Read by Sam Altman, Naval Ravikant, Mark Zuckerberg and 3 others
What books does Sam Altman recommend?
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and former president of Y Combinator, has scattered his book recommendations across the same places he once fielded startup questions — Hacker News AMAs, Twitter, and interviews — and this list of 27 spans that career. The titles favor science and technology, history, and business and strategy, with a recurring interest in progress and how civilizations advance. Altman calls David Deutsch's The Beginning of Infinity "my favorite book," praising its "wonderfully optimistic take on why even in a world with AI we're never going to run out of things to do." Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence, Peter Thiel's Zero to One, and Alfred Lansing's Endurance sit nearby — the last for a line Altman found to be "a great piece of startup wisdom": "By endurance we conquer."
Last updated January 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Beginning of Infinity
Explanations That Transform the World
byDavid Deutsch
2011487 Pages“It is my favorite book... It's the most wonderfully optimistic take on why even in a world with AI we're never going to run out of things to do... It explains so beautifully how we got here.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Interview
Read by Tim Ferriss, Charlie Munger, Sam Altman and 22 others
Man's Search for Meaning
An Introduction to Logotherapy
byViktor E. Frankl
2006165 Pages“If you're looking for a book that punches you in the gut and then helps you stand back up, this is it.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Book Recommendation List
Read by Barack Obama, Sam Altman, Ray Dalio and 14 others
byDaniel Kahneman
2011498 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
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 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
Read by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel and 3 others
Superintelligence
Paths, Dangers, Strategies
byNick Bostrom
2014352 Pages“Nick Bostrom's excellent book 'Superintelligence' is the best thing I've seen on this topic. It is well worth a read.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Twitter
Read by Sam Altman, Sheryl Sandberg, Brian Chesky and 1 others
Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies
The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies
byReid Hoffman, Chris Yeh
2018336 Pages“I got to read an early copy of this, and have been waiting for it to come out so that I can recommend it to everyone.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Twitter
Read by Sam Altman
Pandaemonium 1660-1886
The Coming of the Machine as Seen by Contemporary Observers
byHumphrey Jennings
1985416 Pages“My favorite book of [2018]. Incredible read.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Twitter
Read by Sam Altman
Secrets of Sand Hill Road
Venture Capital and How to Get It
byScott Kupor
2019320 Pages“A valuable resource for any founder who wants to work with VCs.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Book Blurb
The Score Takes Care of Itself
My Philosophy of Leadership
byBill Walsh, Steve Jamison, Craig Walsh
2009288 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
Read by Sam Altman
Winning
The Ultimate Business How-To Book
byJack Welch, Suzy Welch
2005384 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
Read by Sam Altman, Ray Dalio, Ryan Holiday and 4 others
byAlfred Lansing
1959416 Pages“'By endurance we conquer' struck me as a great piece of startup wisdom.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Twitter
Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age
Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age
byMichael A. Hiltzik
1999480 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
Read by Sam Altman
The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
The Authoritative Translation and Guide
byIsaac Newton
1999974 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
Read by Sam Altman
byBruce Alberts, Rebecca Heald, Alexander Johnson, David Morgan, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, Peter Walter
20221552 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
Read by Sam Altman
The Beak of the Finch
A Story of Evolution in Our Time
byJonathan Weiner
1994352 Pages(18,500)
Source: Hacker News AMA
Read by Sam Altman
byJames Madison, Edward J. Larson, Michael P. Winship
2005256 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
Read by Sam Altman
Hold 'em Poker: For Advanced Players
21st Century Edition
byDavid Sklansky, Mason Malmuth
1999332 PagesSource: Hacker News AMA
Read by Sam Altman
byShirley Hazzard
1980352 Pages“Re-reading this book tonight. It's incredible.”
— Sam Altman
Source: 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“I was still astonished by how much I learned reading this book.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Book Blurb
Read by Sam Altman
The Making of a Manager
What to Do When Everyone Looks to You
byJulie Zhuo
2019288 Pages“Julie Zhuo gives new managers the tools they need to help their people and company win.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Book Blurb
Read Write Own
Building the Next Era of the Internet
byChris Dixon
2024320 Pages“Read this book to understand a compelling vision of where the internet should go and how to get there.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Book Blurb
Read by Sam Altman, Larry Page
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter
The Alix G. Mautner Memorial Lectures
byRichard P. Feynman
2014192 Pages(18,250)
“I just reread QED and had forgotten how interesting it is. It's a quick (but not easy) very fun read.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Twitter
byLynn White Jr.
1966224 Pages“It really is great.”
— Sam Altman
Source: Twitter
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Sam Altman recommend?
His 27 recommendations include The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch, Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom, Zero to One by Peter Thiel, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
What is Sam Altman's favorite book?
He names The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch as "my favorite book," calling it "the most wonderfully optimistic take on why even in a world with AI we're never going to run out of things to do" and praising how beautifully it explains how humanity got here.
What does Sam Altman recommend on AI?
He points to Nick Bostrom's Superintelligence, which he calls "the best thing I've seen on this topic" and "well worth a read." The Beginning of Infinity also shapes his optimism about a future alongside artificial intelligence.
Where do Sam Altman's book recommendations come from?
They come primarily from his Hacker News AMAs, his Twitter posts, book blurbs he has written, and interviews. The AMAs in particular yielded a wide-ranging list from Plato and Newton to poker strategy.
What genres does Sam Altman read most?
Science and technology leads, followed by history, business and strategy, and psychology. His interests run from the history of scientific progress and medieval technology to venture capital and the origins of world conflicts.
All 27 Books Sam Altman Has Recommended
- The Beginning of Infinity · David Deutsch
- Man's Search for Meaning · Viktor E. Frankl
- Thinking, Fast and Slow · Daniel Kahneman
- Zero to One · Peter Thiel
- Superintelligence · Nick Bostrom
- Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies · Reid Hoffman
- Pandaemonium 1660-1886 · Humphrey Jennings
- Secrets of Sand Hill Road · Scott Kupor
- The Score Takes Care of Itself · Bill Walsh
- Winning · Jack Welch
- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage · Alfred Lansing
- Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age · Michael A. Hiltzik
- The Republic · Plato
- The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy · Isaac Newton
- Molecular Biology of the Cell · Bruce Alberts
- The Beak of the Finch · Jonathan Weiner
- The Constitutional Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison · James Madison
- Hold 'em Poker: For Advanced Players · David Sklansky
- The Transit of Venus · Shirley Hazzard
- Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World · Tyler Cowen
- The Making of a Manager · Julie Zhuo
- Read Write Own · Chris Dixon
- QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter · Richard P. Feynman
- Medieval Technology and Social Change · Lynn White Jr.
- The Sleepwalkers · Christopher Clark
- Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage · Alice Munro
- The Art of War in the Middle Ages · Charles Oman