70 books recommended by Sam Altman

“An incredible primary-source portrait on a brilliant (but obviously deeply flawed) individual. Broadly applicable thoughts.”

— Blog.ycombinator.com

“"The Transit of Venus". It was super good!”

— Twitter/X

“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”

— Twitter/X

“Man's Search for Meaning”

— Sam Altman's Recommended Books (37 Recommendations)

“Great read”

— Twitter/X

“This is correct--art of war in the Middle Ages.”

— News.ycombinator.com

“[David Deutsch's] books have inspired me more than anyone else’s, and i think hold a big clue about how we get from here to agi.”

— Twitter/X

“Sunday night reading”

— Twitter/X

“Sunday night reading”

— Twitter/X

“Anna Karenina”

— Sam Altman's Recommended Books (37 Recommendations)

“Brave New World”

— Sam Altman's Recommended Books (37 Recommendations)

“This biography of the iconic physicist offers a fascinating glimpse into his life, work, and thought processes. It’s a reminder that genius often comes from curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom.”

— 10 Eye-Opening Reads: Cracking Open Sam Altman's Bookshelf - Really Good Things

“I'm reading The Endurance and "by endurance we conquer" (Ernest Shackleton's family motto) struck me as a great piece of startup wisdom.”

— 62 books Sam Altman mentioned, ranked! - Recommentions

“priceonomics wrote a book, and its currently the number 2 best seller in its category on amazon”

— Twitter/X

“A classic science fiction series that explores the rise and fall of civilizations through the lens of 'psychohistory,' a fictional science.”

— 15 Must-Read Books Recommended by Sam Altman

“it was excellent!”

— Twitter/X

“weekend book recommendation: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro. stayed up last night finishing; really good”

— Twitter/X

“This book offers a sweeping overview of the history of our species, from the emergence of Homo sapiens in the Stone Age to the modern era.”

— Book Recommendations By Sam Altman

“Nick Bostrom’s excellent book “Superintelligence” is the best thing I’ve seen on this topic. It is well worth a read.”

— Blog.samaltman.com

“This non-fiction book explores the potential futures shaped by artificial general intelligence.”

— 15 Must-Read Books Recommended by Sam Altman

“This author wrote a book (!) on a Thiel Fellow who was working on fusion”

— Twitter/X

“The Score Takes Care of Itself”

— Sam Altman's Recommended Books (37 Recommendations)

“This is a really good book, and has been on my mind watching the Ukraine situation develop”

— Twitter/X

“This Nobel Prize-winning book delves into the two systems that drive our thinking: the fast, intuitive System 1 and the slower, more deliberate System 2. Understanding how these systems work can help you make better decisions and avoid cognitive biases.”

— 10 Eye-Opening Reads: Cracking Open Sam Altman's Bookshelf - Really Good Things

“This book was on Sam Altman’s bookshelf.”

— 56 Great Books Recommended By Sam Altman