Reading list · 13 books
Bill Gurley's reading list
General partner at Benchmark and one of the most respected public-market-minded VCs (early Uber, Zillow, GrubHub, OpenTable). Known for long-form essays at "Above the Crowd" and frequent, specific book recommendations on Twitter/X and podcasts.
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01
Michael E. Porter
He tweeted it as one of the books "all entrepreneurs should read," a foundational strategy text he returns to.
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02
Geoffrey A. Moore
Named in the same must-read tweet; he calls it especially valuable for enterprise companies.
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03
Clayton M. Christensen
Listed among books every entrepreneur should read, on why incumbents fail.
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04
Jerry Kaplan
Named in his entrepreneur must-read tweet as a cautionary Silicon Valley memoir.
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05
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Phil Knight
He says no book "captures the entrepreneurial spirit as much as this one does... PK explains exactly why we grind."
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06
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
John Carreyrou
He calls it "an incredible book that should be read by each and every player in the startup/Silicon Valley ecosystem."
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07
Emily Chang
He called it a "historically important book" he hopes will be a catalyst for change in tech.
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08
M. Mitchell Waldrop
He tweeted "Read this book, it changes everything" on complexity theory and nonlinear systems.
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09
Andre Iguodala
He recommended it for anyone who loves understanding "how a great team executes as one."
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11
Neal Stephenson
"I adore Diamond Age" — a favorite sci-fi pick he cites repeatedly.
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12
Donald Shoup
A recurring recommendation reflecting his interest in urban economics and mispriced markets.
More on Bill Gurley's picks
Gurley is unusually public about his reading, tweeting endorsements with reasons and naming must-reads on CNBC and Tim Ferriss's podcast. He pushes founders toward strategy classics (Porter, Christensen, Moore), narrative business books (Shoe Dog, Bad Blood), and complexity/decision science (Mauboussin, Waldrop). His picks span sports autobiographies, sci-fi, and urban economics.
