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A serious entrepreneur must only read about the world order, or latest scientific discoveries, or management skills, right?
Wrong.
As it goes, top tech and startup leaders across the world read as much fiction as other things, and with good reason. Fiction has been known to improve social skills, enhance connectivity in the brain and improve brain function. And as any serious book lover will tell you, quality works of fiction are often more than “just stories”. They roll discourses on philosophy, economics, management, and character studies within their covers – traits and skills every entrepreneur must imbibe in order to survive.
Here’s a list of six works of fiction top entrepreneurs count as their favorites. The list is obviously not all-encompassing, but an indication of what sings to the uber successful.
1. Elon Musk – The Lord of the Rings
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When people ask Musk how he learnt to build rockets, he says its by reading books. At the top of his list is Tolkien’s tome of fantasy adventure, which has smitten generations since its first publication in 1954. A New Yorker profile of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO said that at he was picked on a lot during his childhood. Fantasy (J.R.R. Tolkien) and science fiction (Isaac Asimov) would help him cope.
“The heroes of the books I read always felt a duty to save the world,” he said.
2. Steve Jobs- 1984
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Even five years after his death, Jobs continues to be regarded as of the most inspiring and visionary tech leaders the world has ever seen. His pick? 1984 by George Orwell.
The book is even said to have inspired the famous Apple “1984” Super Bowl commercial that preannounced the Macintosh.
3. Travis Kalanick – The Fountainhead
4. Bill Gates – The Great Gatsby
5. Sergey Brin – Snow Crash
6. Jack Ma – Life
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