Read by Steve Jobs, Jensen Huang, Jeff Bezos and 5 others
What books does Marc Benioff recommend?
A pioneer of cloud computing and the 1-1-1 philanthropic model, Marc Benioff reads for both strategy and soul, and his book recommendations reflect that dual appetite. The Chair, CEO, and co-founder of Salesforce has shared 20 titles here, sourced from his Twitter feed, book blurbs and forewords he has written, and interviews. Business and strategy lead, joined by science and technology, leadership, society and politics, and memoir. Clayton Christensen's The Innovator's Dilemma is a top pick; Benioff summarises its warning that "a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know how and when to abandon traditional business practices." He makes The Fourth Industrial Revolution "required reading for my entire leadership team," yet also turns to Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind for the reminder that "in the beginner's mind there are many possibilities." Author of four books, he recommends across the spectrum from software to spirituality.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Innovator's Dilemma
When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail
byClayton M. Christensen
1997288 Pages“No matter the industry, a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know how and when to abandon traditional business practices.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Foreword to the edition
byKlaus Schwab
2017192 Pages“This book is required reading for my entire leadership team. In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Professor Klaus Schwab puts forth a thoughtful framework for leaders to meet the challenge of maximizing the benefits of the profound technological, social and economic transformation reshaping society.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Book blurb
Read by Jeff Bezos, Gabe Newell, Marc Benioff and 1 others
The Mythical Man-Month
Essays on Software Engineering
byFrederick P. Brooks Jr.
1995336 Pages“This short book says that to write great software, do it in small teams; having 100 or 1,000 or 2,000 developers won't make it happen.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Interview (Fortune/Summit)
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
byShunryu Suzuki
2020176 Pages(50,800)
“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Twitter
Read by Arianna Huffington, Marc Benioff, Michael Bloomberg and 6 others
byRay Dalio
2017592 Pages“A masterpiece - It's a must-read!”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Twitter
Read by Steve Jobs, Marc Benioff, Rich Roll and 3 others
byParamahansa Yogananda
1946592 Pages“If you haven't read it, and if you want to understand Steve Jobs, it's a good idea to dip into [this book].”
— Marc Benioff
Source: TechCrunch Disrupt Interview
Read by Marc Benioff
The Big Switch
Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google
byNicholas Carr
2008304 Pages“Nicholas Carr... has written a thought-provoking book that validated our crusade.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Book blurb
Read by Marc Benioff
Agentforce
Harnessing the Agency of AI to Scale, Grow, and Lead Any Industry
byMartin Kihn
2025240 Pages“This is the single most important piece of technology to come along in the history of business.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Foreword to the book
Read by Marc Benioff, Phil Knight, Larry Ellison and 7 others
The Art of War
The Essential Translation of the Classic Book of Life
bySun Tzu
2009384 Pages“One book that served me well was Sun Tzu’s The Art of War... it advocates keeping one’s cool.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Behind the Cloud (Book)
Scale
The Universal Laws of Life, Growth, and Death in Organisms, Cities, and Companies
byGeoffrey West
2017481 Pages“If you want to know why companies fail, how cities persist and what is needed to sustain our civilization in this era of rapid innovation, read this amazing book.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Twitter
Read by Peter Thiel, Satya Nadella, Arianna Huffington and 4 others
AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
byKai-Fu Lee
2018272 Pages“In his brilliant book, Kai-Fu Lee applies his superpowers to predicting the disruptive shifts that will define the AI-powered future.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Book blurb
MONEY Master the Game
7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom
byTony Robbins
2014688 Pages“Incredible.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Twitter
Read by Marc Benioff
byMatthew McConaughey
2020304 Pages“#1 Book.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Twitter
Read by Marc Benioff
Zucked
Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe
byRoger McNamee
2019400 Pages“Fully captures the disastrous consequences that occur when people running companies wielding enormous power don't listen deeply to their stakeholders.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Book blurb
Read by Sheryl Sandberg, Richard Branson, Jamie Dimon and 2 others
Play Nice But Win
A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader
byMichael Dell
2021336 Pages“Shares his incredible journey as founder and CEO of one of the most iconic and admired tech companies.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Twitter
The Future Is Faster Than You Think
How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives
byPeter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler
2020384 Pages“For leaders, innovators, & entrepreneurs wanting to take advantage of converging exponential technologies.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Book blurb
Read by Marc Benioff
Ask Your Developer
How to Harness the Power of Software Developers and Win in the 21st Century
byJeff Lawson
2021304 Pages“The ultimate guide for creating a software developer culture that unlocks the passion, creativity, and empathy needed to build amazing products.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Book blurb
Read by Marc Benioff
AI 2041
Ten Visions for Our Future
byKai-Fu Lee, Chen Qiufan
2021496 Pages“AI 2041 is the perfect fusion of science and fiction, illuminating the pervasive impact artificial intelligence will have in our lives.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Book blurb
Read by Marc Benioff
Special Deluxe
A Memoir of Life & Cars
byNeil Young
2014384 Pages“Special Deluxe by @neilyoung is amazing. Especially as an audio book read by Neil Young.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Twitter
Read by Marc Benioff
The American Story
Conversations with Master Historians
byDavid M. Rubenstein
2019416 Pages“What I love about this new book American Story is it illuminates that the tensions in our democracy are actually the fuel that powers our country forward.”
— Marc Benioff
Source: Twitter
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Marc Benioff recommend?
His 20 recommendations include The Innovator's Dilemma, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, The Mythical Man-Month, Principles by Ray Dalio, and Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, spanning business strategy, technology, and philosophy.
What is Marc Benioff's top book recommendation?
Clayton Christensen's The Innovator's Dilemma is a top pick. Benioff, who wrote its foreword, warns that a successful company "will get pushed aside unless managers know how and when to abandon traditional business practices."
Where do Marc Benioff's book recommendations come from?
They are drawn from his Twitter/X account, forewords and blurbs he has written for books like The Innovator's Dilemma and Agentforce, and interviews, plus references in his own book Behind the Cloud.
Has Marc Benioff written any books?
Yes. He has authored four titles noted here: Trailblazer, Behind the Cloud, The Business of Changing the World, and Compassionate Capitalism.
Does Marc Benioff recommend books beyond business?
Yes. Alongside strategy titles he praises Autobiography of a Yogi as a key to understanding Steve Jobs, calls Ray Dalio's Principles "a must-read," and recommends Matthew McConaughey's memoir Greenlights.
All 20 Books Marc Benioff Has Recommended
- The Innovator's Dilemma · Clayton M. Christensen
- The Fourth Industrial Revolution · Klaus Schwab
- The Mythical Man-Month · Frederick P. Brooks Jr.
- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind · Shunryu Suzuki
- Principles: Life and Work · Ray Dalio
- Autobiography of a Yogi · Paramahansa Yogananda
- The Big Switch · Nicholas Carr
- Agentforce · Martin Kihn
- The Art of War · Sun Tzu
- Scale · Geoffrey West
- AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order · Kai-Fu Lee
- MONEY Master the Game · Tony Robbins
- Greenlights · Matthew McConaughey
- Zucked · Roger McNamee
- Play Nice But Win · Michael Dell
- The Future Is Faster Than You Think · Peter H. Diamandis
- Ask Your Developer · Jeff Lawson
- AI 2041 · Kai-Fu Lee
- Special Deluxe · Neil Young
- The American Story · David M. Rubenstein