Read by Jensen Huang, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen and 8 others
What books does Tobias Lütke recommend?
Shopify founder Tobias Lütke is a programmer who thinks in systems, and his book recommendations trace how first-principles thinking shaped a global commerce platform. Gathered here are 28 titles he has shared on the Tim Ferriss Show and The Knowledge Project, along with a steady stream of picks from his Twitter account, concentrating on psychology, science, self-improvement, philosophy, and business. His top pick is Andrew Grove's High Output Management, which he calls one of the best books ever, praising how it deconstructs business into first principles. He also singles out Robert Cialdini's Influence as the most mind-bending book you can imagine, and notes that Donella Meadows's Thinking in Systems is required reading at Shopify. Stoicism, hard science fiction, growth mindset, and the mechanics of good writing all thread through his choices, a mix of the technical and the philosophical.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byAndrew S. Grove
1995272 Pages“That's one of the best books ever. ... [It] unapologetically almost a how-to manual, but kind of deconstructs the world of business into first principles. It's like, 'Here's what matters. Here's how to think about it.' ... Basically, at the end of the day, making business is an engineering exercise, which is brilliant for me because that actually made the whole thing about becoming CEO significantly less scary to me.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Tim Ferriss Show #359
Read by Naval Ravikant, Mark Manson, Tobias Lütke and 8 others
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
New and Expanded
byRobert Cialdini
2021592 Pages“Influence was just the most mind-bending book you can imagine, because it essentially taught you all the ways humans are flawed and influenceable, and how, yes, computers are predictable, but once you make things for people you need to go into storytelling. Which was news to me, frankly.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Tim Ferriss Show #359
A Guide to the Good Life
The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
byWilliam B. Irvine
2008336 Pages“Irvine plumbs the wisdom of Stoic philosophy... and shows how its insight and advice are still remarkably applicable to modern lives. It's a great practical guide.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: The Knowledge Project Ep. #41
byDonella H. Meadows
2008240 Pages“Donella's book is required reading at Shopify.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Tobias Lütke
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
Second Edition with a New Chapter by the Author
byMarc Levinson
2016544 Pages“We all live in Malcolm's world because the shipping container has been hugely influential in history. ... He's one of us entrepreneurs who would absolutely be on your podcast if he would be alive right now.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Tim Ferriss Show #359
byNeal Stephenson
1992576 Pages“Loved it. I've read every book by him!”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Way of the Warrior Kid
From Wimpy to Warrior the Navy SEAL Way
byJocko Willink
2017192 Pages“I finished reading the three books of the Warrior Kid series by @jockowillink to my kids. They absolutely loved them. Highly recommended. Simple story construction but excellent philosophy.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: 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“It is probably the best book I've read in the last couple of years. ... It's an introduction to Adlerian psychology, which is sort of anti-Freud. ... Clearly a student of Stoicism, but I think he took it further.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: The Knowledge Project Ep. #41
Read by Satya Nadella, Tobias Lütke, Chip Wilson and 5 others
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential
byCarol S. Dweck
2006320 Pages“I'm a big fan of the book. It talks you through the theory. And what I've observed is even with very, very high super successful executives who come to Shopify... they end up reading the book. And they say, 'You know what? I was actually fixed mindset on all of these three things.'”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: The Knowledge Project Ep. #41
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
byDaniel H. Pink
2009256 Pages“Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: The Globe and Mail
Read by Tobias Lütke
The Elements of Style
Fourth Edition
byWilliam Strunk Jr., E.B. White
1999105 Pages“The most frequently gifted book is The Elements of Style because I like good writing.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: The Knowledge Project Ep. #41
Read by Tobias Lütke
What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies
A Self-Help Book for Societies
byTim Urban
2023746 Pages“This book is truly remarkable. Tim has spent 6 years on this. You must read it.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Mark Manson and 6 others
byWill Durant, Ariel Durant
2010128 Pages“The most important 100 pages I've ever read.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: The Knowledge Project Ep. #41
Finite and Infinite Games
A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility
byJames P. Carse
1986180 Pages“Really love this book It came up in twice today in different meetings.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Naval Ravikant, Arianna Huffington, Tobias Lütke and 12 others
Meditations
A New Translation
byMarcus Aurelius
2003256 Pages(1,240,000)
“My most read book.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
byGreg Egan
1994310 Pages“Loved Permutation City... Hard science fiction. The quality of the science in this book is exceptional.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, Tobias Lütke and 3 others
byCixin Liu
2014400 Pages“Yea wonderful books. You end up learning a lot about Chinese civic consciousness”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Scale
The Universal Laws of Life, Growth, and Death in Organisms, Cities, and Companies
byGeoffrey West
2017481 Pages“Excellent book.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Tobias Lütke
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
The Power of Passion and Perseverance
byAngela Duckworth
2016352 Pages“Great book. I think she actually talks about me in it 😂”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Tobias Lütke, Rhonda Patrick, Peter Attia and 5 others
Why We Sleep
Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
byMatthew Walker
2017368 Pages“I went all the way from hating sleep to a deep appreciation for sleep and what it does. Great book.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Tobias Lütke
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big
Kind of the Story of My Life
byScott Adams
2013256 Pages“The 'moist robot' term comes from @ScottAdamsSays and his wonderful book 'How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big'”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Tobias Lütke
byChristopher Alexander
1979552 Pages“Read Alexander's books back during full time programmer times. They were fantastic.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
The Precipice
Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity
byToby Ord
2020480 Pages“Enjoyed @tobyordoxford's The Precipice. Odd time to read about end-of-world scenarios.”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Read by Tobias Lütke
byFabien Sanglard
2018427 Pages“Grab the doom book by @fabynou to help guide you through”
— Tobias Lütke
Source: Twitter
Loading more
Also recommends books in
Frequently asked questions
What books does Tobias Lütke recommend?
His 28 picks include High Output Management by Andrew Grove, Influence by Robert Cialdini, A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine, Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows, and The Box by Marc Levinson.
What is Tobias Lütke's most recommended book?
His top pick is High Output Management by Andrew Grove, which he calls "one of the best books ever," praising how it "deconstructs the world of business into first principles."
Where do Tobias Lütke's book recommendations come from?
They come from his interviews on the Tim Ferriss Show and The Knowledge Project, his many Twitter posts, and other interviews, where he shares reads that inform his approach to running Shopify.
Which book is required reading at Shopify?
Lütke has said that Donella Meadows's Thinking in Systems: A Primer is "required reading at Shopify," reflecting his emphasis on systems thinking. He has also called The Elements of Style the book he most frequently gifts.
What subjects does Tobias Lütke read most?
His recommendations span psychology, science and technology, and self-improvement, with strong philosophy and business threads. They range from Stoicism and growth mindset to hard science fiction, systems thinking, and the history of software and computing.
All 28 Books Tobias Lütke Has Recommended
- High Output Management · Andrew S. Grove
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion · Robert Cialdini
- A Guide to the Good Life · William B. Irvine
- Thinking in Systems: A Primer · Donella H. Meadows
- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger · Marc Levinson
- Snow Crash · Neal Stephenson
- Way of the Warrior Kid · Jocko Willink
- The Courage to Be Disliked · Ichiro Kishimi
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success · Carol S. Dweck
- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us · Daniel H. Pink
- The Elements of Style · William Strunk Jr.
- What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies · Tim Urban
- The Lessons of History · Will Durant
- Finite and Infinite Games · James P. Carse
- Meditations · Marcus Aurelius
- Permutation City · Greg Egan
- The Three-Body Problem · Cixin Liu
- Scale · Geoffrey West
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance · Angela Duckworth
- Why We Sleep · Matthew Walker
- How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big · Scott Adams
- The Timeless Way of Building · Christopher Alexander
- The Precipice · Toby Ord
- Game Engine Black Book: DOOM · Fabien Sanglard
- The Design of Everyday Things · Don Norman
- Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution · Steven Levy
- Losing the Signal · Jacquie McNish
- Open · Andre Agassi