Tim Cook: "Best business book of the century."

Warren Buffett: “The best book I read last year. Phil is a gifted storyteller.”

Alexis Ohanian: "Shoe Dog by Phil Knight is a great one -- had no idea Nike had such a long history."

One of 10 biographies Jason Calacanis recommends reading.

Bill Gurley: "I don't know of any book that captures the entrepreneurial spirit as much as this one does. PK explains exactly why we grind."

Austen Allred: "Loved [Shoe Dog]"

Tobi Lutke's book recommendation for business leaders.

Anthony Pompliano: "One of the best books I read in 2017"

Brian Armstrong mentioned reading Shoe Dog on his blog.

Bill Gates: "An honest tale of what it takes to succeed in business

Phil Knight opens up in a way few CEOs do in his candid memoir about creating the Nike shoe empire."

Austen Allred: "Snow Crash is now one of my favorite books of all-time"

Tobi Lutke: "Loved it. I’ve read every book by [Neal Stephenson]!"

Fred Wilson: "A lot of what we invest in and how we look at the future comes from that book"

Seth Godin: "It’s such a good book but you can’t give it to someone now. I've tried; it doesn’t work.

You have to read it before you’ve been on the internet. Then it changes your mind."

Cameron Winklevoss: "Love [Snow Crash]!"

Alexis Ohanian: "Snow Crash is so good. I gotta re-read; it's been too long."

Marc Andreessen: "Snow Crash was wildly ahead of its time"

Naval Ravikant recommended 'Snow Crash' on Twitter.

One of Larry Page's recommended books.

Mark Cuban: "Chris takes on the challenge and succeeds at explaining just how crypto technology is what’s important to our technological future and how we all can benefit, much like we have from the Internet. I would encourage all regulators and crypto nay-sayers around the world to read this book."

Bob Iger: "Chris Dixon’s Read Write Own is a must for anyone who wants to better understand the real potential of blockchains and web3 to drive even greater innovation, inspire more imaginative thinking, and ultimately unlock new growth opportunities in the future."

Brian Armstrong: "Enjoyed reading Chris Dixon's new book 'Read Write Own'. I suggest you pick up a copy!"

Sam Altman: "Read this book to understand a compelling vision of where the internet should go and how to get there."

Fred Wilson: "While I enjoyed all three parts of the book, I was energized by the final section. Chris imagines a future that is very different from where we are today. It is one I very much want to see emerge. I think you will too."

Alexis Ohanian: "My friend Chris Dixon has a book on the way and I can't wait to read it!"

Balaji Srinivasan: "What's the single best intro to crypto in 2024? 'Read Write Own' by Chris Dixon."

Ben Horowitz: "A must read if you want to understand the future."

Reid Hoffman: "If you want the chance to turn your startup into the next Google or Twitter, then read this trenchant guide from someone who played key roles in the growth of these companies."

Alexis Ohanian: "[Elad Gil's] book is required reading"

Chris Dixon: “This is a great book that complements Peter Thiel’s classic Zero to One (an alternative title for Elad’s book would be “1 to n”).

Everyone interested in the growth stage of startups should read it.”

Max Levchin: "Armed with observations gathered scaling some of the most successful and important companies of Silicon Valley, Elad has no-nonsense, highly applicable advice to any operator transitioning a company from the proverbial garage to the next stage and beyond."

Brian Armstrong: "Elad is one of the most experienced operators in Silicon Valley having seen numerous companies hit their inflection point.

His advice has been key for Coinbase as we go through hypergrowth, from hiring executives to improving M&A."

Aaron Levie: “Elad jam packs every useful lesson about building and scaling companies in a single, digestible book.

My only gripe is that he didn’t write this when we were in the early days of Box as it would have saved my ass countless times.”

Garry Tan: "Super legit book"

Michael Mauboussin: "Best business book I've read in a long time."

Patrick O'Shaughnessy: "It’s one of the most entertaining and useful business books I’ve ever read.

The story behind Pixar is fascinating, but so are the management tactics used to keep the company edgy and creative."

Alexis Ohanian: "The founding story of Pixar was superb read."

Kevin Kelly: "I found it a page-turner because throughout the book he focuses on his mistakes, failings, and what he got wrong.

Almost no one does that, and yet I found it irresistibly the most powerful way to teach."

Joe Gebbia: "Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull takes readers inside how the animation factory makes their sausage.

This book is one of the most intimate looks behind the scenes of a company’s culture, and the impact it has on the people, business and product.

I highly recommend it for anyone who thinks deeply about improving the culture of their organization."

Mark Zuckerberg: "I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity.

This should be inspiring to anyone looking to do the same, and hopefully there will be lessons we can apply to connecting the world!"

One of 10 biographies Jason Calacanis recommends reading.

Brian Chesky: "Bob's book is great and he's an excellent CEO."

Alexis Ohanian: "One of the best leadership books I've read.

These usually disappoint, but I actually came away with some good leadership notes and new appreciation for what Iger pulled off in his tenure as Disney CEO."

Michael Bloomberg: "Bob Iger's story is a testament to the idea that in America, if you work hard and pursue a dream, you really can achieve it."

Karlie Kloss: "I really admire Bob [Iger] and his opinions"

Tim Ferriss: "The negotiation stories with Steve Jobs alone make this book worth the read."

Jason Calacanis: "I like these stories of executives from the 80s and 90s before the internet, because you can really see how those media companies were built"

Bill Gates: "Unlike most books on leadership, this one is worth your time."

Alexis Ohanian: "[Read this book] in order to navigate the world with heightened awareness for how we're always being influenced/manipulated."

Naval Ravikant: "Influence was fundamental and had a lot to teach."

Tobi Lutke: "[Influence] ranks in the top five books I’ve ever read"

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

Charlie Munger recommended 'Influence' in his book Poor Charlie's Almanack.

Neil Strauss recommended 'Influence' on his website.

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

Anthony Pompliano: "One of the best books I read in 2017"

Michael Mauboussin: "Superforecasting is most important book since Thinking, Fast & Slow"

Sam Hinkie: "Remarkable book"

Shane Parrish: "This is the second time I’ve read this book."

Alexis Ohanian: "I think it applies interestingly to the work we do"

Raoul Pal recommended 'Superforecasting' on Twitter.

Casey Neistat: "Unbelievably riveting."

Andrew Wilkinson: "One of my favorite books of the past few years."

Alexis Ohanian: "Gripping read by Nick Bilton about the founding, rise, and fall of The Silk Road."

Chris Dixon: “I never really followed this story when it happened, so wanted to catch myself up. It is a real page-turner.”

Tobi Lutke: "Wonderful"

Austen Allred: "Amazing book"

Alexis Ohanian: "It really made [me and my co-founder] think, 'Well, if these guys could do it, why can’t we?'"

Elon Musk: "Masters of Doom is a great book"

Naval Ravikant: "This book doesn't describe a way for a founder to scale a company. It describes the way for a founder to scale a company."

Brian Armstrong: "Matt has demystified growing a company by breaking it down into simple steps. These are the essentials that every company should implement to operate more effectively."

Alexis Ohanian: "It's a really great book."

Balaji Srinivasan: "Brian Armstrong and I used parts of this at Coinbase and Naval Ravikant has used this at several of his companies. We found it helpful!"

Vinod Khosla: "Best book on the subject"

Alexis Ohanian: "One of the best and most important books I've read [in 2019]."

Michael Mauboussin: "One of my favorite science books in 2018"

Bill Gates: "This book put me to sleep.

An expert explains the benefits of a good night’s rest."

Raoul Pal: "Amazing read. Financial book of the year."

Michael Mauboussin: "Amazing book about human nature"

Alexis Ohanian: "An incredible story.... If you need some billionaires to despise -- look no further than these charlatans."

Anthony Pompliano: "Just finished reading the book Billon Dollar Whale. Worth checking out"

Joe Gebbia: "Best book of 2023. Funny, informative, and authentic."

Tobi Lutke: "6 years ago, Tim Urban gave one of the most insightful and clear-eyed talks on what ails society. This is a thorny topic. His insights were invaluable to me in the years since.

Today he finally shares it as a book. Read it."

Alexis Ohanian: "A fascinating audio book - it's even better as a book because of the drawings but I recently wanted the audio in my ears"

Jen Rubio: "I think it's a great story about unconditional giving, but it's also a good reminder to not be that selfish little boy."

Alexis Ohanian: "Read The Giving Tree to Olympia Ohanian the other night for bed-time. I love how contentious the book is"

Chris Sacca: "It's a good day for catharsis. And Shel Silverstein reading The Giving Tree is a damn fine place to start."

Changpeng Zhao: "This book is a great read"

Kara Swisher: "Let us all fete Mike Isaac for his great book 'Super Pumped' on Uber"

Alexis Ohanian: "Good read."

Kat Cole: "Great book!"

Alexis Ohanian: "I'm ready to be excommunicated from the VC world: I enjoyed Anand's book."

Vinod Khosla: "An important read and though I disagree with many of its conclusions, I do agree with the notion of elite circles that are often, but not always, self-centered and self-interested."

Brianne Kimmel: "This is the book the government does not want you to read: BUY NOW"

Kara Swisher: "Edward Snowden's new book 'Permanent Record' is quite good and surprisingly a love letter to the Internet as it was."

Alexis Ohanian: "Reading with gusto over the holiday and especially reflecting on this note - true friendship is the best investment one can make."

Alexis Ohanian: "Got a ton of these for the Initialized office."

Elon Musk: "Daemon is a great read."

Kat Cole: "Big fan of this book.

We took our leadership teams through it (along with 4 Disciplines of Execution) a few years ago w/ very positive outcomes."

Alexis Ohanian: "It's quick and easy to get through, and makes a strong case for tossing out my daily to-do list in favor of focusing just One Thing every day."

Alexis Ohanian: "How did it take me so long to read (listen) to this?

Fantastic book, Nick Bilton - far more relatable than I knew or expected."

Casey Neistat: "It was reading Hatching Twitter that literally motivated me, inspired me, and gave me the confidence to start my own technology company."

Bryan Johnson: "Reading [this book] today to remind myself how to avoid being puppeteered and to care for the most valuable thing each of us has: time."

Alexis Ohanian recommended 'Hooked' on Twitter.

Alexis Ohanian: "I was vigorously nodding along to parts of this book. A great foundation for bringing intention and focus to your work- and home-life.

Recommending to everyone at ⁦Initialized as well as our founders"

Bryan Johnson: "Reading [this book] today to remind myself how to avoid being puppeteered and to care for the most valuable thing each of us has: time."

Alexis Ohanian: "A bunch of really great interviews [Jessica] did with a bunch of just OGs of entrepreneurship. I am begging her to do a second book because the first one is just a must read."

Paul Graham: "It is probably the single most valuable book a startup founder could read."

Michael Bloomberg: "You don’t want to miss Ken Auletta’s new book 'Frenemies' – a provocative look at the ongoing shift in global advertising and what it means for the future of media"

Alexis Ohanian: "One of the best books I've read [in 2018]. Frenemies kept getting recommended to me by people I respected and it didn't disappoint."

Alexis Ohanian: "This was great read! Gygax is the Satoshi of his era - D&D is the foundation that gave us so much in gaming (and now web3)"

Alexis Ohanian: "Great book on the subject [of WW2 aftermath]"

Alexis Ohanian: "ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS"

Alexis Ohanian: "Everyone needs to read this book."

Alexis Ohanian: "Soraya Chemaly goes in on the patriarchy and it's hard to argue with a lot of the data here.

Rage really is a double-standard between men and women.

As men, we need to lean into this painful truth in order to grow."

Alexis Ohanian: "Must-read for all of us in white America."

Alexis Ohanian: "Required reading"

Alexis Ohanian: “The question every founder asks after shipping is always: how do I get traction? This book actually answers it.”

Alexis Ohanian: "Good read"

Alexis Ohanian shared this book on Twitter.

Alexis Ohanian: "His book was a great reminder--No matter where you go or what you do: LIVE EVERYTHING."

Alexis Ohanian: "Great book"

Alexis Ohanian: “The internet leveled the playing field for content creators, the creatively inclined and just about anyone interested in sharing their thoughts with others. 

The Creative Curve provides a learned perspective on how the structural barriers that prevent people from connecting with one another, and ultimately understanding each other, have shifted while showing how everyone has the ability to create their own creative masterpiece.”