Read by Donald Trump, Larry Ellison, Chip Wilson and 4 others
What books does Mark Cuban recommend?
Characteristic bluntness runs through the book recommendations of Mark Cuban, the billionaire Shark Tank investor and founder of Cost Plus Drugs, which favor entrepreneurship, investing, and technology. The 11 titles here come from his blog and Twitter account, plus interviews with C-SPAN, Money, Vanity Fair, and Inc., and podcast appearances. Business and strategy and science and technology lead. He is unusually candid about The Fountainhead: "I don't know how many times I have read it, but it got to the point where I had to stop because I would get too fired up." On Jason Fried's Rework he is emphatic, saying he'd invest in someone who read it over an MBA holder "every time," and he calls Cashing in on the American Dream "a big motivator for me" in his early career.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byAyn Rand
1943752 Pages“It encouraged me to think as an individual, take risks to reach my goals, and responsibility for my successes and failures. I loved it. I don't know how many times I have read it, but it got to the point where I had to stop because I would get too fired up.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: C-SPAN Q&A Interview
Read by Jeff Bezos, Mark Cuban, James Clear and 1 others
Rework
Change the Way You Work Forever
byJason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
2010288 Pages“If given a choice between investing in someone who has read Rework or has an MBA, I'm investing in Rework every time. This is a must read for every entrepreneur.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: Mark Cuban's Blog
Read by Mark Cuban
Cashing in on the American Dream
How to Retire at 35
byPaul Terhorst
1988227 Pages“The whole premise of the book was that if you could save up $1 million and live like a student, you could retire. But you would have to have the discipline of saving. I believed heavily in that book. It was a big motivator for me.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: Money Magazine Interview
Read by Mark Cuban
The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need
Revised Edition
byAndrew Tobias
2022312 Pages“This is the only investment guide I have read that truly made sense. Bottom line is that you can take a little risk and get a little return, or you can take a lot of risk and get a lot of return.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: Vanity Fair Interview
Read by Arianna Huffington, Marc Benioff, Michael Bloomberg and 6 others
byRay Dalio
2017592 Pages“Principles is the book I wish I had as a young entrepreneur, stressing over not knowing what I didn't know. 'Principles' offers a bible to the greatest skill an entrepreneur can have, the ability to learn how to learn in any situation. Read it.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: Official Twitter Account
Read Write Own
Building the Next Era of the Internet
byChris Dixon
2024320 Pages“Chris takes on the challenge and succeeds at explaining just how crypto technology is what's important to our technological future and how we all can benefit, much like we have from the Internet. I would encourage all regulators and crypto nay-sayers around the world to read this book.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: Publisher Blurb
Hopping over the Rabbit Hole
How Entrepreneurs Turn Failure into Success
byAnthony Scaramucci
2016208 Pages“In Hopping over the Rabbit Hole, Scaramucci provides invaluable and pragmatic advice on how to start a business, continuously improve your professional acumen and transform failure into opportunity.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: Editorial Endorsement
Read by Mark Cuban, Andrew Ng
The Master Algorithm
How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine Will Remake Our World
byPedro Domingos
2015352 Pages“The best book I've read on the subject of AI and Machine Learning.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: Inc. Magazine Interview
Read by Eric Topol, Mark Cuban
Rebooting AI
Building Artificial Intelligence We Can Trust
byGary Marcus, Ernest Davis
2019288 Pages“Everybody looks at AI as a complete positive, Rebooting AI just made me re-check my hole card and make sure my premises on AI are straight.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: 20 Minute VC Podcast
Read by Mark Cuban
Healthy Buildings
How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity
byJoseph G. Allen, John D. Macomber
2020304 Pages“Employees are going to be a lot more concerned about the health of the building they're working in.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: 20 Minute VC Podcast
Read by Mark Cuban
The Victorian Internet
The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers
byTom Standage
1998227 Pages“There is a great book called the Victorian Internet that talks a lot about the impact of the telegraph. Talk about front running in the stock market, it was insane.”
— Mark Cuban
Source: Official Twitter Account
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Mark Cuban recommend?
His 11 recommendations include The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Rework by Fried and Hansson, Cashing in on the American Dream by Paul Terhorst, Principles by Ray Dalio, and The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos.
What is Mark Cuban's favorite book?
A top pick is Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Cuban says he's reread it so often that "I had to stop because I would get too fired up," crediting it with teaching him to think as an individual.
Which business book does Mark Cuban rate above an MBA?
Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. Cuban says, "If given a choice between investing in someone who has read Rework or has an MBA, I'm investing in Rework every time."
Which AI books does Mark Cuban recommend?
He calls The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos "the best book I've read on the subject of AI and Machine Learning," and recommends Rebooting AI by Gary Marcus and Ernest Davis.
Has Mark Cuban written a book?
Yes. He is the author of How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It (2011), which collects lessons from his entrepreneurial career.
All 11 Books Mark Cuban Has Recommended
- The Fountainhead · Ayn Rand
- Rework · Jason Fried
- Cashing in on the American Dream · Paul Terhorst
- The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need · Andrew Tobias
- Principles: Life and Work · Ray Dalio
- Read Write Own · Chris Dixon
- Hopping over the Rabbit Hole · Anthony Scaramucci
- The Master Algorithm · Pedro Domingos
- Rebooting AI · Gary Marcus
- Healthy Buildings · Joseph G. Allen
- The Victorian Internet · Tom Standage