18 Must-Read Books Recommended By Jeff Bezos

When you are thinking about online shopping, you are thinking about Amazon. The name Amazon cannot be mentioned without talking about the man behind the most valuable online retail platform (store) in the United States of America, and that is Jeff Bezos. Therefore, emphasis shall be on Jeff Bezos recommended books.

Besides, it’s been discovered that books have nurtured Amazon since its creation and have shaped its strategy and culture. So, without much ado, the following are 20 must-read books by Jeff Bezos and it is in no particular order.

1. ‘The Remains of the Day’ by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is among Jeff Bezos recommended books of all time. In his book, Kazuo Ishiguro centers around a butler who wistfully recalls his career in Great Britain and this happened during wartime. Bezos narrates that he picks inspiration more from novels than nonfiction.

2. ‘Memos from the Chairman’ by Alan Greenberg

This is a collection of memos to employees from Bear Stearns – the chairman of the now-defunct investment bank. The auto, Alan Greenberg through these memos emphasizes the bank’s core value and ethos like frugality and modesty. This is what Amazon has strived to imbibe by its annual recycling of the 1997 letter to the shareholders. Little wonder this book is among Jeff Bezos recommended books.

3. ‘The Mythical Man-Month’ by Fredrick P. Brooks, Jr.

This book reveals the theory behind Amazon’s two-pizza teams. Fredrick P. Brooks, in the book, narrates that an influential computer scientist postulates that small groups of engineers are more efficient than bigger ones in handling software projects.

4. Data-Driven Marketing by Mark Jeffery

Another blockbuster among Jeff Bezos recommended books. Data-Driven Marketing explores the workings of quantitative data metrics in helping to boost marketing and brand power. It guides the use of data in measuring customer satisfaction and everything. In Amazon, every assertion is supported by data. If the data is weak, it must be identified right away.

5. ‘The Black Swan by’ Nassim Taleb

The scholar narrates that people are created to see patterns in chaos while at the same time closing their eyes to unpredictable occurrences with grave consequences.

6. ‘Creation’ by Steve Grand

A video game designer, Grand – explores the development of intelligent systems employing the use of basic components. Jeff Bezos writes that the book was influential in creating Amazon’s prominent cloud function – Amazon Web Services.

7. ‘Good to Great by Jim Collins

Jim Collins, the author and business consultant for Amazon challenges firms to know their core competence and build on it. He said this would fast-track the general growth of the firm. However, this does not only apply to the business world but also applicable in careers and personal development. This also ranks high among Jeff Bezos recommended books.

8. ‘The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

This Jeff Bezos recommendation gives a counterintuitive approach. Organizations that listen to their customers, regularly innovate, and cut down on the cost to remain in business might lose out because of this approach.

9. ‘Lean Thinking by James Womack and Daniel T. Jones

This is another Jeff Bezos recommendation that teaches management ways of reducing unnecessary costs and increasing the bottom line in any investment. ‘Lean Thinking’ is among Jeff Bezos recommended books that have greatly influenced him.

10. ‘Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton

This is a memoir of Walmart’s founder. It’s written autobiographically. It is an amazing American dream story that is very much related to that of Amazon.

11. ‘Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry i. Porras

Another must-read by Jeff Bezos. ‘Built to Last’ is a book on management manifesto that emphasizes on the principle that every employee must align with the firm’s vision and mission while those who fail to align are expunged from the company like a virus.

12. ‘The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox, and David Whitford

The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt is a book that gives insight into the science of manufacturing written like a novel. It encourages organizations to know their greatest operational constraints and then build their companies to get the most out of their challenges. This book was a bible for Jeff Wilke and the team that built Amazon’s Fulfillment network.

13. ‘How Asia Works’ by Joe Studwell

The book, ‘How Asia Works’ explores the economics of nine countries, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and South Korea – trying to correct Western misconceptions and showing what happened in Asia and why.

14. ‘The Myth of the Strong Leader by Archie Brown

‘The Myth of the Strong Leaders’ is also among the Jeff Bezos recommended books that compel readers to reassess the leaders that have shaped the world and to reconsider how to select and evaluate the future leaders.

In his usual writing style, Douglas Adams presents a book that is rich in comedic detail and thought-provoking situations making it a must-read recommended by Jeff Bezos.

15. ‘Our Final Invention by James Barrat

James Barrat ‘Our Final Intervention gives an insight into the perils of the heedless pursuit of advanced AI. Before now, human intelligence has got no rival but in a little while, artificial intelligence could match and then surpass human intelligence. So, organizations around the world are already gearing up for this.