Elon Musk is one of if not the richest person alive and recently tried to purchase Twitter before backing out. He is always in the news and anything he Tweets becomes newsworthy. Today, we will be diving into Elon Musk’s favorite books.
What does one of the richest person read in his free time? Mostly, a lot of the same stuff as you do. Classic novels like Lord of the Rings and novles by Isaac Asimov but also modern best sellers like The Fault in Out Stars. Keep reading to find out Musk’s favorite books!

Elon Musk’s Favorite Books
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
- Einstein by Walter Isaacson
- The Founders by Jimmy Soni
- Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Lying by Sam Harris
- The Hobbit by J. R. R Tolkien
- The Big Picture by Sean Carroll
- The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
- A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
You Read What You Are
This list is reflective of who Elon Musk is for the most part. He is ambitious yet conservative and isn’t afraid to take risks. It is not a surprise to see Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged on this list but nonetheless, I was surprised to see Musk picked some of my favorite novels.
Having The Lord of the Rings and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on your list is the fastest way to get my respect. But even then, I did not imagine to see A Game of Thrones or The Fault in our Stars. Well, Game of Thrones isn’t that surprising but it is not for the casual reader. But then again, people did start reading it to find out what was going to happen in the show next. Little did they know that the show would finish before the books would.
Other novels that caught my attention were classic novels Dune, Foundation and The Lord of the Flies. Musk’s selections are pretty good for the most part. I can’t say much about the novels I haven’t read but overall this is a good selection of books even if survival seems to be the main theme in most of them.
Conclusion
What do you make of Elon Musk’s favorite books? What books were you surprised to see on the list and which novels have you read on the list? Let us know in the comments below!