Books have the power to transform lives and businesses. With our section “The favorite books of…”, we introduce you to the favourite books of some of the most successful internet entrepreneurs. Today we’re looking at the bookshelf of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs:
Bill Gates, Founder and former CEO of Microsoft
B
ill Gates has often mentioned J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye as his favourite book. In an interview with the Academy of Achievement he once stated “I didn’t actually read Catcher in the Rye until I was 13, and ever since then I’ve said that’s my favourite book,”. Gates continued: “It’s very clever. It acknowledges that young people are a little confused, but can be smart about things and see things that adults don’t really see. So I’ve always loved it.”
Steve Jobs, Co-Founder and former CEO of Apple
One of Jobs’s favourite books was the well known business title The Innovator’s Dilemma, which might have influenced him in his daily work. The children’s book Moby Dick was also on his list of favourites as well as Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass, which sparked Steve Jobs to try LSD for the first time. Be Here Now describes one man’s transformation upon his acceptance of the principles of Yoga and gives a modern restatement of the importance of the spiritual side of man’s nature.
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