Read by Doug McMillon
What books does Doug McMillon recommend?
Starting at Walmart as a teenager unloading trucks in 1984 and now leading the Fortune 1 retailer as CEO since 2014, Doug McMillon turns his book recommendations into an annual ritual: 12 titles pulled from his widely read Walmart CEO year-end and January reading lists. Business and strategy, society and politics, and leadership dominate, with a heavy recent tilt toward artificial intelligence. Many entries he lists without commentary, but on Guilherme Loureiro's Reinventing the Leader he offers a personal note: "You won't finish this book without sharing my enormous respect for what he accomplished." The AI-focused picks, from Reid Hoffman's Superagency to Ethan Mollick's Co-Intelligence and the Kissinger-Schmidt collaboration Genesis, signal where his attention as a retail leader has turned.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
How Basketball Can Save the World
13 Guiding Principles for Reimagining What's Possible
byDavid Hollander
2023320 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Year-End Reading List, Dec 2025
Read by Doug McMillon, Peter Attia, Craig Groeschel and 1 others
From Strength to Strength
Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
byArthur C. Brooks
2022272 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Year-End Reading List, Dec 2025
Read by Doug McMillon
Reinventing the Leader
How to Change Yourself to Change Your Company
byGuilherme Loureiro, Carlos E. Marin
2025288 Pages“You won't finish this book without sharing my enormous respect for what he accomplished—and how.”
— Doug McMillon
Source: Walmart CEO Year-End Reading List, Dec 2025
Read by Doug McMillon
The Technological Republic
Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West
byAlexander C. Karp, Nicholas W. Zamiska
2025320 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Year-End Reading List, Dec 2025
Read by Doug McMillon
Superagency
What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future
byReid Hoffman, Greg Beato
2025288 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Year-End Reading List, Dec 2025
How to Know a Person
The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen
byDavid Brooks
2023320 Pages“It's a book that helps readers to understand better how to connect with those around them.”
— Doug McMillon
Source: Walmart CEO Reading List, Jan 2025
Read by Doug McMillon
Financial Literacy for All
Disrupting Struggle, Advancing Financial Freedom, and Building a New American Middle Class
byJohn Hope Bryant
2024224 Pages“It teaches wealth creation for all backgrounds, fostering a mindset for a secure financial future.”
— Doug McMillon
Source: Walmart CEO Reading List, Jan 2025
Read by Doug McMillon
Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit
Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit
byHenry Kissinger, Craig Mundie, Eric Schmidt
2024288 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Reading List, Jan 2025
Co-Intelligence
Living and Working with AI
byEthan Mollick
2024256 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Reading List, Jan 2025
Competing in the Age of AI
Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World
byMarco Iansiti, Karim R. Lakhani
2020288 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Reading List, Jan 2025
Read by Doug McMillon
How Stella Saved the Farm
A Tale About Making Innovation Happen
byVijay Govindarajan, Chris Trimble
2013160 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Reading List, Jan 2025
Read by Doug McMillon
Collaborative Disruption
The Walmart and P&G Partnership That Changed Retail Forever
byTom Muccio
2024264 PagesSource: Walmart CEO Reading List, Jan 2025
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Doug McMillon recommend?
His 12 recommendations include From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks, Reinventing the Leader by Guilherme Loureiro, The Technological Republic by Alexander Karp, Superagency by Reid Hoffman, and Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick.
What is Doug McMillon's most recommended book?
A highlighted pick is Reinventing the Leader by Guilherme Loureiro. McMillon writes, "You won't finish this book without sharing my enormous respect for what he accomplished—and how."
Where do Doug McMillon's book recommendations come from?
They come from his published Walmart CEO reading lists, specifically the year-end list from December 2025 and the January 2025 list, which he shares publicly each year.
Which AI books does Doug McMillon recommend?
Several, reflecting his focus on technology in retail: Superagency by Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato, Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick, Competing in the Age of AI by Iansiti and Lakhani, and Genesis by Kissinger, Mundie, and Schmidt.
What genres does Doug McMillon read most?
His lists lean toward business and strategy, society and politics, and leadership and management, with a strong recent interest in science and technology, especially artificial intelligence.
All 12 Books Doug McMillon Has Recommended
- How Basketball Can Save the World · David Hollander
- From Strength to Strength · Arthur C. Brooks
- Reinventing the Leader · Guilherme Loureiro
- The Technological Republic · Alexander C. Karp
- Superagency · Reid Hoffman
- How to Know a Person · David Brooks
- Financial Literacy for All · John Hope Bryant
- Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit · Henry Kissinger
- Co-Intelligence · Ethan Mollick
- Competing in the Age of AI · Marco Iansiti
- How Stella Saved the Farm · Vijay Govindarajan
- Collaborative Disruption · Tom Muccio