Sam Altman Book Recommendations

Solution Selling

Creating Buyers in Difficult Selling Markets

by Michael Bosworth

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

The Supermen

The Story of Seymour Cray and the Technical Wizards Behind the Supercomputer

by Charles J. Murray

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

Endurance

Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

by Alfred Lansing

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

Foundation (7 books)

This series was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Beak of the Finch

A Story of Evolution in Our Time

by Jonathan Weiner

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

Hold 'em Poker

For Advanced Players

by David Sklansky

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

The Old Way

A Story of the First People

by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

A Pattern Language

Towns, Buildings, Construction

by Christopher Alexander

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Molecular Biology of the Cell

by Bruce Alberts

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

Blitzscaling

The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies

by Reid Hoffman

"Have been waiting for it to come out so that I can recommend it to everyone." - Sam Altman (Source)

The Art of War in the Middle Ages

by Charles Oman

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

Superintelligence

Paths, Dangers, Strategies

by Nick Bostrom

"Best thing I’ve seen on this topic." - Sam Altman (Source)

A Life Decoded

My Genome: My Life

by J. Craig Venter

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Winning

The Ultimate Business How-To Book

by Jack Welch

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius

"Great read." - Sam Altman (Source)

Plentiful Energy

The Story of the Integral Fast Reactor

by Charles E. Till

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

by Jane Jacobs

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Transit of Venus

by Shirley Hazzard

"Incredible." - Sam Altman (Source)

Plan B 3.0

Mobilizing to Save Civilization

by Lester R. Brown

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Pandaemonium

The Coming of the Machine as Seen by Contemporary Observers

by Humphrey Jennings

"My favorite book of [2018]." - Sam Altman (Source)

Man's Search for Meaning

by Viktor E. Frankl

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

The Principia

The Authoritative Translation and Guide: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

by Isaac Newton

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

Powering the Future

How We Will (Eventually) Solve the Energy Crisis and Fuel the Civilization of Tomorrow

by Robert B. Laughlin

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Stories

by Alice Munro

"Really good." - Sam Altman (Source)

Dealers of Lightning

Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age

by Michael A. Hiltzik

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

The Score Takes Care of Itself

My Philosophy of Leadership

by Bill Walsh

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

The Constitutional Convention

A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison

by James Madison

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

The Trial of Socrates

by I. F. Stone

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind

by Julian Jaynes

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Fundamentals of Plasma Physics

by Paul M. Bellan

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Hunger of Memory

The Education of Richard Rodriguez

by Richard Rodriguez

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Republic

by Plato

One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?" (Source)

Anna Karenina

by Leo Tolstoy

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Einstein

His Life and Universe

by Walter Isaacson

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Legend of Henry Ford

by Keith Sward

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Fall

by Albert Camus

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

by Dave Eggers

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Picture of Dorian Gray

by Oscar Wilde

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Call Me by Your Name

A Novel

by André Aciman

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

The Making of a Manager

What to Do When Everyone Looks to You

by Julie Zhuo

"Gives new managers the tools they need to help their people and company win." - Sam Altman (Source)

Medieval Technology and Social Change

by Lynn White

"Really is great." - Sam Altman (Source)

Guns, Sails, and Empires

Technological Innovation and the Early Phases of European Expansion, 1400- 1700

by Carlo M. Cipolla

"Excellent!" - Sam Altman (Source)

Secrets of Sand Hill Road

Venture Capital and How to Get It

by Scott Kupor

"A valuable resource for any founder who wants to work with VCs." - Sam Altman (Source)

Mind of Napoleon

A Selection of His Written and Spoken Words

by J. Christopher Herold

"An incredible primary-source portrait on a brilliant (but obviously deeply flawed) individual." - Sam Altman (Source)

Zero to One

Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

by Peter Thiel

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)

Skunk Works

A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed

by Ben R. Rich

This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf. (Source)