead of constantly reinventing business models, lean thinkers go back to basics by asking what the customer really perceives as  value.  The next step is to line up value-creating activities for a specific product along a  value stream  while eliminating activities (usually the majority) that don’t add value.

Then the lean thinker creates a  flow  condition in which the design and the product advance smoothly and rapidly at the  pull  of the customer (rather than the push of the producer). Finally, as flow and pull are implemented, the lean thinker speeds up the cycle of improvement in pursuit of  perfection.

Source:  Noted in CNBC’s list of 12 books that shaped the way Jeff Bezos, now the world’s richest man, thinks about success.

The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

jeff bezos books

The measure of the executive, Peter F. Drucker reminds us, is the ability to “get the right things done.” This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.

Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned: managing time, choosing what to contribute to the organization, knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect, setting the right priorities, and knitting all of them together with effective decision-making.

Source: In an interview that aired on CNBC , a topic of discussion was books Jeff Bezos has recommended to Amazon’s top executives.

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

His factory is rapidly heading for disaster. So is his marriage. He has ninety days to save his plant – or it will be closed by corporate HQ, with hundreds of job losses. It takes a chance meeting with a professor from student days – Jonah – to help him break out of conventional ways of thinking to see what needs to be done.

The story of Alex’s fight to save his plant is more than compulsive reading. It contains a serious message for all managers in industry and explains the ideas that underline the Theory of Constraints (TOC), developed by Eli Goldratt.

One of Eli Goldratt’s convictions was that the goal of an individual or an organization should not be defined in absolute terms. A good definition of a goal is one that sets us on a path of ongoing improvement.

Pursuing such a goal necessitates more than one breakthrough. In fact it requires many. To be in a position to identify these breakthroughs we should have a deep understanding of the underlying rules of our environment.

Source: “An exposition of the science of manufacturing written in the guise of the novel, the book encourages companies to identify the biggest constraints in their operations,” Stone explains. “And then structure their organizations to get the most out of those constraints.”

Good to Great by Jim Collins

books recommended jeff bezos

Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?

Using tough benchmarks, Jim Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years.

How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world’s greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck.

After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness – why some companies make the leap and others don’t.

Source: Back in 2001, Amazon was just four years old – struggling to get its footing after the dot-com bust. Looking to Collins for advice, Bezos phoned the author and eventually invited him over to visit the Amazon campus, Inc. Magazine documents.

Collins met with Jeff Bezos and Amazon executives and discussed the core ideas from his upcoming book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Other’s Don’t ,  which was published later that year.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Here is Kazuo Ishiguro’s profoundly compelling portrait of Stevens, the perfect butler, and of his fading, insular world in post-World War II England.

Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the “great gentleman,” Lord Darlington.

But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington’s “greatness,” and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.

Source: “My favorite novel is The Remains of the Day , ” Bezos revealed to Fast Company .

Dune by Frank Herbert

jeff bezos books

Set on the desert planet Arrakis,  Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for…

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics,  Dune  won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.

Source: “Nonfiction narrative, let’s see. Hmm. I’m a big science-fiction fan,” Bezos told Fast Company . “I love Dune . That’s not a nonfiction narrative, of course, but it would be cool if it was! (laughing)”

The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks Jr.

Few books on software project management have been as influential and timeless as  The Mythical Man-Month . With a blend of software engineering facts and thought-provoking opinions, Fred Brooks offers insight for anyone managing complex projects.

These essays draw from his experience as project manager for the IBM System/360 computer family and then for OS/360, its massive software system.

Source: Amazon is ruled by slices: that is, there’s a  Two Pizza Rule that governs the size of teams – none should be bigger than what could be fed by two pizzas, acknowledges Fast Company .

This lunch-sized heuristic draws from the work of National Medal of Technology-winning software engineer Frederick P. Brooks Jr. His  Mythical Man-Month  is a technical book that still sells 10,000 copies a year . Why? Because he makes the counterintuitive argument that small teams of programmers work better than large ones: after a while, bringing more people on just adds noise.

Memos from the Chairman by Alan Greenberg

books recommended jeff bezos

Alan C. Greenberg, the former chairman of Bear, Stearns, and a celebrated philanthropist, was known throughout the financial world for his biting, quirky but invaluable and wise memos.

Make decisions based on common sense. Avoid the herd mentality. Control expenses with unrelenting vigil. Run your business at the highest level of morality. Free your motivated, intelligent people from the chain of command. Always return phone calls promptly and courteously. Never believe your own body odor is perfume. And stay humble, humble, humble.

Source: “[The book is] a collection of memos to employees by the chairman of the now defunct investment bank Bear Stearns,” Stone writes. “In his memos, Greenberg is constantly restating the bank’s core values, especially modesty and frugality.”

Data-Driven Marketing by Mark Jeffery

In the new era of tight marketing budgets, no organization can continue to spend on marketing without knowing what’s working and what’s wasted. Data-driven marketing improves efficiency and effectiveness of marketing expenditures across the spectrum of marketing activities from branding and awareness, trail and loyalty, to new product launch and Internet marketing.

Based on new research from the Kellogg School of Management, this gem among books Jeff Bezos recommends reading is a clear and convincing guide to using a more rigorous, data-driven strategic approach to deliver significant performance gains from your marketing.

Source: “ [This is] a guide to using data to measure everything from customer satisfaction to the effectiveness of marketing,” Stone writes. “Amazon employees must support all assertions with data, and if the data has a weakness, they must point it out or their colleagues will do it for them.”

The Innovator’s Solution by Clayton Christensen

jeff bezos books

The authors of The Innovator’s Solution identify the forces that cause managers to make bad decisions as they package and shape new ideas – and offer new frameworks to help create the right conditions, at the right time, for a disruption to succeed. This is a must-read for all senior managers and business leaders responsible for innovation and growth, as well as members of their teams.

The Blind Watch Maker by Richard Dawkins

In The Blind Watchmaker , Richard Dawkins crafts an elegant riposte to show that the complex process of Darwinian natural selection is unconscious and automatic. If natural selection can be said to play the role of a watchmaker in nature, it is a blind one – working without foresight or purpose.

In an eloquent, uniquely persuasive account of the theory of natural selection, Dawkins illustrates how simple organisms slowly change over time to create a world of enormous complexity, diversity, and beauty.

Source:  Bezos delivered a message of utmost importance in the last paragraphs of his final letter to Amazon shareholders , which was released just a few months before he stepped down as CEO. Perhaps a bit intimidatingly, it was a 215-word passage from The Blind Watchmaker , by Richard Dawkins, which Bezos calls “extraordinary.”

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle

books recommended jeff bezos

It was a dark and stormy night – Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

“Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.”

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time.

A Wrinkle in Time , winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

Source: “I remember in fourth grade we had this wonderful contest – there was some prize – whoever could read the most Newbery Award winners in a year. I didn’t end up winning,” Jeff Bezos admitted to the Academy of Achievement . “I think I read like 30 Newbery Award winners that year, but somebody else read more. The standout there is the old classic that I think so many people have read and enjoyed, A Wrinkle in Time , and I just remember loving that book.”

The Hobbit & The Lord of The Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein

jeff bezos books

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure.

They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

The Lord of the Rings   tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the dwarf; Legolas the elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s three-volume masterpiece is at once a classic myth and a modern fairy tale – a story of high and heroic adventure set in the unforgettable landscape of Middle-earth.

Source: “I was always a big fan of science fiction – even from when I was in elementary school, reading various things and loved, of course, The Hobbit and Tolkien’s trilogy that follows on from that,” Jeff Bezos said to the Academy of Achievement .

The Culture Series by Ian M. Banks

books recommended jeff bezos

The Culture series is a science fiction series written by Scottish author Iain M. Banks, which was released from 1987 through 2012. The stories center on The Culture, a utopian, post-scarcity space society of humanoid aliens, and advanced superintelligent artificial intelligences living in artificial habitats spread across the Milky Way galaxy.

In Excession , Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances – the Culture’s espionage and dirty tricks section – has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost sun, Byr risks losing himself.

Source: “Happy to announce that Amazon Studios is adapting Iain M. Banks’ amazing Culture series – a huge personal favorite – as a TV series. Can’t wait!” Jeff Bezos once tweeted .

Invent and Wander by Jeff Bezos

There aren’t really any research-filled or plot-laden books by Jeff Bezos himself, however, in this collection of Bezos’ writings – his unique and strikingly original annual shareholder letters, plus numerous speeches and interviews that provide insight into his background, his work, and the evolution of his ideas – you’ll gain an insider’s view of the why and how of his success.

Written in a direct, down-to-earth style,  Invent and Wander offers readers a master class in business values, strategy, and execution: the importance of a Day 1 mindset, why “it’s all about the long term,” what it really means to be customer-obsessed, how to start new businesses and create significant organic growth in an already successful company, why culture is imperative, and how a willingness to fail is closely connected to innovation.

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

jeff bezos books

This guide to books Jeff Bezos recommends reading wouldn’t be complete without a proper shout-out to Brad Stone’s The Everything Store .

Amazon.com started off delivering books through the mail. But its visionary founder, Jeff Bezos, wasn’t content with being a bookseller. He wanted Amazon to become the everything store, offering limitless selection and seductive convenience at disruptively low prices.

To do so, he developed a corporate culture of relentless ambition and secrecy that’s never been cracked. Until now.

Brad Stone enjoyed unprecedented access to current and former Amazon employees and Bezos family members, giving readers the first in-depth, fly-on-the-wall account of life at Amazon.

Compared to tech’s other elite innovators – Jobs, Gates, Zuckerberg – Bezos is a private man. But he stands out for his restless pursuit of new markets, leading Amazon into risky new ventures like the Kindle and cloud computing, and transforming retail in the same way Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing.

The Everything Store  is the revealing, definitive biography of the company that placed one of the first and largest bets on the Internet and forever changed the way we shop and read.

If you enjoyed this guide to the books Jeff Bezos recommends, be sure to check out our list of 20 Inspirational Books Elon Musk Recommends Reading !

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10 books recommended by Jeff Bezos that’ll steer your journey to success

10 books recommended by Jeff Bezos that’ll steer your journey to success

Jeff Bezos is one of the most influential business figures, who has left no stone unturned in building his legacy. Whether it’s his 28-year-long journey as the Amazon CEO or his highly-ambitious aerospace company Blue Origin, Bezos has been a trailblazer in every way. Just like other Silicon Valley bigshots (Bill Gates and Elon Musk), Bezos is also a voracious reader. He has often credited his success to the books he has chanced upon over the years.

Did you know that his love for books resulted in the formation of Amazon? The e-commerce giant started out in 1995 as a website that only sold books. The aim was to give a chance to lesser-known authors and small publications to exhibit their creations. In the biography ‘ The Everything Store ‘, author Brad Stone mentions that books played a significant role in cultivating Bezos’ leadership style and thought process.

Amazon employees are also familiar with what’s called ‘Jeff’s Reading List’. This list contains books ranging from autobiographies, business, technology and more that helped him achieve billionaire status. So, if you’re a budding entrepreneur looking for new ways and ideas to improve your business or simply seeking inspiration to kickstart your road to success, Bezos’ book recommendations will aid you immensely.

We’ve curated a list of the best book recommendations by Jeff Bezos that’ll steer you on the path to success.

10 books recommended by Bill Gates to add to your reading list

10 book recommendations by Jeff Bezos to read, pronto:

Jump to / table of contents.

  • 'Built to Last' by Jim Collins
  • 'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • 'Creation' by Steve Grand
  • 'The Black Swan' by Nassim Taleb
  • 'Sam Walton: Made in America' by Sam Walton
  • 'The Innovator’s Dilemma' by Clayton Christensen
  • 'The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvements' by Eliyahu Goldratt
  • 'Rework' by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
  • 'Lean Thinking' by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones
  • 'Good to Great' by Jim Collins

'Built to Last' by Jim Collins

If you’re interested in understanding what goes into the making of successful businesses, this book is for you. Authors Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras closely study eighteen highly successful and prosperous companies. They delve deep into the workings of each firm in direct comparison to one of its top competitors to try and understand what exactly sets them apart.

Built to Last is extremely useful for all entrepreneurs looking to unravel secrets about the success and survival of a company, be it a start-up, midsize or large corporation. The central question echoing throughout the book is ‘What makes the truly exceptional companies different from other companies?’ Providing a framework that is beneficial at various managerial and entrepreneurial levels, this book is a holy grail for Bezos. He called it his ‘favourite business book’.

(Image credit: Amazon)

'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro chronicles the tale of a butler named Stevens, who recalls his days serving as a soldier in wartime England by writing diary entries. At the end of his three-decade-long service at Darlington Hall, Stevens starts to question his undying loyalty to his employer, Lord Darlington. Steven starts contemplating his employer’s supposed greatness, in addition to having grave doubts about the nature of his own life.

If you’re not an avid reader, The Remains of the Day has also been adapted into a movie starring Anthony Hopkins. The book remarkably deals with the themes of duty vs. desire, dignity vs. authenticity as well as fulfilling your dreams vs. settling for whatever’s available.

Bezos calls it his favourite novel, which ‘teaches the pain of regret so well you will think you lived it’.

'Creation' by Steve Grand

After much brainstorming for countless hours, writing 250,000 computer codes alone and facing several other challenges, Steve Grand produced a revolutionary computer game, Creatures . In this book, the author closely navigates what artificial intelligence and life are, in context to his revolutionary game. 

The book is all about discovering new avenues and possibilities, two things that Amazon strives to do till date. Grant’s book is a thought-provoking and exciting read for all computer-savvy folks, giving useful insights without drowning readers in programming jargon.

For the unversed, the book ‘influenced the creation of Amazon Web Services, or AWS, a service that popularised the notion of the cloud’.

'The Black Swan' by Nassim Taleb

The book has given rise to what’s known as ‘The Black Swan’ theory, which describes an event that comes as a surprise or shock, has severe consequences, and is followed by an explanation that the occurrence was obvious in hindsight. For example, the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 or the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The book poses a pertinent question: “Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur?” Taleb argues that humans are wired to ‘specifics’ when they should be focusing on ‘generalities’. We always find comfort in the patterns familiar to us, making us unable and inefficient to identify unexpected events with dire consequences.

The book will surely transform the way you visualise the world.

For Bezos, the book offers something particularly important, a “getaway”.

'Sam Walton: Made in America' by Sam Walton

In the Walmart founder’s autobiography, we get to know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into creating the largest retailer in the world. Sam Walton’s book is rich with anecdotes and fundamental ideas that steered him towards fulfilling the American Dream.

Walton stresses the importance of progress, being open to trying new things and committing mistakes that are essential to growth. Amazon rightly describes Walton as a “genuine American folk hero cut from the homespun cloth of America’s heartland.”

Bezos mentioned that there’s a “lot to admire” in the way he started Walmart.

'The Innovator’s Dilemma' by Clayton Christensen

Harvard professor Clayton M. Christensen explains how ‘disruptive innovation’ is the key for companies to stay relevant. He mentions how even the best brands and businesses lose leadership despite doing everything right according to them, just because they miss out on new waves of innovation.

While it’s difficult to examine the fall of such companies, Christensen provides a surprising and paradoxical answer to this. The same practices that led the business to the pinnacle of success are the ones that cause its eventual downfall. He stresses that managers must know when and how to abandon obsolete business practices to make space for new ways.

Amazon itself acted on the principles of this book, which also facilitated the creation of Kindle as well as Amazon Web Services. Each leader, entrepreneur or person at the managerial level must add this book to their reading list.

'The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvements' by Eliyahu Goldratt

The book aims to reform management thinking styles across the globe, encouraging companies to point out the biggest constraints in their operations and restructure the organisation accordingly to optimise performance.

The book chronicles the tale of a plant manager called Alex, working around the clock to improve his performance. His factory is on the verge of disaster, not able to fulfil deliveries in a timely manner and rapidly losing money. Given these circumstances, he’s given a 90-day notice by the headquarters to change the trajectory or else the factory will be shut down for good. In addition to his professional woes, his marriage is also in shambles.

Amid this, Alex bumps into a professor from his earlier days, who helps him come out of traditional ways of thinking and figure things out with a new perspective. The compelling story of Alex’s fight to redeem his factory is a wake-up call for all managers in the industry.

'Rework' by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

This book will help you find a better, easier way to flourish your business by making you unlearn archaic ways of conducting it. While a typical business book will tell you to create a business plan, seek investors, scrutinise your competition and a whole list of things, Rework informs you it’s way more uncomplicated than that.

The authors tell you the harmful implications of these old patterns of building business, stressing that you don’t really need outside investors and that it’s actually better to ignore the competition. The only thing you must do is, start working.

Know how to increase productivity, get exposure without splurging tons of money and familiarise yourself with a host of other counterintuitive/ easy ideas that actually work. The book is the ultimate guide for all those looking to build something from scratch.

'Lean Thinking' by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones

The authors break down a business system relevant to 21st-century companies, teaching them how to become a money-making machine by getting rid of anything that doesn’t contribute to enhancing customer value.

The book talks about the revolutionary manufacturing system adopted by Toyota, which ensures steady growth amid diverse economic conditions. This type of manufacturing system is known as the ‘lean system’, which throughout the book has been contrasted with the traditional ‘mass production’ system of manufacturing.

Lean Thinking presents case studies from diverse industries to explain the principles of lean and how to implement them in various environments. The book offers a new way of thinking and running companies, which is beneficial for everyone from an entry-level employee to the CEO.

'Good to Great' by Jim Collins

Another great management book, Good to Great by Jim Collins takes you on a compelling journey of how to make good companies great over the years. Collins, with his 21-people research team, conducted intense research for half a decade, the findings of which have been shared in the book.

The team analysed publicly-traded companies that demonstrated the good-to-great pattern irrespective of the industries they belonged to. The aim was to find the common traits that helped them garner success. The author then unravels the findings and concepts further in the book, making it one of the best management guides to add to your shelf.

(Hero image credit: Steve Sorensen Networth/ Flickr)

(Feature image credit: JeffBezos/ Twitter)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Answer: Jeff Bezos has shared some incredible lessons for success over the years, telling people to take risks, to not be afraid of dreaming big and understanding that failure is important.

Answer: Some of the top book recommendations by Jeff Bezos include 'Built to Last' by Jim Collins, 'Creation' by Steve Grand as well as 'The Black Swan' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Answer: Jeff Bezos has time and again highlighted that your goal should be to create value for everyone you interact with, make high-quality decisions and focus obsessively on the customer.

10 books recommended by Jeff Bezos that’ll steer your journey to success

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The 12 books that helped form billionaire Jeff Bezos' leadership style

thumbnail

Books have played a crucial role in Jeff Bezos' life, in more ways than one.

There's the obvious reason: The company that made him a multi-billionaire originally started as an online book retailer. He's also spent his career changing the way books are published and sold, devouring many small bookstores in the process.

But the Amazon founder and CEO also has an abiding love of reading, and it has played a key role in forming him as a leader.

In biography "The Everything Store," author Brad Stone describes how books shaped Bezos' leadership style and way of thinking. In fact, according to the book, there is a list of books Amazon employees refer to as "Jeff's Reading List."

It includes autobiographies, business and technology reads and even a novel, and according to Stone, many Amazon executives have made their way through these volumes.

How many of these have you read?

1. "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro's novel is a first-person narrative told by a butler who recalls his time serving in the army during the first World War. Stone writes that it is Bezos' favorite novel.

"Bezos has said he learns more from novels than nonfiction," Stone writes.

2. "Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies" by Jim Collins

This famous management read explains how companies that succeed build environments where "employees who embrace the central mission flourish," Stone writes.

The key thing about a book is that you lose yourself in the author's world. Jeff Bezos founder and CEO of Amazon

3. "Creation: Life and How to Make It" by Steve Grand

"A video game designer argues that intelligent systems can be created from the bottom up if one devises a set of primitive building blocks," Stone writes. "The book was influential in the creation of Amazon Web Services, or AWS, the service that popularized the notion of the cloud."

4. "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don't" by Jim Collins

Author and business consultant Collins briefed Amazon executives on many of the principles in this book before its publication, according to Stone.

It explains how "companies must confront the brutal facts of their business, find out what they are uniquely good at, and master their flywheel, in which each part of the business reinforces and accelerates the other parts."

5. "The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton Christensen

In this book, Christensen argues that companies improve by embracing disruptive innovation. Michael Bloomberg, founder and CEO of the eponymous company, once described the book as "absolutely brilliant."

"An enormously influential business book whose principles Amazon acted on and that facilitated the creation of the Kindle and [Amazon Web Services]," Stone writes. "Some companies are reluctant to embrace disruptive technology because it might alienate customers and undermine their core business, but Christensen argues that ignoring potential disruption is even costlier."

6. "Sam Walton: Made in America" by Sam Walton

"In his autobiography, Walmart's founder expounds on the principles of discount retailing and discusses his core values of frugality and a bias for action — a willingness to try a lot of things and make many mistakes," Stone writes. "Bezos included both in Amazon's corporate values."

7. "Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation" by James Womack and Daniel Jones

This book explores how major American, European and Japanese companies applied a series of "lean thinking" principles in an attempt to cut costs and boost efficiency to survive the 1991 recession and grow over the rest of the decade.

8."Memos from the Chairman" by Alan Greenberg

"[The book is] a collection of memos to employees by the chairman of the now defunct investment bank Bear Stearns," Stone writes. "In his memos, Greenberg is constantly restating the bank's core values, especially modesty and frugality."

9. "The Mythical Man-Month" by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.

"An influential computer scientist makes the counterintuitive argument that small groups of engineers are more effective than larger ones at handling complex software projects," Stone writes.

10. "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvements" by Eliyahu Goldratt

"An exposition of the science of manufacturing written in the guise of the novel, the book encourages companies to identify the biggest constraints in their operations," Stone writes, "and then structure their organizations to get the most out of those constraints."

11. "Data-Driven Marketing: The 15 Metrics Everyone in Marketing Should Know" by Mark Jeffery

"[This is] a guide to using data to measure everything from customer satisfaction to the effectiveness of marketing," Stone writes. "Amazon employees must support all assertions with data, and if the data has a weakness, they must point it out or their colleagues will do it for them."

12. "The Black Swan" by Nassim Taleb

"The scholar argues that people are wired to see patterns in chaos while remaining blind to unpredictable events, with massive consequences. Experimentation and empiricism trumps the easy and obvious narrative," Stone writes.

For Bezos, the most important thing a book can provide is an escape.

"The key thing about a book is that you lose yourself in the author's world," Bezos tells The Washington Post .

Check out the No. 1 takeaway from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's favorite book

This is the top lesson from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's favorite business book

More In How to Win in Business

What this ex-Amazon employee learned from Jeff Bezos about building a multimillion-dollar start-up

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Here Are 30 Book Recommendations from Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates to Add to Your Summer Reading List if You Want to Get Smarter About Business and Leadership These books offer insight and advice for business owners—big and small.

By Sarah Jackson • Jun 29, 2023

Key Takeaways

  • Influential business figures, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates say they've learned some of the most important lessons in their lives from books.
  • Here are 30 books recommended by the billionaires.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider .

You learn by doing — but you can also learn a lot by reading.

Many influential business figures, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates say they've learned some of the most important lessons in their lives from books.

The trio has recommended countless books over the years that they credit with strengthening their business acumen and teaching them about leadership.

Here are 30 books recommended by Musk, Bezos, and Gates to add to your summer reading list:

Some of Bezos' favorite books were instrumental to the creation of products and services like the Kindle and Amazon Web Services.

Amazon founder and chair Jeff Bezos pictured here in front of a giant image of a book.

"The Remains of the Day"

'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro

This Kazuo Ishiguro novel tells of an English butler in wartime England who begins to question his lifelong loyalty to his employer while on a vacation.

Bezos has said of the book, "Before reading it, I didn't think a perfect novel was possible."

Buy it here >>

"Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies"

'Built to Last  Successful Habits of Visionary Companies' by Jim Collins

HarperCollins Publishers/Amazon

This book draws on six years of research from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business that looks into what separates exceptional companies from their competitors. Bezos has said it's his "favorite business book."

"The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable"

'The Black Swan' by Nassim Taleb

Random House

Nassim Nicholas Taleb popularized the term "black swan" with this book, in which he defines such events as highly improbable, unpredictable, and impactful.

"Sam Walton: Made in America"

'Sam Walton  Made in America' by Sam Walton

Bantam Books/Amazon

In his autobiography, the billionaire Walmart founder Sam Walton recalls his career building one of the world's largest retailers.

"Creation: Life and How to Make It"

'Creation  Life and How to Make It' by Steve Grand

Steve Grand discusses artificial life through the lens of his 1996 computer game Creatures in this book.

"The Innovator's Solution"

The Innovator's Solution book cover

Harvard Business Review Press

This book on innovation explains how companies can become disruptors. It's one of three books Bezos made his top executives read one summer to map out Amazon's trajectory.

"The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement"

'The Goal  A Process of Ongoing Improvement' by Eliyahu Goldratt

Also on that list was "The Goal," in which Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox examine the theory of constraints from a management perspective.

"The Effective Executive"

The Effective Executive book cover

The final book on Bezos' reading list for senior managers, "The Effective Executive" lays out habits of successful executives, like time management and effective decision-making.

"Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation"

'Lean Thinking  Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation' by James Womack and Daniel Jones

Simon & Schuster/Amazon

This book imparts lessons about improving efficiency based on case studies of lean companies across various industries.

Elon Musk's must-reads include a number of sci-fi novels and books on artificial intelligence.

Elon Musk in 2020

Yasin Ozturk/Getty Images

"What We Owe the Future"

One of Musk's most recent picks, this book tackles longtermism, which its author defines as "the view that positively affecting the long-run future is a key moral priority of our time." Musk says the book is a "close match" for his philosophy.

"Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies"

superintelligence

Musk has also recommended several books on artificial intelligence, including this one, which considers questions about the future of intelligent life in a world where machines might become smarter than people.

"Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era"

our final invention

On the subject of AI, Musk said in a 2014 tweet that this book, which examines its risks and potential, is also "worth reading."

"Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence"

Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence book cover

In this book, MIT professor Max Tegmark writes about ensuring artificial intelligence and technological progress remain beneficial for human life in the future.

"Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future"

Zero to One

Peter Thiel shares lessons he learned founding companies like PayPal and Palantir in this book.

Musk has said of the book, "Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how."

"The Lord of the Rings"

lord of the rings cover

Musk has said he read a lot of fantasy and science-fiction novels as a kid and once quoted a line from J.R.R. Tolkien's famous trilogy on Twitter.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

hitchhiker's guide to galaxy

In the same vein, Musk read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" as a teenager and has even said the spacecraft in it is his favorite sci-fi spacecraft .

"Benjamin Franklin: An American Life"

Benjamin Franklin

Musk's reading list isn't without biographies, including this Walter Isaacson book on Benjamin Franklin.

"Einstein: His Life and Universe"

einstein

Musk enjoyed Isaacson's biography on Albert Einstein as well.

Bill Gates is known to make book recommendations quite often.

Bill Gates smiling.

"How the World Really Works"

cover of book How the World Really Works

Penguin Random House

In his 2022 summer reading list , Gates highlighted this work by Vaclav Smil that explores the fundamental forces underlying today's world, including matters like energy production and globalization.

"If you want a brief but thorough education in numeric thinking about many of the fundamental forces that shape human life, this is the book to read," Gates said of the book.

"The Power"

the power

Also on that reading list was speculative fiction novel, "The Power." Here, author Naomi Alderman explores gender roles and gender inequality by centering on a world in which young women suddenly gain the ability to shoot deadly electrical jolts from their hands, coming to wield more power, literally and figuratively, than men.

"I gained a stronger and more visceral sense of the abuse and injustice many women experience today," Gates said of the book.

"Why We're Polarized"

cover of book Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein

Simon & Schuster

Ezra Klein argues that the American political system has became polarized around identity to dangerous effect in this book, also on Gates' summer reading list last year, that Gates calls "a fascinating look at human psychology."

"Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012"

tap dancing buffett

Another one of Gates' favorite books is "Tap Dancing to Work," written by one of his closest friends , Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett.

"A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety"

a full life

Gates also likes former President Jimmy Carter's "A Full Life."

"Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street"

business adventures

Gates has said this is "the best business book I've ever read." It compiles 12 articles that originally appeared in The New Yorker about moments of success and failure at companies like General Electric and Xerox.

"Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think"

This book investigates the thinking patterns and tendencies that distort people's perceptions of the world. Gates has called it "one of the most educational books I've ever read."

"Origin Story: A Big History of Everything"

origin story david christian

Little, Brown and Company

David Christian takes on the history of our universe, from the Big Bang to mass globalization, in this book.

"Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World"

range

"Range" explores the idea that, though modern work puts a premium on specialization, being a generalist is actually the way to go. Gates has said Epstein's ideas here "even help explain some of Microsoft's success, because we hired people who had real breadth within their field and across domains."

"The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History"

books recommended jeff bezos

Elizabeth Kolbert plumbs the history of Earth's mass extinctions in this book, including a sixth extinction, which some scientists warn is already underway .

"The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age"

the myth of the strong leader

This Archie Brown book examines political leadership throughout the 20th century.

"What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions"

Randall Munroe, creator of the hit web comic xkcd, proposes funny yet informative answers to life's wildest hypothetical questions in this book.

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Read With Stars - top books recommended by the worlds' top stars.

16 Jeff Bezos Recommended Books

Uncover the stories and ideas that inspire Jeff Bezos who inspires you. Dive into the fascinating collection of Jeff Bezos favorite books and find your next great read.

Jeff Bezos's Top Book List | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

U.S. Space Force image by Van Ha , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

📗 Books Recommended by Jeff Bezos

Books recommended by Jeff Bezos, ranked by how many total stars have recommended them.

The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change) | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change)

By Clayton M. Christensen

"It’s been very influential to me. It’s a great book."

51 stars recommended this book, including:

The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility" (Incerto) | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility" (Incerto)

By Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"I read a book by Nassim Taleb called The Black Swan. It’s a very interesting book."

44 stars recommended this book, including:

The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution

By Walter Isaacson

"The Innovators is a history of the computer and the internet, focusing on the people who helped create them. It's reliable and entertaining, and I like that combination."

22 stars recommended this book, including:

The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation

By Jon Gertner

"This is a great book on the history of Bell Labs, which was one of the most innovative organizations in history. It’s a fascinating look at how innovation happens."

14 stars recommended this book, including:

The Art of Fielding: A Novel | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Art of Fielding: A Novel

By Chad Harbach

"This book is about baseball, but it's also about everything else. It's very smart and funny and engaging."

11 stars recommended this book, including:

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success

By William N. Thorndike Jr.

"The Outsiders, by William Thorndike, is an outstanding book about CEOs who excelled at capital allocation."

10 stars recommended this book, including:

The Remains of the Day: Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Remains of the Day: Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

By Kazuo Ishiguro

"My favorite book of all time."

4 stars recommended this book, including:

The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street

By Justin Fox

"This book is about the history of the financial markets and it’s also a really good book."

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Good to Great, 2) | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Good to Great, 2)

By Jim Collins

"It's a great book for any business leader."

2 stars recommended this book, including:

Mythical Man-Month, The: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

Mythical Man-Month, The: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition

By Frederick Brooks Jr.

"It's one of those books that’s so short and so thin, but it's a dense book. Every page is just jam-packed."

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

By Charles Duhigg

"I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in startups or in the business world in general."

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done (Harperbusiness Essentials) | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done (Harperbusiness Essentials)

By Peter F. Drucker

"It's a great book. It's very short. It's only about 100 pages or so."

1 stars recommended this book, including:

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement - 30th Anniversary Edition | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement - 30th Anniversary Edition

By David Whitford , Jeff Cox

"It's a very simple book. It’s a novel, but it teaches a lot about manufacturing and about efficiency."

The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators

By Clayton M. Christensen , Hal Gregersen , Jeff Dyer

"This is a valuable resource for any business leader looking to drive innovation in their organization."

The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity

By George Couros

"A great book for entrepreneurs."

The Myth of the Garage | recommended by  stars | Curated by ReadWithStars.com

The Myth of the Garage

By Chip Heath

"This book is about the history of innovation and invention."

In-Depth Conversations with Jeff Bezos : Stories, Interviews and Fun Facts

Explore insightful stories and exclusive interviews featuring Jeff Bezos .

The Birth of Amazon: A Founder's Journey| readwithstars.com

The Birth of Amazon: A Founder's Journey

Jeff Bezos: A Day in the Life of Productivity| readwithstars.com

Jeff Bezos: A Day in the Life of Productivity

Maximize Your Morning Routine for Success| readwithstars.com

Maximize Your Morning Routine for Success

How Books Fueled Amazon's Innovation Journey| readwithstars.com

How Books Fueled Amazon's Innovation Journey

Finding Your Passion & Embracing Failure| readwithstars.com

Finding Your Passion & Embracing Failure

🌟 fun fact about jeff bezos.

Jeff Bezos once worked at McDonald's as a teenager and has said that the experience taught him the importance of being customer-focused and efficient.

📚 Reading Habits of Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos is known to be an avid reader, often reading multiple books at a time. He particularly enjoys science fiction and has cited 'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro as one of his favorite books.

💬 Famous Quotes by Jeff Bezos

  • "What's dangerous is not to evolve."
  • "The common question that gets asked in business is, 'why?' That's a good question, but an equally valid question is, 'why not?'"
  • "I knew that if I failed I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying."
  • "In the old world, you devoted 30 percent of your time to building a great service and 70 percent of your time to shouting about it. In the new world, that inverts."
  • "If you never want to be criticized, for goodness' sake don't do anything new."

🙋 Frequently asked questions

How did you know jeff bezos recommended this book.

We employ a combination of AI and machine learning techniques to scour the internet for mentions of books by Jeff Bezos across various platforms, including places such as media interviews, podcasts and other social media. Additionally, we provide a quote or paraphrase referencing Jeff Bezos's thoughts on the specific book for context. This method is consistently applied to track recommendations from other stars as well.

How often do you update Jeff Bezos's book list?

We regularly review and update our lists to ensure they're current and comprehensive. Typically, updates occur weekly, or whenever new information from our tracked stars becomes available. We're committed to providing the most accurate and up-to-date recommendations.

Is Jeff Bezos's book list complete?

We're constantly working to improve our lists, but we're not perfect. If you notice a book that should be included, please let us know by emailing us at Contact us .

Is Jeff Bezos related to Read with Stars?

No, Jeff Bezos is not affiliated with Read with Stars. We are an independent website and are not associated with Jeff Bezos. Jeff Bezos has not endorsed or sponsored our site. We simply curate and share book recommendations from various public figures, including Jeff Bezos, based on publicly available information.

The 12 Essential Books On Jeff Bezos' Reading List

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, despite contributing to the  destruction of the physical bookstore , is a man intensely interested in and passionate about books and reading. 

In the appendix of Brad Stone's new book about Amazon, "The Everything Store," the re's a list of books called "Jeff's Reading List," highlighted by Shane Parrish at Farnam Street.

"Books have nurtured Amazon since its creation and shaped its culture and strategy," Stone writes. "Here are a dozen books widely read by executives and employees that are integral to understanding the company." 

The list is not just weighty business tomes, though classics like "The Innovator's Dilemma" are there, but includes novels and biographies as well. They help explain some of Bezos' core management philosophies, like "two pizza teams," the Amazon maxim that no team be larger than the number of people that can share two pizzas. It also includes books that helped inspire the creation of Amazon Web Services, the company's highly lucrative cloud business, and the Kindle.

It's an amazing way to get into the mind of Jeff Bezos. 

We've listed the books here, along with Stone's explanation of why each made the list. 

"The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

books recommended jeff bezos

"Jeff Bezos’ favorite novel, about a butler who wistfully recalls his career in service during wartime Great Britain. Bezos has said he learns more from novels than nonfiction," Stone writes.

Find "The Remains of the Day" here.

Source: "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon"

"Sam Walton: Made in America" by Sam Walton

books recommended jeff bezos

"In his autobiography, Walmart’s founder expounds on the principles of discount retailing and discusses his core values of frugality and a bias for action—a willingness to try a lot of things and make many mistakes. Bezos included both in Amazon’s corporate values," Stone writes.

Find "Made in America" here .

"Memos from the Chairman" by Alan Greenberg

books recommended jeff bezos

"A collection of memos to employees by the chairman of the now defunct investment bank Bear Stearns. In his memos, Greenberg is constantly restating the bank’s core values, especially modesty and frugality. His repetition of wisdom from a fictional philosopher presages Amazon’s annual recycling of its original 1997 letter to shareholders," Stone writes.

Find "Memos from the Chairman" here .

"The Mythical Man-Month" by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.

books recommended jeff bezos

"An influential computer scientist makes the counter-intuitive argument that small groups of engineers are more effective than larger ones at handling complex software projects. The book lays out the theory behind Amazon’s two pizza teams," Stone writes.

Find "The Mythical Man-Month" here .

"Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies" by Jim Collins

books recommended jeff bezos

" The famous management book about why certain companies succeed over time. A core ideology guides these firms, and only those employees who embrace the central mission flourish; others are 'expunged like a virus' from the companies," Stone writes.

Find "Built to Last" here .

"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t" by Jim Collins

books recommended jeff bezos

"Collins briefed Amazon executives on his seminal management book before its publication. Companies must confront the brutal facts of their business, find out what they are uniquely good at, and master their fly wheel, in which each part of the business reinforces and accelerates the other parts," Stone writes.

Find "Good to Great" here.

"Creation: Life and How to Make It" by Steve Grand

books recommended jeff bezos

"A video-game designer argues that intelligent systems can be created from the bottom up if one devises a set of primitive building blocks. The book was influential in the creation of Amazon Web Services, or AWS, the service that popularized the notion of the cloud," Stone writes

Find " Creation: Life and How to Make It " here .

"The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton Christensen

books recommended jeff bezos

"An enormously influential business book whose principles Amazon acted on and that facilitated the creation of the Kindle and AWS. Some companies are reluctant to embrace disruptive technology because it might alienate customers and undermine their core business, but Christensen argues that ignoring potential disruption is even costlier," Stone writes.

Find "The Innovator's Dilemma" here.

"The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvements" by Eliyahu Goldratt

books recommended jeff bezos

"An exposition of the science of manufacturing written in the guise of the novel, the book encourages companies to identify the biggest constraints in their operations and then structure their organizations to get the most out of those constraints. The Goal was a bible for Jeff Wilke and the team that fixed Amazon’s fulfillment network," Stone writes.

Find "The Goal" here.

"Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation" by James Womanck

books recommended jeff bezos

"The production philosophy pioneered by Toyota calls for a focus on those activities that create value for the customer and the systematic eradication of everything else," Stone writes.

Find "Lean Thinking" here .

"Data-Driven Marketing: The 15 Metrics Everyone in Marketing Should Know" by Mark Jeffery

books recommended jeff bezos

"A guide to using data to measure everything from customer satisfaction to the effectiveness of marketing. Amazon employees must support all assertions with data, and if the data has a weakness, they must point it out or their colleagues will do it for them," Stone writes.

Find "Data-Driven Marketing" here.

"The Black Swan" by Nassim Taleb

books recommended jeff bezos

"The scholar argues that people are wired to see patterns in chaos while remaining blind to unpredictable events, with massive consequences. Experimentation and empiricism trumps the easy and obvious narrative," Stone writes.

Find "The Black Swan" here .

More essential reads:

books recommended jeff bezos

27 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read

books recommended jeff bezos

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Jeff Bezos’ Book Recommendations

Jeff Bezos is the founder, chief executive officer, and president of Amazon.  Wikipedia

15 Books Recommended by Jeff Bezos

Sam Walton: Made in America

Sam Walton: Made In America

Sam Walton: Made in America is a 1992 autobiographical book by Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. 

1 recommender Jamie Dimon

“Expounds on the principles of discount retailing and discusses his core values of frugality and a bias for action—a willingness to try a lot of things and make many mistakes. Bezos included both in Amazon’s corporate values.” – Brad Stone

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t

Good to Great

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t is a 2001 book by James C. Collins.

3 recommenders Evan Williams , Jeff Bezos , and Max Levchin

“Jim Collins briefed Amazon executives on his seminal management book before its publication.” – Brad Stone

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

The Black Swan

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable is a 2007 book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

2 recommenders Jeff Bezos and Pavel Durov

“Argues that people are wired to see patterns in chaos while remaining blind to unpredictable events, with massive consequences. Experimentation and empiricism trumps the easy and obvious narrative.” – Brad Stone

books recommended jeff bezos

Rework  is a 2010 book by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

3 recommenders Jeff Bezos , Mark Cuban , and Tony Hsieh

“Unperturbed by conventional wisdom, Jason and David start fresh and rewrite the rules of business. Their approach turns out to be as successful as it is counter-intuitive.” – Jeff Bezos ( Source )

The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day is a 1989 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.

1 recommender Jeff Bezos

“My favorite novel. Teaches pain of regret so well you will think you lived it.” – Jeff Bezos ( Source )

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement  is a 1984 novel by Eliyahu M. Goldratt.

2 recommenders Jeff Bezos and Kevin Systrom

 “Encourages companies to identify the biggest constraints in their operations and then structure their organizations to get the most out of those constraints.” – Brad Stone

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

Built to Last

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies is a 1994 book by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras.

2 recommenders Jack Ma and Jeff Bezos

“My favorite business book.” – Jeff Bezos ( Source )

The Innovator's Dilemma

The Innovator’s Dilemma

The Innovator’s Dilemma  is a 1997 book by Clayton M. Christensen.

5 recommenders Andrew Grove , Ben Horowitz , Jeff Bezos , Mark Cuban , and Steve Jobs

“An enormously influential business book whose principles Amazon acted on and that facilitated the creation of the Kindle and AWS.” – Brad Stone

The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering

The Mythical Man-Month

The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering is a 1975 book by Fred Brooks.

1 recommender Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison

“Lays out the theory behind Amazon’s two-pizza teams.” – Brad Stone

Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation

Lean Thinking

Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation is a 1996 book by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones.

“Calls for a focus on those activities that create value for the customer and the systematic eradication of everything else.” – Brad Stone

Data-Driven Marketing: The 15 Metrics Everyone in Marketing Should Know

Data-Driven Marketing

Data-Driven Marketing: The 15 Metrics Everyone in Marketing Should Know is a 2010 book by Mark Jeffery.

“A guide to using data to measure everything from customer satisfaction to the effectiveness of marketing.” – Brad Stone

Memos from the Chairman

Memos from the Chairman

Memos from the Chairman is a 1996 book by Alan C. Greenberg.

“His repetition of wisdom from a fictional philosopher presages Amazon’s annual recycling of its original 1997 letter to shareholders.” – Brad Stone

Creation: Life and How to Make It

Creation: Life and how to Make it is a book written by Steve Grand. It was first published in the year 2000.

“Was influential in the creation of Amazon Web Services, or AWS, the service that popularized the notion of the cloud.” – Brad Stone

Dune

Dune is a 1965 science-fiction novel by Frank Herbert.

4 recommenders Elon Musk , Jeff Bezos , Michael Arrington , and Sal Khan

 “I’m a big science-fiction fan. I love Dune .” – Jeff Bezos ( Source )

The Culture Series

The Culture Series

The Culture series is a science fiction novel series written by Iain M. Banks.

“A huge personal favorite.” – Jeff Bezos ( Source )

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10 books recommended by Jeff Bezos that’ll help build your own success story

J eff Bezos is one of the most influential business figures, who has left no stone unturned in building his legacy. Whether it’s his 28-year-long journey as the Amazon CEO or his highly-ambitious aerospace company Blue Origin, Bezos has been a trailblazer in every way. Just like other Silicon Valley bigshots (Bill Gates and Elon Musk), Bezos is also a voracious reader. He has often credited his success to the books he has chanced upon over the years.

Did you know that his love for books resulted in the formation of Amazon? The e-commerce giant started out in 1995 as a website that only sold books. The aim was to give a chance to lesser-known authors and small publications to exhibit their creations. In the biography ‘ The Everything Store ‘, author Brad Stone mentions that books played a significant role in cultivating Bezos’ leadership style and thought process.

Amazon employees are also familiar with what’s called ‘Jeff’s Reading List’. This list contains books ranging from autobiographies, business, technology and more that helped him achieve billionaire status. So, if you’re a budding entrepreneur looking for new ways and ideas to improve your business or simply seeking inspiration to kickstart your road to success, Bezos’ book recommendations will aid you immensely.

We’ve curated a list of the best book recommendations by Jeff Bezos that’ll steer you on the path to success.

10 book recommendations by Jeff Bezos to read, pronto:

If you’re interested in understanding what goes into the making of successful businesses, this book is for you. Authors Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras closely study eighteen highly successful and prosperous companies. They delve deep into the workings of each firm in direct comparison to one of its top competitors to try and understand what exactly sets them apart.

Built to Last is extremely useful for all entrepreneurs looking to unravel secrets about the success and survival of a company, be it a start-up , midsize or large corporation. The central question echoing throughout the book is ‘What makes the truly exceptional companies different from other companies?’ Providing a framework that is beneficial at various managerial and entrepreneurial levels, this book is a holy grail for Bezos. He called it his ‘favourite business book’.

(Image credit: Amazon)

Kazuo Ishiguro chronicles the tale of a butler named Stevens, who recalls his days serving as a soldier in wartime England by writing diary entries. At the end of his three-decade-long service at Darlington Hall, Stevens starts to question his undying loyalty to his employer, Lord Darlington. Steven starts contemplating his employer’s supposed greatness, in addition to having grave doubts about the nature of his own life.

If you’re not an avid reader, The Remains of the Day has also been adapted into a movie starring Anthony Hopkins. The book remarkably deals with the themes of duty vs. desire, dignity vs. authenticity as well as fulfilling your dreams vs. settling for whatever’s available.

Bezos calls it his favourite novel, which ‘teaches the pain of regret so well you will think you lived it’.

After much brainstorming for countless hours, writing 250,000 computer codes alone and facing several other challenges, Steve Grand produced a revolutionary computer game, Creatures . In this book, the author closely navigates what artificial intelligence and life are, in context to his revolutionary game. 

The book is all about discovering new avenues and possibilities, two things that Amazon strives to do till date. Grant’s book is a thought-provoking and exciting read for all computer-savvy folks, giving useful insights without drowning readers in programming jargon.

For the unversed, the book ‘influenced the creation of Amazon Web Services, or AWS, a service that popularised the notion of the cloud’.

The book has given rise to what’s known as ‘The Black Swan’ theory, which describes an event that comes as a surprise or shock, has severe consequences, and is followed by an explanation that the occurrence was obvious in hindsight. For example, the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 or the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The book poses a pertinent question: “Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur?” Taleb argues that humans are wired to ‘specifics’ when they should be focusing on ‘generalities’. We always find comfort in the patterns familiar to us, making us unable and inefficient to identify unexpected events with dire consequences.

The book will surely transform the way you visualise the world.

For Bezos, the book offers something particularly important, a “getaway”.

In the Walmart founder’s autobiography, we get to know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into creating the largest retailer in the world. Sam Walton’s book is rich with anecdotes and fundamental ideas that steered him towards fulfilling the American Dream.

Walton stresses the importance of progress, being open to trying new things and committing mistakes that are essential to growth. Amazon rightly describes Walton as a “genuine American folk hero cut from the homespun cloth of America’s heartland.”

Bezos mentioned that there’s a “lot to admire” in the way he started Walmart.

Harvard professor Clayton M. Christensen explains how ‘disruptive innovation’ is the key for companies to stay relevant. He mentions how even the best brands and businesses lose leadership despite doing everything right according to them, just because they miss out on new waves of innovation.

While it’s difficult to examine the fall of such companies, Christensen provides a surprising and paradoxical answer to this. The same practices that led the business to the pinnacle of success are the ones that cause its eventual downfall. He stresses that managers must know when and how to abandon obsolete business practices to make space for new ways.

Amazon itself acted on the principles of this book, which also facilitated the creation of Kindle as well as Amazon Web Services. Each leader, entrepreneur or person at the managerial level must add this book to their reading list .

The book aims to reform management thinking styles across the globe, encouraging companies to point out the biggest constraints in their operations and restructure the organisation accordingly to optimise performance.

The book chronicles the tale of a plant manager called Alex, working around the clock to improve his performance. His factory is on the verge of disaster, not able to fulfil deliveries in a timely manner and rapidly losing money. Given these circumstances, he’s given a 90-day notice by the headquarters to change the trajectory or else the factory will be shut down for good. In addition to his professional woes, his marriage is also in shambles.

Amid this, Alex bumps into a professor from his earlier days, who helps him come out of traditional ways of thinking and figure things out with a new perspective. The compelling story of Alex’s fight to redeem his factory is a wake-up call for all managers in the industry.

This book will help you find a better, easier way to flourish your business by making you unlearn archaic ways of conducting it. While a typical business book will tell you to create a business plan, seek investors, scrutinise your competition and a whole list of things, Rework informs you it’s way more uncomplicated than that.

The authors tell you the harmful implications of these old patterns of building business, stressing that you don’t really need outside investors and that it’s actually better to ignore the competition. The only thing you must do is, start working.

Know how to increase productivity , get exposure without splurging tons of money and familiarise yourself with a host of other counterintuitive/ easy ideas that actually work. The book is the ultimate guide for all those looking to build something from scratch.

The authors break down a business system relevant to 21st-century companies, teaching them how to become a money-making machine by getting rid of anything that doesn’t contribute to enhancing customer value.

The book talks about the revolutionary manufacturing system adopted by Toyota, which ensures steady growth amid diverse economic conditions. This type of manufacturing system is known as the ‘lean system’, which throughout the book has been contrasted with the traditional ‘mass production’ system of manufacturing.

Lean Thinking presents case studies from diverse industries to explain the principles of lean and how to implement them in various environments. The book offers a new way of thinking and running companies, which is beneficial for everyone from an entry-level employee to the CEO .

Another great management book, Good to Great by Jim Collins takes you on a compelling journey of how to make good companies great over the years. Collins, with his 21-people research team, conducted intense research for half a decade, the findings of which have been shared in the book.

The team analysed publicly-traded companies that demonstrated the good-to-great pattern irrespective of the industries they belonged to. The aim was to find the common traits that helped them garner success. The author then unravels the findings and concepts further in the book, making it one of the best management guides to add to your shelf.

The post 10 books recommended by Jeff Bezos that’ll help build your own success story appeared first on Prestige Online - Singapore .

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By Ben Smith

  • Published May 13, 2021 Updated June 17, 2021

AMAZON UNBOUND Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire By Brad Stone

After I finished “Amazon Unbound,” I glanced at the sleek black Amazon Echo cylinder sitting on my kitchen counter, right next to a few cans of dog food that had just arrived from Amazon. Instead of the device, I imagined before me the equally sleek, smoothly bald and evenly tanned face of Jeff Bezos himself, eyes peering serenely back at me from below the glowing LED halo.

That minor hallucination made a kind of sense because — as we learn from Brad Stone’s new portrait of Amazon and its founder — Alexa, the voice coming out of my Echo, more or less is Jeff Bezos. He came up with the idea of a smart speaker in January 2011, back in the era of Google Plus and the iPod Shuffle. Bezos emailed his top deputies that month and declared, “We should build a $20 device with its brains in the cloud that’s completely controlled by our voice.”

For the next nearly four years, he obsessively micromanaged the project, pushing teams in Atlanta and Gdansk to make speech recognition seamless. He put in place a surreal testing protocol that involved hiring temps to spend days in empty apartments chattering away to silent speakers, and berated executives who told him it would take decades to develop speech recognition. He took home an early Echo prototype and when, in a moment of frustration, he told it to go “shoot yourself in the head,” it sent a wave of panic through the engineers who were listening in. He even came up with the idea for the LED ring on top, Stone writes, and with the name “Alexa” (in homage to the ancient library of Alexandria).

Stone’s new volume is on its surface a business book that seeks to explain the rise of America’s most important private enterprise, a giant company also notable for its opacity. In that sense, it is a sequel of sorts to his 2013 best seller, “The Everything Store,” which introduced Bezos and explained his relentless and single-minded drive to take over online commerce. “Amazon Unbound” is particularly valuable in explaining how the company makes money, and the day-to-day decisions that end up having a big effect on consumers: Is it worth it, for example, to sell pallets of bottled water, with their low cost and expensive shipping?

Stone looks at turning points in Amazon’s history, like the failure of the Fire phone and the rise of Amazon Web Services, its internet hosting division, as the engine of the company’s financial success. This is the inside story, a kind of corollary to the outside one Alec MacGillis recently sketched in “Fulfillment,” his grim look at how the country has become atomized by Amazon’s economic model. I was, though, left wishing at times for a third book that made a tighter connection between the inside of the juggernaut and its effects on the world.

“Amazon Unbound” shows how the company increasingly wields its enormous scale against potential rivals. After acquiring a key robot manufacturer, for instance, it stopped shipping the machines to competitors. And it used its vast trove of data from third-party Amazon vendors to make competing “private label” products, then simply lied about it.

Significantly, the book is also very much a biography of Bezos. And that makes it timely at a moment when our economy is dominated by giant firms headed by a small handful of men, whose personalities and whims we need to understand whether we like it or not. Amazon in the 2010s was an intensely personal venture, run by one of the wealthiest men in the world according to his own desires and reflecting his own personality. Bezos has recently announced he will be stepping down as C.E.O. before the end of the year, though he will clearly retain some guiding role as the company’s executive chairman.

As biography, the book is both limited and perhaps strengthened by the fact that Stone has lost his former access to Bezos, whom he did get a chance to interview for “The Everything Store.” Stone writes that he later learned the C.E.O. was angry he had tracked down his biological father for that book. (MacKenzie Scott, Bezos’ wife at the time, gave “The Everything Store” a one-star review on Amazon.)

There’s an old journalistic saying that access is a curse, because it puts the author in debt to his source and brings him too close to the person he’s covering. It’s safe to say that “Amazon Unbound” does suffer at times from a lack of psychological insight into Bezos. But it benefits from the author’s distance, and makes for a dense, at times juicy tour of the company Bezos built. Like Alexa, Amazon as a company seems to embody some of Bezos’ best personal qualities (his relentless drive to get you that package on time) and his worst (an “informal cruelty” that defines his company’s culture and requires that his factory workers and executives make personal sacrifices for corporate needs).

At Amazon, nearly every big decision comes down to a meeting with Bezos, at which his deputies hold their breaths, genuinely uncertain of whether he will berate them and tear up their proposals, or double their planned budgets. Some of his fixations, like his determination to create a smart speaker, are visionary. Others are quirky: After reading that a single hamburger can contain meat from a hundred different cows, he decided that Amazon’s fledgling grocery business would distinguish itself by offering a “single-cow burger.” Once his aides got past thinking their boss was joking, they set to work. A few months later, the product manager got another email from Bezos: He was having trouble opening the packaging, and the burger had dripped too much fat onto his grill.

It was, Stone writes, “a different style of innovation,” in which employees “worked backwards from Bezos’ intuition and were catering to his sometimes eclectic tastes (literally).”

On a far larger scale, Stone solves some of the mystery behind Amazon’s HQ2 debacle, in which the company announced plans to build a giant new office complex in Queens, then pulled out in the face of local opposition. That New York City was even a possibility was the result of a decision by Bezos to throw out months of careful study — which had narrowed the choices down to Chicago, Philadelphia and Raleigh — and go instead with his gut.

One of the last-minute additions to the plans, and the ultimate symbol of corporate greed to local foes, were the helipads. Bezos himself once hated helicopters, but all of a sudden they were cropping up everywhere. And it was during this period that he’d grown close to a former actress named Lauren Sanchez, a charismatic pilot who now ran an aviation company.

Bezos is at his most human in the sections where Stone describes how he fell for Sanchez, throwing caution to the wind and courting her so publicly that he was sure to get caught. Stone has the incredible emails between a National Enquirer reporter and her source, who first promised to expose the relationship between a “B-list married actress” and a “Bill Gates type.” The source turned out to be Sanchez’ own brother, a true piece of work who played all angles and insisted to the last that he’d “never sell out anyone.”

So it’s hard not to root for Bezos when, trapped by The Enquirer, he lures the publication into sending him a menacing letter — then cheekily publishes it and exposes the minor scandal himself.

But Bezos isn’t just your average victim of tabloid extortion. He’s the richest man in the world, and has recently fashioned himself as a champion of uppercase “Truth” and “Democracy” by saving The Washington Post. Bezos speculated publicly on the possible political motives behind the revelation of his affair, Stone writes, and tried to shift attention away from the tawdriness and toward the brutal murder of the Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The Post purchase had been a “complexifier” in his public life, Bezos himself once wrote, causing “powerful people” to consider him an “enemy.”

Stone’s reporting makes clear that this was, at best, reasonable paranoia; and at worst, a truly cynical bit of public relations, cashing in on a journalist’s murder to distract from a tabloid scandal. His “noble sentiment,” Stone comments dryly, “had little to do with his yearlong open conduct of an extramarital relationship.” Bezos’ wealth and power will always protect him, but there’s a flip side, too: They can also taint anything he touches.

Ben Smith is the media columnist for The Times.

AMAZON UNBOUND Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire By Brad Stone 478 pp. Simon & Schuster. $30.

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Book Blabber

9 Books Recommended by Jeff Bezos for Business Transformation

Cover Image - 9 Books Recommended by Jeff Bezos for Business Transformation

As one of the most visionary minds in the entrepreneurial world, Jeff Bezos has left an indelible mark. The founder of Amazon is known not only for his company but also for his voracious appetite for reading. The books recommended by Jeff Bezos transcend the boundaries of traditional business acumen. They offer profound insights into leadership, strategy and a relentless pursuit of innovation.

Table of Contents

The innovator’s solution, by clayton m. christensen, rework, by jason fried and david heinemeier hansson, built to last, by jim collins, the goal, by eliyahu m. goldratt, the effective executive, by peter f. drucker, the black swan, by nassim nicholas taleb, dune, by frank herbert, the remains of the day, by kazuo ishiguro, the everything store, by brad stone.

The Innovator’s Solution is one of the best books recommended by Jeff Bezos. The book has practical insights into disruptive innovation and strategies to navigate and succeed in rapidly changing markets. It’s a valuable guide for businesses to stay ahead in dynamic industries. It provides an understanding of strategies to foster creativity and adaptability in organizations.

Rework challenges conventional wisdom on business and productivity. The book advocates for a pragmatic and unconventional approach to work, emphasizing simplicity, efficiency and focusing on what truly matters. It offers actionable advice for anyone looking to build and sustain successful ventures.

Built to Last explores the traits and practices of enduring and successful companies. The book identifies key principles that contribute to the longevity and success of businesses. It also emphasises the importance of visionary leadership and a commitment to core values. It offers valuable lessons for leaders and entrepreneurs to build companies with lasting influence.

Also Read: 45 Books Recommended by Entrepreneurs and Global Leaders

The Goal is a management novel introducing the Theory of Constraints, a methodology for optimizing systems and processes. The book provides practical insights for managers and leaders aiming to improve productivity and achieve strategic goals. It follows the journey of a plant manager, discovering and applying key principles to improve operational efficiency.

The Effective Executive is another of the top management books recommended by Jeff Bezos. It’s a classic guide to effective management and leadership, with Peter outlining key principles for executives to enhance their effectiveness. The book serves as a foundational resource for individuals aspiring to excel in managerial roles. It emphasizes time management, decision-making, and the importance of focusing on strengths.

The Black Swan explores the impact of rare and unpredictable events on history and human life. Nassim called these unexpected and high-impact events, the black swans, and discussed their implications for decision-making and risk management. The book offers insights into preparing for and adapting to unforeseen circumstances, both in business and in life. it helps in developing a heightened awareness of the unpredictable nature of certain events.

Dune is a classic science fiction novel set in a distant future where noble families control planets and resources. The story follows young Paul Atreides as he navigates political intrigue, environmental challenges and his own destiny. Recommended by Jeff Bezos, Dune offers a captivating blend of adventure and philosophy. It provides an immersive reading experience exploring themes of power, ecology and human potential.

The Remains of the Day is a poignant novel narrated by an English butler reflecting on his life and career. Set against the backdrop of post-war England, the book explores themes of duty, loyalty and the passage of time. It has an introspective narrative and a thought-provoking exploration of the human condition.

The Everything Store provides a comprehensive look at the rise of Amazon and Jeff Bezos. The book has documented Amazon’s evolution from an online bookstore to an e-commerce giant. It explores Jeff’s leadership style and business strategies, offering lessons in innovation and business transformation.

OK, those were all the books recommended by Jeff Bezos I have for you. They cover a wide range of topics, from business strategy and management to science fiction. And each of them provides unique perspectives in entrepreneurship and leadership.

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PublishingState.com

Best books about Jeff Bezos

Exploring Some of the Best Books About Jeff Bezos

Table of contents, key takeaways:, how jeff bezons built amazon, bezos’ key principles, the everything store: jeff bezos and the age of amazon by brad stone, one click: jeff bezos and the rise of amazon.com by richard l. brandt, the bezos letters: 14 principles to grow your business like amazon by steve anderson, the amazon way: amazon’s 14 leadership principles by john rossman, amazon unbound: jeff bezos and the invention of a global empire, jeff bezos: the life, lessons & rules for success (audiobook), jeff bezos: amazon.com architect by tim robinson, e-commerce revolution, cloud computing, supply chain and logistics, digital publishing and streaming, voice-activated technology, advertising, bezos’ leadership principles, learning from jeff bezos’ success, introduction.

[Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, PublishingState.com earns from qualifying purchases.]

Jeff Bezos is undoubtedly one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our time. As the founder and CEO of Amazon, he has revolutionized the retail and publishing industries and built one of the most valuable companies in the world. This write-up will discuss some of the best books about Jeff Bezos you should read.

Learning from his experiences and insights can provide invaluable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders alike. This write-up aims to recommend the best books on Jeff Bezos for readers with diverse interests.

Whether you are fascinated by entrepreneurship, leadership, or technology or want to know the story behind one of the most disruptive companies in history, there is a book on Bezos that will pique your curiosity. By exploring books on his life, business strategies, and leadership principles, we can better understand how Bezos thinks and what drove him to such phenomenal success.

The knowledge and perspectives from these books can be applied to our endeavors, helping us become better leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. So, let’s dive in and uncover the man behind the Amazon empire, the lessons to be learned from his journey, and the books that provide a window into his world. This blog post aims to highlight the most insightful books on Jeff Bezos for various types of readers.

  • Jeff Bezos founded Amazon and grew it into one of the most successful companies ever.
  • There is immense value in learning from his experiences and business insights.
  • This blog post will recommend the best books on Bezos for different types of readers.

Understanding Jeff Bezos: The Man Behind Amazon

Jeff Bezos was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1964. From a young age, he displayed remarkable intelligence and an affinity for technology and engineering. After graduating as valedictorian, Bezos earned electrical engineering and computer science degrees from Princeton University.

After working in the financial sector for several years, Bezos launched an online bookstore named Amazon in 1994. The company steadily grew from its humble beginnings in Bezos’ garage to become the world’s largest online retailer. Bezos envisioned transforming Amazon from just an online bookstore into a diverse marketplace selling virtually every consumer product imaginable.

Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 with the vision of creating an “everything store.” After leaving his job as a vice president at D.E. Shaw, a Wall Street firm, Bezos decided to take advantage of the burgeoning internet industry. He made a list of 20 potential products to sell online and eventually settled on books due to their low cost and universal demand. Bezos launched Amazon from his garage in Seattle. The company started as an online bookstore, but Bezos had bigger plans. He named the company after the Amazon River, symbolizing the scale he aimed for. The company’s growth was rapid; within the first month of its launch, it had already sold books in all 50 states and 45 countries. Amazon went public in 1997, and despite not having turned a profit, investors were drawn to the company’s potential. Bezos continued to expand Amazon’s offerings, adding CDs and DVDs in 1998, and later clothing, electronics, toys, and more. By 1999, just five years after its inception, Amazon was the largest online retailer in the world. In the early 2000s, Amazon faced financial difficulties due to the dot-com bubble burst, but Bezos navigated the company through this period by focusing on customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. The company finally turned a profit in 2003. Under Bezos’s leadership, Amazon continually innovated and expanded into new markets. They introduced the Kindle e-reader in 2007, revolutionizing the publishing industry. In 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) was launched, which has since become a significant part of the company’s revenue. By focusing on long-term growth over immediate profits and relentlessly pursuing customer satisfaction, Bezos built Amazon into one of the most valuable companies in the world. His leadership and vision transformed not only how we shop but also how businesses operate in the digital age.

Several key principles have defined Bezos’ leadership style and enabled Amazon’s meteoric rise:

  • Obsession with customers – Bezos has always prioritized customer experience above short-term profits.
  • Long-term thinking – Bezos emphasizes making decisions that will benefit Amazon in the long run rather than just the next quarter.
  • Constant innovation – Bezos fosters a culture of innovation, experimentation, and taking calculated risks at Amazon.
  • High standards – Bezos sets impossibly high standards for himself and Amazon employees to meet ever-rising customer expectations.

Bezos’ laser focus on improving customer experience, playing the long game, and constantly innovating laid the foundations for Amazon’s evolution into a customer-centric technology powerhouse.

Best Books for Business Enthusiasts

For aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to emulate Jeff Bezos’ success, several books look at the strategies and mindset that fueled Amazon’s meteoric rise. Here are some of the best books for gaining insights into Bezos’ approach to business and innovation:

The Everything Store is an in-depth account that traces Amazon’s origins as an online bookseller to its current retail and technology titan position. Key takeaways include Bezos’ customer-centric philosophy, willingness to make bold bets, and long-term focus on market leadership over profits.

Best books about Jeff Bezos: The Everything Store

In this book, Stone provides a comprehensive look at Amazon’s early struggles, major milestones, and evolution through interviews with Bezos and other insiders.

Featuring interviews with former Amazon executives, the book One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com reveals how Bezos built a culture of innovation focused on understanding customers’ needs.

Best books about Jeff Bezos: One Click

Brandt spotlights key moments in Amazon’s growth while highlighting Bezos’s role in driving the company’s customer obsession, embracing emerging technologies, and cultivating a culture of experimentation.

In The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon , Rossman, a former Amazon executive, extracts lessons from Bezos’ annual letters to shareholders to identify the leadership principles that shaped the company.

Best books about Jeff Bezos: The Bezos Letters

These include customer obsession, resisting proxies, embracing external trends, and thinking long-term. The book provides a blueprint for applying Bezos’ approach to business growth and innovation.

Expanding on his analysis of Bezos’ shareholder letters, The Amazon Way: Amazon’s 14 Leadership Principles outlines the unique leadership strategies that defined Amazon’s success. Key lessons for readers include Bezos’ focus on hiring the right people, bias for action, commitment to operational excellence, and willingness to take risks and learn from failure.

For business leaders aiming to foster innovation within their companies, these books offer an inside look at Bezos’ playbook and provide insights that can help shape strategy, culture, and customer relationships.

Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire , again by Brad Stone, explores how Bezos led Amazon into new frontiers like smart speakers, streaming video, cloud services, and more. It offers insights into his leadership style and decision-making as he transformed Amazon from an online bookseller into a technology powerhouse touching all aspects of our lives.

Best Books for Biography Lovers

For readers looking to dive deep into Jeff Bezos’ personal story, several compelling biographies offer an intimate look at the man behind the Amazon empire. These books chronicle Bezos’s life, from his early days as a gifted student through his meteoric rise as a tech titan, providing insight into the experiences that shaped his character.

Jeff Bezos: The Life, Lessons & Rules for Success is a motivational biography audiobook focusing on extracting the key lessons from Jeff Bezos’s life, from childhood to leading Amazon. It provides condensed insights into his leadership style, business philosophy, and personal habits that aspiring entrepreneurs can apply. The book highlights principles like customer obsession, innovation, and long-term thinking that were vital to his success.

As part of a series profiling influential business leaders, Jeff Bezos: Amazon.com Architect provides a concise but well-researched look into Jeff Bezos’ background and accomplishments. It chronicles his early interest in computers and business ventures as a child through his time at Princeton and working on Wall Street. The book offers a high-level summary of his leadership principles and strategy in building the Amazon empire.

These intimate biographies tell the story of Jeff Bezos’ extraordinary life and provide a window into the experiences, values, and traits that shaped him. Readers gain insight into the critical moments and relationships that influenced Bezos and a sense of his personality outside the public persona. These biographies deliver a compelling and humanizing perspective for those seeking an in-depth understanding of the man behind the Amazon legend.

Impact of Jeff Bezos on Other Businesses

Jeff Bezos’ impact on global businesses has been profound and transformative. His leadership of Amazon has reshaped the retail industry and influenced a wide range of sectors, from publishing to technology, logistics, entertainment, and beyond.

Bezos pioneered online shopping, transforming the retail landscape. Amazon’s success prompted traditional brick-and-mortar stores worldwide to establish an online presence or risk becoming obsolete. This shift forced businesses to rethink their strategies, focusing more on digital marketing, user experience, and efficient delivery systems.

With the launch of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2006, Bezos ushered in the era of cloud computing. AWS provides businesses with affordable, scalable, and efficient cloud solutions, enabling startups and established companies to reduce their IT costs and focus more on their core operations. It has set the standard for cloud services, prompting other tech giants like Microsoft and Google to offer competing products.

Amazon’s emphasis on fast and reliable delivery has revolutionized logistics and supply chain management. The company’s innovations, such as its sophisticated warehouse automation and the introduction of Amazon Prime’s two-day shipping, have raised consumer expectations and pressured other businesses to improve their logistics operations.

The introduction of the Kindle e-reader disrupted the publishing industry by popularizing digital books. Furthermore, Bezos moved into the entertainment industry with Amazon Studios and Prime Video, challenging traditional film and TV production companies and streaming platforms.

Amazon’s development of Alexa and Echo smart speakers brought voice-activated technology into homes worldwide, leading to a surge in smart home devices and influencing businesses across various industries to integrate voice technology into their products and services.

Amazon has become a significant player in online advertising, challenging the duopoly of Google and Facebook. Many businesses now consider Amazon’s platform a crucial part of their digital advertising strategy.

Bezos’ emphasis on customer obsession, long-term thinking, and innovation has influenced business leadership globally. His 14 leadership principles are widely studied and adopted by many organizations aiming to foster a culture of high standards and continuous improvement. Jeff Bezos’ strategies and innovations have set new standards and forced businesses across various industries to adapt and innovate. His relentless focus on customer satisfaction, disruptive thinking, and long-term vision have left an indelible mark on the global business landscape.

Jeff Bezos’ journey with Amazon provides many valuable lessons that aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders can apply to their endeavors. By reading the books recommended in this post, we gain insightful perspectives into the mindset, strategies, and leadership principles that enabled Bezos to build one of the most successful companies in the world.

One of the key takeaways is the importance of maintaining a long-term vision and being willing to make bold bets, even when faced with skepticism. Bezos was not afraid to make big investments early on to lay the foundations for Amazon’s future growth. He had conviction in his vision to transform customer experiences through technology and innovation.

Another lesson is the significance of obsession over customers, not competitors. Bezos placed the customer at the heart of every decision Amazon made. This focus on understanding and delighting customers through continuous improvement has been a competitive advantage for Amazon over the years.

Additionally, Bezos exemplified the value of cultivating a culture of innovation. By encouraging experimentation, risk-taking, and learning from failure, he fostered an environment where disruptive ideas could thrive at Amazon. This has enabled the company to expand into new products, services, and industries.

The books also showcase how Bezos leads with optimism, curiosity, and high standards. He is not afraid to challenge the status quo and believes progress comes from having high expectations. This serves as an inspiration to aim big and never settle for mediocrity.

Jeff Bezos’ journey offers many powerful insights for readers looking to start or grow a successful business. By studying Bezos’ leadership principles and strategies, we can apply the lessons to our context. The books recommended in this post are invaluable resources to learn from one of today’s most remarkable entrepreneurs.

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Amazon: Beyond Books

Beating expectations, real estate, charitable donations, media, high tech, glass, and travel, the way-out-there ideas, the bottom line.

  • Business Leaders

How Jeff Bezos Became One of the World’s Richest People

books recommended jeff bezos

Erika Rasure is globally-recognized as a leading consumer economics subject matter expert, researcher, and educator. She is a financial therapist and transformational coach, with a special interest in helping women learn how to invest.

books recommended jeff bezos

As of Feb. 21, 2024, Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $191 billion, making him the third-richest person in the world. His fortune eclipses that of Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and legendary investor Warren Buffett .

Bezos is the founder, former chief executive officer (CEO), and now executive chair of the global e-commerce company Amazon. The company accounted for 37.6% of online retailer market share in the U.S. in 2023. As digitalization and the cloud computing revolution reshapes human behavior, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is forecasted to propel higher.

Raised by a teen mom and Cuban immigrant stepfather, Bezos once told his school teachers, “The future of mankind is not on this planet.” Jeff Bezos's boss discouraged his resigning from his stable job as a hedge fund executive with D. E. Shaw & Co. to start Amazon in 1994.

Key Takeaways

  • Jeff Bezos’s net worth is $191 billion as of Feb. 21, 2024, making him the third-richest person in the world.
  • Bezos is the founder and former chief executive officer (CEO) of Amazon. He remains the executive chair of the company.
  • He holds traditional investments, such as real estate and shares in other companies.
  • Bezos has funded several education projects through the Bezos Family Foundation.
  • On July 20, 2021, Bezos and three others boarded the New Shepard spacecraft and completed the first successful crewed flight of his space exploration company, Blue Origin.

Investopedia / Josh Seong

Jeff Bezos graduated from Princeton University with degrees in computer science and electrical engineering. Upon graduating, he turned down offers from Intel and Bell Labs to join a startup called Fitel. He helped launch a news-by-fax service company with Halsey Minor, the founder of CNET, which failed and led Bezos to become the youngest senior vice president at a hedge fund called D. E. Shaw.

Bezos was enthralled that the Internet was growing at 2,300% annually in 1994, and his idea for Amazon was born. Amazon.com, a platform for selling books, grew out of a garage with his $10,000 investment. Bezos, his wife, and two programmers conducted most meetings at the neighborhood Barnes & Noble. After launching in July 1995, Amazon sold books in every U.S. state and 45 countries.

Bezos tried to raise capital by estimating $74 million in sales by 2000, far below the reality: $1.64 billion in sales in 1999 alone. He gathered $1 million in seed funding from angel investors after investments from his family. The first approximately 20 investors in Amazon with a $50,000 stake rounded to 1% would grow to be worth $3.5 billion, representing a 70-times return in about 20 years.

In June 1996, Amazon raised another $8 million in Series A from venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins. Amazon went public in May 1997 and was one of the few startups that survived the dot-com bust . Annual sales skyrocketed from $511,000 in 1995 to over $3 billion in 2001.

Amazon’s share price reflects its phenomenal growth. The stock increased about 450% from January 2016 to January 2021 and rose 60% from January 2020 to January 2021 alone. Starting in 2022 through early 2023, the stock saw a continuous downward trend but has almost reached 2021 levels as of 2024. Bezos owns 12.3% of Amazon as of 2023, making it the primary source of his wealth. The company’s 2023 annual meeting announcement showed Bezos owning more than 1 billion shares.

$574.8 billion

Amazon's net sales for 2023.

Jeff Bezos has holdings in traditional investments, such as real estate. His 165,000-acre Corn Ranch in Texas was acquired as the base of operations for his aerospace company, Blue Origin, and serves as the test site for the vertical-landing, manned, suborbital New Shepard rocket.

His homes include multimillion-dollar holdings on the East and West Coasts in Beverly Hills and Manhattan. Bezos’s New York presence is reported to have boosted Century Tower property values, with space selling for $2,000 to $3,000 per square foot. He also has a lakeside property in Washington state, on which he spent $28 million to increase the living space to almost 30,000 square feet. He also bought a yacht worth $500 million, which launched in 2023.

In 2012, Amazon bought its own South Lake Union headquarters building in Seattle for $1.5 billion, making it one of the largest commercial property owners. Amazon took possession of nearly a dozen buildings, almost 2 million square feet of office space, and approximately 100,000 square feet of retail space. In August 2017, The Seattle Times  reported Amazon had as much office space as the region's 40 largest employers combined, at 8.1 million square feet.  

Jeff Bezos has invested sizable sums in charitable donations. In addition to the Bezos Family Foundation funding several education projects, Bezos has made multimillion-dollar charitable contributions to Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry and his alma mater, Princeton University.

In January 2018, Bezos and his now ex-wife, MacKenzie, pledged $33 million to TheDream.US, an organization working to improve college access for undocumented immigrant youth brought to the United States as young children. The grant provides college scholarships to 1,000 U.S. high school graduates with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.  

Bezos has an affinity for the technology sector and media and communication services that connect people. Bezos invested in Twitter Inc. (now X Corp.) and the popular business news website Business Insider . In 1998, Bezos became an early investor in Google. While he hasn’t revealed what amount of the stock he owns after its initial public offering in 2004, his $250,000 investment is likely worth billions today. Zocdoc Inc. and Nextdoor are platforms for connecting people in which Bezos has also invested.

Jeff Bezos has invested more than $30 million in the transportation company Uber. One of his notable investment successes is Workday Inc. which provides human resource services in the cloud. Shortly after Bezos’s venture capital investment in the company, it went public in an  initial public offering (IPO) that garnered more than $684 million.

Bezos has also invested in glassybaby, which makes glass-blown holders for votive candles.

In August 2013, Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Its audience and traffic exploded, surpassing The New York Times for the first time in terms of U.S. unique web viewers in October 2015.

In 2013, Bezos revealed his plans for the company’s revolutionary Amazon Prime subscription business to use drones to make deliveries to customers. In 2022, the first Amazon Prime Air drone deliveries began servicing limited areas with plans for future expansion.

Bezo invested in the 10,000-year clock project to build a clock into the side of the Sierra Diablo mountain range in Texas, which would tick for 10,000 years. The clock will have a chime generator that generates a different chime sound each day. Bezos explained the clock's need by saying today’s global problems require “long-term thinking.”

The F-1 engine retrieval project salvaged engines that powered the Apollo 11 flight to the moon from the Atlantic Ocean. Artifacts were recovered to fashion displays out of two F-1 engines. The artifacts were donated to The Museum of Flight in Seattle in 2015. With his booming wealth, Bezos fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a space entrepreneur.

Each year, Bezos commits $1 billion to his space exploration company, Blue Origin, which, in 2016, became one of the first commercial companies to launch a reusable rocket. On July 18, 2018, Blue Origin sent the New Shepard spacecraft to a high altitude to test its safety systems, which worked.

On July 20, 2021, Bezos, his brother Mark, aviation pioneer Wally Funk, and Dutch student Oliver Daemen boarded the New Shepard and completed Blue Origin’s first successful crewed flight, reaching an altitude of just above 62 miles before landing safely.

How Much Money Does Jeff Bezos Have?

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $191 billion as of Feb. 21, 2024. Given that his 12.3% Amazon stake accounts for a large portion of his wealth, his net worth can fluctuate significantly depending on the value of the company’s stock.

What Companies Does Jeff Bezos Own?

In addition to founding Amazon, Bezos also owns The Washington Post and space exploration company Blue Origin.

What Companies Are in Jeff Bezos’s Stock Portfolio?

In addition to his 12.3% stake in Amazon, Bezos has also invested in Uber, Airbnb, and Business Insider .

Through his startup, Amazon, Bezos created one of the most successful companies in the world, which brought him immense wealth. He lost the title of the richest man on Earth in 2021, but he remains the third-wealthiest person in 2024. Only Bernard Arnault and Elon Musk exceed Bezos's wealth.

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Brad Stone. " The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon ," Chapter 2. Little, Brown and Company, 2013.

Amazon. “ Amazon.com Announces Profitability in U.S.-Based Book Sales, Financial Results for Fourth Quarter 1999 .”

Business Insider. “ Jeff Bezos Told What May Be the Best Startup Investment Story Ever .”

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The Seattle Times. " Amazon’s Billion-Dollar South Lake Union Deal Closes ."

The Seattle Times. “ Thanks to Amazon, Seattle Is Now America’s Biggest Company Town .”

Bezos Family Foundation. “ About Us: Powering the Science of Learning .”

Museum of History & Industry. “ Jeff Bezos Donates $10 Million to Create ‘Center for Innovation’ at New MOHAI Museum in South Lake Union .”

Princeton University. “ Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos Donate $15 Million to Create Center in Princeton Neuroscience Institute .”

TheDream.US. “ Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos to Fund 1,000 College Scholarships for Dreamers; $33 Million Donation the Largest Ever for TheDream.US .”

Alphabet Investor Relations. " 2004 Founders’ IPO Letter ."

Ken Auletta. " Googled: The End of the World As We Know It ," Chapter 2, Page 43. Penguin Publishing Group, 2009.

Bezos Expeditions. “ Bezos Expeditions .”

Zocdoc. “ Our Investors .”

TechCrunch. " Uber Gets $32M From Menlo Ventures, Jeff Bezos And Goldman Sachs ."

GlobeNewswire. " Workday Closes $85 Million in Series F Financing ."

glassbaby. " Glassblowing ."

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The Washington Post. “ Washington Post Closes Sale to Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos .”

CBS News. “ Amazon’s Jeff Bezos Looks to the Future .”

Amazon. " Amazon Reveals The New Design for Prime Air’s Delivery Drone—Here’s Your First Look ."

10,000 Year Clock. " Learn More ."

Bezos Expeditions. “ F-1 Engine Recovery: Updates .”

The New York Times. “ Jeff Bezos Says He Is Selling $1 Billion a Year in Amazon Stock to Finance Race to Space .”

Blue Origin. “ Launch. Land. Repeat .”

Blue Origin. “ Blue Origin Mission 9: Safe Escape in Any Phase of Flight .”

CBS News. “ Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin Crew Complete Successful Spaceflight .”

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