Read by Jensen Huang, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen and 8 others
What books does Marc Andreessen recommend?
Marc Andreessen co-created the first widely used web browser and now backs the next wave of technology as a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and his book recommendations carry the same builder's bias. The 14 titles here come from a16z resources and podcasts, book blurbs and forewords, his verified Twitter feed, and an appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast. Business strategy and leadership anchor the list, shading into psychology, society and politics, and history. He is unequivocal about his favorite management text: Andrew Grove's High Output Management is, in his words, "the best book on management ever written." He hands out Jocko Willink's Extreme Ownership more than any other book, calls Peter Thiel's Zero to One required reading for every entrepreneur, and reaches back to 1864 for Fustel de Coulanges's The Ancient City, "the single best book I have found on who we are and how we got here."
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byAndrew S. Grove
1995272 Pages“It's the best book on management ever written.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Resources
Read by Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen and 4 others
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
byBen Horowitz
2014304 Pages“Ben Horowitz knows no recipe guarantees success. He has written the first true guide for protecting a startup from self-sabotage.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Book Foreword / a16z
Read by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Jensen Huang and 9 others
Zero to One
Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
byPeter Thiel, Blake Masters
2014224 Pages“Zero to One is the first book any working or aspiring entrepreneur must read—period.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Official Book Blurb
Read by Marc Andreessen
The Ancient City
A Study of the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome
byNuma Denis Fustel de Coulanges
1864416 Pages“The single best book I have found on who we are and how we got here.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Lex Fridman Podcast #386
Read by Peter Thiel, Naval Ravikant, Marc Andreessen and 5 others
The Sovereign Individual
Mastering the Transition to the Information Age
byJames Dale Davidson, William Rees-Mogg
1999448 Pages“The most thought provoking book on the unfolding nature of the 21st Century that I've yet read.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Marc Andreessen Verified Twitter
Read by Sheryl Sandberg, Marc Andreessen, Andrew Ng and 1 others
The Lean Startup
How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
byEric Ries
2011336 Pages“Eric has created a science where previously there was only art. A must-read for every serious entrepreneur.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Official Book Blurb
Read by Tim Ferriss, Marc Andreessen, Joe De Sena and 4 others
Extreme Ownership
How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
byJocko Willink, Leif Babin
2015320 Pages“I hand out more copies of this book than any other. How to take responsibility for yourself and for those around you.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Marc Andreessen Verified Twitter
Read by Marc Andreessen, Tobias Lütke, Andrew Huberman and 1 others
The Courage to Be Disliked
The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness
byIchiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
2018288 Pages“Adlerian psychology meets Stoic philosophy in Socratic dialogue. Compelling from front to back. Highly recommend.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Marc Andreessen Verified Twitter
Read by Marc Andreessen
Troubled
A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class
byRob Henderson
2024336 Pages“Book of the year.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Marc Andreessen Verified Twitter
Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World
The Art and Science of Talent Search
byTyler Cowen, Daniel Gross
2022288 Pages“Talent is everything... This book shares how [to find it], based on both scientific research and the authors' own experiences.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Official Book Blurb
Read by Marc Andreessen, Rick Rubin, James Clear and 1 others
Born Standing Up
A Comic's Life
bySteve Martin
2007224 Pages“Read Steve Martin's book 'Born Standing Up'. Seriously. 'Be so good they can't ignore you.'”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Marc Andreessen Verified Twitter
Read by Marc Andreessen
The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium
How insurgencies—enabled by digital devices and a vast information sphere—have mobilized millions of ordinary people around the world
byMartin Gurri
2018445 PagesSource: Lex Fridman Podcast #386
Thinking in Bets
Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
byAnnie Duke
2018288 Pages“Compact guide to probabilistic domains like poker, or venture capital. Recommend for people operating in the real world.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: Marc Andreessen Verified Twitter
Read by Charlie Munger, Jensen Huang, Steve Jobs and 3 others
Only the Paranoid Survive
How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company
byAndrew S. Grove
1996224 Pages“A very good book we recommend.”
— Marc Andreessen
Source: a16z Podcast / a16z Website
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Marc Andreessen recommend?
His 14 recommendations include High Output Management by Andrew Grove, The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, Zero to One by Peter Thiel, The Sovereign Individual, and Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
What is Marc Andreessen's favorite business book?
Andrew Grove's High Output Management, which he calls "the best book on management ever written." He also names Zero to One "the first book any working or aspiring entrepreneur must read" and says he hands out Extreme Ownership more than any other book.
Where do Marc Andreessen's book recommendations come from?
They are drawn from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) resources and podcasts, official book blurbs and forewords, his verified Twitter account, and the Lex Fridman Podcast episode 386.
Does Marc Andreessen recommend history books?
Yes. He calls Fustel de Coulanges's The Ancient City "the single best book I have found on who we are and how we got here," and points to Martin Gurri's The Revolt of the Public and James Dale Davidson's The Sovereign Individual for understanding the present moment.
What genres does Marc Andreessen read most?
Business and strategy and leadership and management lead his list, followed by psychology and human behavior, society and politics, and history. Even his non-business picks, from Thinking in Bets to Troubled, tend to circle questions of decision-making and human nature.
All 14 Books Marc Andreessen Has Recommended
- High Output Management · Andrew S. Grove
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things · Ben Horowitz
- Zero to One · Peter Thiel
- The Ancient City · Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges
- The Sovereign Individual · James Dale Davidson
- The Lean Startup · Eric Ries
- Extreme Ownership · Jocko Willink
- The Courage to Be Disliked · Ichiro Kishimi
- Troubled · Rob Henderson
- Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World · Tyler Cowen
- Born Standing Up · Steve Martin
- The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium · Martin Gurri
- Thinking in Bets · Annie Duke
- Only the Paranoid Survive · Andrew S. Grove