Read by Naval Ravikant, Jack Ma, Rick Rubin and 1 others
What books does Jack Ma recommend?
Ancient philosophy and modern globalization meet in the book recommendations of Jack Ma. The co-founder of Alibaba and former English teacher who became a pioneer of China's internet economy has pointed to two titles, both in appearances at the Davos World Economic Forum, drawn toward philosophy and economics. Closest to him is Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, a book he keeps at hand: "I always carry the Tao Te Ching with me. It teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao." The second, Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat, sharpened his read on global trade — he calls it "a perfect strategy" for understanding how work and technology are distributed across the world.
Last updated January 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Tao Te Ching
The Book of the Way and Its Virtue
byLao Tzu
1963192 Pages“I always carry the Tao Te Ching with me. It teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao. It looks at the basic predicament of being alive and gives advice that imparts balance and perspective.”
— Jack Ma
Source: Davos World Economic Forum Interview (2018)
Read by Jack Ma, Jamie Dimon
The World Is Flat
A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
byThomas L. Friedman
2005488 Pages“There is a book called 'The World is Flat' by Tom Friedman... I think it describes a perfect strategy. The Americans said 'we just want to control the IP, the technology, and the brand, and leave the lower end jobs for the world.'”
— Jack Ma
Source: Davos World Economic Forum Interview (2017)
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Jack Ma recommend?
Jack Ma has recommended two titles: Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching and Thomas L. Friedman's The World Is Flat — one an ancient work of Taoist philosophy, the other a modern account of globalization.
What is Jack Ma's favorite book?
The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. Ma has said, "I always carry the Tao Te Ching with me. It teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao," crediting it with balance and perspective.
Where do Jack Ma's book recommendations come from?
Both were shared at the Davos World Economic Forum — the Tao Te Ching in a 2018 interview and The World Is Flat in a 2017 conversation about global trade and strategy.
Why does Jack Ma recommend The World Is Flat?
He sees it as a sharp reading of globalization. Ma called Friedman's account "a perfect strategy," describing how it frames the distribution of technology, intellectual property, and labor across a connected global economy.
What genres does Jack Ma read most?
His two recommendations sit at the intersection of philosophy and economics, with threads of leadership and society — pairing Taoist wisdom with a contemporary lens on trade and the global order.