Read by Tim Ferriss, John Collison, James Clear and 2 others
What books does John Collison recommend?
Trying to understand how systems, companies, and technologies actually work is the impulse behind John Collison's book recommendations, fitting for the co-founder and president of Stripe. These 14 titles are drawn mostly from his own Twitter feed, an Invest Like the Best podcast appearance, and forewords he has written, and they cluster around business strategy, economics and finance, and the history of technology. His top pick is Charles Munger's Poor Charlie's Almanack, which he urged followers to buy "just in time for his centenary." From there the list ranges across cautionary business tales like Bad Blood and American Kingpin, deep technical explainers like Charles Petzold's Code, and the occasional swerve into P.G. Wodehouse, whom he calls "one of the English language's funniest writers." It is a curious, wide-ranging shelf that treats trade history, chip design, and comic novels as equally worth an evening.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Poor Charlie's Almanack
The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
byCharles T. Munger
2023532 Pages“Get your copy of [this book], just in time for his centenary!”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
byJohn Carreyrou
2018352 Pages“Favorite reads of 2018: ... Bad Blood (John Carreyrou)”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
American Kingpin
The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road
byNick Bilton
2017329 Pages“American Kingpin is an incredible tale. Ross Ulbricht started Silk Road while watching Breaking Bad and became Walter White.”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
Read by John Collison
Stubborn Attachments
A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals
byTyler Cowen
2018160 PagesSource: Stubborn Attachments (Foreword)
7 Powers
The Foundations of Business Strategy
byHamilton Helmer
2016210 Pages“I really enjoyed 7 Powers by Hamilton Helmer. It’s a very clear-headed look at business strategy.”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
Read by John Collison
Liftoff
Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX
byEric Berger
2021288 Pages“I enjoyed @SciGuySpace's new book on the swashbuckling early days of SpaceX.”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
Read by John Collison
Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle
An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle
byMatthew Symonds
2004528 Pages“I think Softwar is great.”
— John Collison
Source: Invest Like the Best Podcast #178
Read by John Collison
Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business
John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business
byMark Robichaux
2002336 Pages“Cable Cowboy is another one that I think is really good.”
— John Collison
Source: Invest Like the Best Podcast #178
Read by John Collison
byCharles Petzold
2022480 Pages(27,000)
“Code (Charles Petzold) — an explanation from transistors to the OS of how computers work.”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
byP.G. Wodehouse
1938224 Pages“P. G. Wodehouse is one of the English language's funniest writers.”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
Read by John Collison
A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World
How Trade Shaped the World
byWilliam J. Bernstein
2008496 Pages“Hefty and wandering but consistently interesting.”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
Scaling People
Tactics for Management and Company Building
byClaire Hughes Johnson
2023480 PagesSource: Scaling People (Foreword)
Read by John Collison
Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports
How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports
byHoward M. Schilit, Jeremy Perler, Yoni Engelhart
2018336 Pages“Financial Shenanigans is a great book.”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
Read by John Collison
The Dream Machine
J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal
byM. Mitchell Waldrop
2018528 Pages“The Dream Machine... is finally back in print.”
— John Collison
Source: John Collison's Twitter
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Frequently asked questions
What books does John Collison recommend?
His 14 recommendations include Poor Charlie's Almanack by Charles Munger, Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, American Kingpin by Nick Bilton, 7 Powers by Hamilton Helmer, and Code by Charles Petzold.
What is John Collison's top book recommendation?
Charles Munger's Poor Charlie's Almanack, which he encouraged people to pick up "just in time for his centenary." He also praises Hamilton Helmer's 7 Powers as "a very clear-headed look at business strategy."
Where do John Collison's book recommendations come from?
Most come from his own Twitter feed, where he shares favorite reads, along with an appearance on the Invest Like the Best podcast (episode 178) and forewords he wrote for books including Tyler Cowen's Stubborn Attachments and Claire Hughes Johnson's Scaling People.
Does John Collison recommend fiction?
Yes, though sparingly. He singles out P.G. Wodehouse's The Code of the Woosters, calling Wodehouse "one of the English language's funniest writers." Most of his list, however, leans toward business, technology, and economic history.
What genres does John Collison read most?
Business and strategy and economics and finance lead, followed by science and technology, biography and memoir, and society and politics. His picks favor books that explain how companies scale, how markets work, and how technologies came to be.
All 14 Books John Collison Has Recommended
- Poor Charlie's Almanack · Charles T. Munger
- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup · John Carreyrou
- American Kingpin · Nick Bilton
- Stubborn Attachments · Tyler Cowen
- 7 Powers · Hamilton Helmer
- Liftoff · Eric Berger
- Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle · Matthew Symonds
- Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business · Mark Robichaux
- Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software · Charles Petzold
- The Code of the Woosters · P.G. Wodehouse
- A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World · William J. Bernstein
- Scaling People · Claire Hughes Johnson
- Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports · Howard M. Schilit
- The Dream Machine · M. Mitchell Waldrop