Books recommended by Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies, is renowned for his entrepreneurial expertise and investments in innovative companies, particularly through his venture capital firm Founders Fund.
Peter Thiel’s recommended books showcase his interests in philosophy, history, and self-improvement, reflecting a style that balances intellectual curiosity with practical advice for building successful ventures and living a meaningful life. His book recommendations often emphasize the importance of critical thinking, decision-making, and personal growth, as well as exploring broader themes such as Christianity, Western civilization, and the pursuit of wisdom.
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers (by Ben Horowitz). Recommended by Andrew Ng , Drew Houston , Dustin Moskovitz , Kathryn Minshew , Keith Rabois , Larry Page , Luis von Ahn , Marc Andreessen , Mark Zuckerberg , Matt Mullenweg , Max Levchin , Peter Attia , Peter Thiel , Tim Ferriss , Andrew Wilkinson , Blake Scholl , Chris Dixon , Fred Wilson , Raoul Pal , Jodie Cook , Michael Dell , Marty Cagan
- The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: From Marathon to Waterloo (by Edward Shepherd Creasy). Recommended by Elon Musk , Peter Thiel
- The Reasonableness of Christianity: (by John Locke). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- Discourses on Livy: (by Niccolò Machiavelli). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- 100 Plus: (by Sonia Arrison). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- The City and the Stars: (by Arthur C. Clarke). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- The American Challenge: (by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- Dangerous: (by Milo Yiannopoulos). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- The Messianic Character of American Education: (by Rousas John Rushdoony). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- The New Atlantis: (by Sir Francis Bacon). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- Resurrection from the Underground: Feodor Dostoevsky (by Rene Girard). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- Psychopolitics: Conversations with Trevor Cribben Merrill (by Jean-Michel Oughourlian). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- Paradise Lost: (by John Milton). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- The Great Illusion: A Study of the Relation of Military Power to National Advantage (by Norman Angell). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy (by George Gilder). Recommended by Peter Thiel
- Atlas Shrugged: (by Ayn Rand). Recommended by Amelia Boone , Bob Metcalfe , Brian Armstrong , Elon Musk , Ev Williams , Gabby Reece , Joe De Sena , John Carmack , Mark Cuban , Peter Diamandis , Peter Thiel , Ray Dalio , Shah Rukh Khan , Steve Jobs , Travis Kalanick , Austen Allred , Blake Scholl , Fred Wilson , Phil Jackson , Rand Paul , Russell Brunson , Paul Krugman
- Anna Karenina: (by Leo Tolstoy). Recommended by Chelsea Handler , Jennifer Lawrence , Jordan Peterson , Laura R Walker , Oprah Winfrey , Peter Thiel , Sam Altman , Austen Allred , Jen Wilkin , Ernest Hemingway , Bret Easton Ellis
- Cryptonomicon: (by Neal Stephenson). Recommended by Ev Williams , Peter Thiel , Tobi Lütke , Cameron Winklevoss
- Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World: (by Rene Girard). Recommended by Eric Weinstein , Peter Thiel
- Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin (by Timothy Snyder). Recommended by Eric Weinstein , Peter Thiel
- The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer (by Neal Stephenson). Recommended by Ev Williams , Kelly Starrett , Naval Ravikant , Peter Thiel , Seth Godin
- The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success (by Ross Gregory Douthat). Recommended by Fareed Zakaria , Peter Thiel , Tyler Cowen
- Ego Is the Enemy: (by Ryan Holiday). Recommended by Aubrey Marcus , George Raveling , Peter Thiel , Mark Manson , Danny Miranda
- Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (by Adam Grant). Recommended by Arianna Huffington , Peter Thiel , Ray Dalio , Richard Branson , Seth Godin , Tim Urban , Tony Hsieh , Whitney Wolfe Herd , Anthony Pompliano , Kat Cole , Sheryl Sandberg , Jodie Cook
- Holy Bible: (by -). Recommended by A.J. Jacobs , Barack Obama , Caterina Fake , Hillary Clinton , Kevin Kelly , Laird Hamilton , Neil deGrasse Tyson , Peter Thiel , Ricardo Semler , Ryan Flaherty , Tim Draper , Walter Isaacson , Wim Hof , Christopher Hitchens , Cathie Wood , Kanye West , Maya Angelou , Russell Moore , Winston Churchill
- The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age (by James Dale Davidson). Recommended by Brian Armstrong , Naval Ravikant , Peter Thiel , Ryan Shea , Balaji Srinivasan , Patrick O’Shaughnessy , Sahil Lavingia
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century: (by Thomas Piketty). Recommended by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Bill Gates , Peter Thiel , Carl Icahn
- The Master and Margarita: (by Mikhail Bulgakov). Recommended by Jack Dorsey , Jordan Peterson , Max Levchin , Peter Thiel , PewDiePie , Jack Edwards
- 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy (by Hamilton Helmer). Recommended by Daniel Ek , Keith Rabois , Patrick Collison , Peter Thiel , Reed Hastings , Ryan Petersen