Reading List
Elon Musk
CEO of Tesla & SpaceX
Elon Musk is a businessman who leads Tesla and SpaceX and ranks among the most influential and closely watched figures in technology. He made early fortunes with Zip2 and PayPal, then staked them on electric cars and rockets, and has since expanded into artificial intelligence, satellite internet, and social media. A voracious, largely self-taught reader, he often credits specific books, from science fiction to engineering texts, with shaping how he thinks about risk, invention, and the long-term future.
Twelve Against the Gods
The Story of Adventure
by William Bolitho · 2017 · Biography
“Actually, I'm reading a book called Twelve Against the Gods, by Bolitho. It's really quite good.” — via Interview, July 2016
Foundation
by Isaac Asimov · 1951 · Science Fiction
“Worth reading Asimov's Foundation” — via Tweet, February 2020
Human Compatible
Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control
by Stuart Russell · 2019 · Science
“Worth reading "Human Compatible" by Stuart Russell (he's great!) about future AI risks & solutions” — via Tweet, October 2019
Merchants of Doubt
How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
by Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway · 2011 · History
“Worth reading Merchants of Doubt. Same who tried to deny smoking deaths r denying climate change” — via Tweet, May 2013
Life 3.0
Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
by Max Tegmark · 2017 · Science
“Worth reading Life 3.0 by @Tegmark. AI will be the best or worst thing ever for humanity, so let's get it right.” — via Tweet, August 2017
Zero to One
Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
by Peter Thiel, Blake Masters · 2014 · Business
“Peter Thiel has built multiple breakthrough companies, and Zero to One shows how.” — via Endorsement, September 2014
Superintelligence
Paths, Dangers, Strategies
by Nick Bostrom · 2014 · Philosophy
“Worth reading Superintelligence by Bostrom. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes.” — via Tweet, August 2014