Want to know what books Joe Gebbia recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Joe Gebbia's favorite book recommendations of all time.
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"Reduce, reuse, recycle," urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. But as architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart point out in this provocative, visionary book, such an approach only perpetuates the one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model, dating to the Industrial Revolution, that creates such fantastic amounts of waste and pollution in the first place. Why not challenge the belief that human industry must damage the natural world? In fact, why not take nature itself as our model for making things? A tree produces... more "Reduce, reuse, recycle," urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. But as architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart point out in this provocative, visionary book, such an approach only perpetuates the one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model, dating to the Industrial Revolution, that creates such fantastic amounts of waste and pollution in the first place. Why not challenge the belief that human industry must damage the natural world? In fact, why not take nature itself as our model for making things? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we consider its abundance not wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective.
Waste equals food.
Guided by this principle, McDonough and Braungart explain how products can be designed from the outset so that, after their useful lives, they will provide nourishment for something new. They can be conceived as "biological nutrients" that will easily reenter the water or soil without depositing synthetic materials and toxins. Or they can be "technical nutrients" that will continually circulate as pure and valuable materials within closed-loop industrial cycles, rather than being "recycled" -- really, downcycled -- into low-grade materials and uses. Drawing on their experience in (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, McDonough and Braungart make an exciting and viable case for putting eco-effectiveness into practice, and show how anyone involved with making anything can begin to do as well. less 
Kate RaworthHelped me to reimagine how industry could be designed to work with, rather than against, the cycles of the living world. (Source)
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Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins | 4.00
This groundbreaking book reveals how today's global businesses can be both environmentally responsible and highly profitable. more This groundbreaking book reveals how today's global businesses can be both environmentally responsible and highly profitable. less 
Van JonesThis book is the best combination of deep poetry and high theory that I’ve come across, and it’s a very close expression of my own views. (Source)
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3
In The Charisma Myth, Olivia Fox Cabane offered a groundbreaking approach to becoming more charismatic. Now she teams up with Judah Pollack to reveal how anyone can train their brain to have more eureka insights.
The creative mode in your brain is like a butterfly. It's beautiful and erratic, hard to catch and highly valued as a result. If you want to capture it, you need a net. Enter the executive mode, the task-oriented network in your brain that help you tie your shoes, run a meeting, or pitch a client. To succeed, you need both modes to work together--your inner... more In The Charisma Myth, Olivia Fox Cabane offered a groundbreaking approach to becoming more charismatic. Now she teams up with Judah Pollack to reveal how anyone can train their brain to have more eureka insights.
The creative mode in your brain is like a butterfly. It's beautiful and erratic, hard to catch and highly valued as a result. If you want to capture it, you need a net. Enter the executive mode, the task-oriented network in your brain that help you tie your shoes, run a meeting, or pitch a client. To succeed, you need both modes to work together--your inner butterfly to be active and free, but your inner net to be ready to spring at the right time and create that "aha!" moment. But is there any way to trigger these insights, beyond dumb luck?
Thanks to recent neuroscience discoveries, we can now explain these breakthrough moments--and also induce them through a series of specific practices. It turns out there's a hidden pattern to all these seemingly random breakthrough ideas. From Achimedes' iconic moment in the bathtub to designer Adam Cheyer's idea for Siri, accidental breakthroughs throughout history share a common origin story. In this book, you will learn to master the skills that will transform your brain into a consistent generator of insights.
Drawing on their extensive coaching and training practice with top Silicon Valley firms, Cabane and Pollack provide a step-by-step process for accessing the part of the brain that produces breakthroughs and systematically removing internal blocks. Their tactics range from simple to zany, such as:
- Imagine an alternate universe where gravity doesn't exist, and the social and legal rules that govern it.
- Map Disney's Pocahontas story onto James Cameron's Avatar.
- Rid yourself of imposter syndrome through mental exercises.
- Literally change your perspective by climbing a tree.
- Stimulate your butterfly mode by watching a foreign film without subtitles.
By trying the exercises in this book, readers will emerge with a powerful new capacity for breakthrough thinking. less 
Joe GebbiaCurrently reading a fascinating book about the brain science of creativity, "The Net & the Butterfly" (Source)
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5
In Mission: How the Best in Business Break Through, Michael Hayman and Nick Giles show companies how to join the ranks of today's business winners.
Business as usual is over. Belief is the new currency and to succeed you must follow new rules: purpose as the route to profit; mind share to gain market share.
The best in business are defined by mission: a singular cause, a defining ambition. They stand out as campaigners, activists fighting to lead industries and redefine them. And they win through with momentum, explosive growth that outruns the... more In Mission: How the Best in Business Break Through, Michael Hayman and Nick Giles show companies how to join the ranks of today's business winners.
Business as usual is over. Belief is the new currency and to succeed you must follow new rules: purpose as the route to profit; mind share to gain market share.
The best in business are defined by mission: a singular cause, a defining ambition. They stand out as campaigners, activists fighting to lead industries and redefine them. And they win through with momentum, explosive growth that outruns the competition.
From tech pioneers Google and Airbnb, to retail giant Whole Foods and British success stories such as Ella's Kitchen, Mission shows how business is changing people's lives through the power of purpose, culture and campaigning. How caring, sharing and daring companies have opened a new chapter for the world of business.
Uncover the secrets of what it takes to succeed: how to discover and define your commercial purpose, hone it into a campaign and turn customers into advocates. Harness the power of momentum. Find your mission. less Joe GebbiaThis book shows how companies are able to define, build and communicate their purpose in order to prosper. (Source)
John MackeyMission shows how purpose has become essential to today's business leaders. Capitalism can best flourish if based on new, ethical and socially-motivated foundations and this book shows why purpose-driven businesses are winning out, and acting as a force for good in society. (Source)
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6
Entrepreneur, Chief Product Officer at Adobe, and product advisor to many of today's top start-ups Scott Belsky believes we focus too much on the start and the finish of any project, ignoring the most important part--the messy middle--where success is truly determined.
Creating something from nothing is a volatile journey. The first mile births a new idea into existence, and the final mile is all about letting go. We love talking about starts and finishes, even though the middle stretch is the most important and often the most ignored and misunderstood.
more
Entrepreneur, Chief Product Officer at Adobe, and product advisor to many of today's top start-ups Scott Belsky believes we focus too much on the start and the finish of any project, ignoring the most important part--the messy middle--where success is truly determined.
Creating something from nothing is a volatile journey. The first mile births a new idea into existence, and the final mile is all about letting go. We love talking about starts and finishes, even though the middle stretch is the most important and often the most ignored and misunderstood.
Every business or creative project is "going great" until it fails--the bumps along the road are endured in isolation. We don't talk about the middle because we're not proud of the turbulence of our own making and the actions we took out of despair. This book sets out to change that.
Belsky draws on his experiences building Behance, selling it to and leading product teams at Adobe, and then working as an investor and advisor with companies like Airbnb, Pinterest, Uber, and sweetgreen to distill seven years' worth of vital insights at every stage of building a business. He features examples from some of the most interesting people and teams, from entrepreneurs to writers, from small start-ups to billion-dollar companies transforming their industries.
These essential strategies for enduring and optimizing the middle miles will bolster your confidence and fortify your plans to make you Maximize the Middle. less Joe GebbiaStarting a new venture is like jumping off a cliff and sewing a parachute on the way down. This book is the parachute. (Source)
Seth GodinScott Belsky is a master of generous work worth doing. The Messy Middle will help you see that you have more control than you dare to admit, and the ability to make a difference if you care enough. (Source)
Alexis OhanianThis is required reading for founders. Experienced entrepreneurs all know this period Scott refers to as 'the messy middle' and a few of us have worked our way out of it, but this is the first time I've seen an expert—both as a founder and as an investor—break down in such detail just how to endure, optimize, and make it through. (Source)
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7
Seth Godin’s three essential questions for every marketer:
“What’s your story?”
“Will the people who need to hear this story believe it?”
“Is it true?”
All marketers tell stories. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche is vastly superior to a $36,000 Volkswagen that’s virtually the same car. We believe that $125 sneakers make our feet feel better—and look cooler—than a $25 brand. And believing it makes it true.
As Seth Godin... more Seth Godin’s three essential questions for every marketer:
“What’s your story?”
“Will the people who need to hear this story believe it?”
“Is it true?”
All marketers tell stories. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche is vastly superior to a $36,000 Volkswagen that’s virtually the same car. We believe that $125 sneakers make our feet feel better—and look cooler—than a $25 brand. And believing it makes it true.
As Seth Godin showed in this controversial book, great marketers don’t talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a story—a story we want to believe, whether it’s factual or not. In a world where most people have an infinite number of choices and no time to make them, every organization is a marketer, and all marketing is about telling stories.
Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner, or Fiji water, or the iPod.
But beware: If your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse. That’s a lesson learned the hard way by telemarketers, cigarette companies, and sleazy politicians.
But for the rest of us, it’s time to embrace the power of the story. As Godin writes, “Stories make it easier to understand the world. Stories are the only way we know to spread an idea. Marketers didn’t invent storytelling. They just perfected it.” less Joe GebbiaI remember something that [the author] says in there which I never forgot, which is to make something people want to talk about. (Source)
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8
You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice.
What do Starbucks and JetBlue and KrispyKreme and Apple and DutchBoy and Kensington and Zespri and Hard Candy have that you don't? How do they continue to confound critics and achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind former tried-and true brands to gasp their last?
Face it, the checklist of tired 'P's marketers have used for decades to get their product noticed -Pricing, Promotion, Publicity, to name a few-aren't working anymore. There's an exceptionally... more You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice.
What do Starbucks and JetBlue and KrispyKreme and Apple and DutchBoy and Kensington and Zespri and Hard Candy have that you don't? How do they continue to confound critics and achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind former tried-and true brands to gasp their last?
Face it, the checklist of tired 'P's marketers have used for decades to get their product noticed -Pricing, Promotion, Publicity, to name a few-aren't working anymore. There's an exceptionally important 'P' that has to be added to the list. It's Purple Cow.
Cows, after you've seen one, or two, or ten, are boring. A Purple Cow, though...now that would be something. Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat out unbelievable. Every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of boring stuff-a lot of brown cows-but you can bet they won't forget a Purple Cow. And it's not a marketing function that you can slap on to your product or service. Purple Cow is inherent. It's built right in, or it's not there. Period.
In Purple Cow, Seth Godin urges you to put a Purple Cow into everything you build, and everything you do, to create something truly noticeable. It's a manifesto for marketers who want to help create products that are worth marketing in the first place. less Joe GebbiaMake something that’s distinct enough that people want to talk about it. (Source)
Marvin LiaoMy list would be (besides the ones I mentioned in answer to the previous question) both business & Fiction/Sci-Fi and ones I personally found helpful to myself. The business books explain just exactly how business, work & investing are in reality & how to think properly & differentiate yourself. On the non-business side, a mix of History & classic fiction to understand people, philosophy to make... (Source)
Noah KaganA few months ago, I was drinking a Noah’s Mill whiskey (cute) with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life... During the conversation, we got on the topic of books that changed our lives. I want to share them with you. I judge a book's success if a year later I'm still using at least 1 thing from the book. (Source)
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