- On Tuesday, Bill Gates published his annual list of his favorite books of the year.
- His top reads of 2024 include an autobiography and a book by the head of Microsoft AI.
- Here are his top books of the year — and his bonus recommendation for tennis fans.
Bill Gates has released his yearly roster of book recommendations as 2024 comes to a close.
The Microsoft cofounder published a list Tuesday of his favorite books of the year.
“All four are, in one way or another, about making sense of the world around you,” he wrote in his blog post. “This wasn’t an intentional theme, but I wasn’t surprised to see it emerge: It’s natural to try and wrap your head around things during times of rapid change, like we’re living through now.”
Here are his top book picks of the year:
“An Unfinished Love Story” by Doris Kearns Goodwin
This autobiography from historian Doris Kearns Goodwin centers on her life with her late husband, Richard N. Goodwin, who was an advisor and speechwriter to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
“Doris is such a talented writer that the chapters about her love story are just as engaging and enlightening as the chapters about the Kennedy assassination and the Vietnam War,” Gates said of the book.
“The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues in his book that smartphones and social media are changing how children grow up and contributing to mental health issues in adolescents.
“It made me reflect on how much of my younger years—which were often spent running around outside without parental supervision, sometimes getting into trouble—helped shape who I am today,” Gates said of the book. “Haidt explains how the shift from play-based childhoods to phone-based childhoods is transforming how kids develop and process emotions.”
“Engineering in Plain Sight” by Grady Hillhouse
This book from civil engineer Grady Hillhouse offers an illustrated field guide to the modern constructed world.
“Hillhouse takes all of the mysterious structures we see every day, from cable boxes to transformers to cell phone towers, and explains what they are and how they work,” Gates wrote in his blog post. “It’s the kind of read that will reward your curiosity and answer questions you didn’t even know you had.”
“The Coming Wave” by Mustafa Suleyman
Suleyman cofounded AI firms Inflection AI and DeepMind, which was acquired by Google. He now heads Microsoft’s AI division. His book focuses on future opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence as well as other scientific breakthroughs, including gene editing.
Gates said of the book: “If you want to understand the rise of AI, this is the best book to read.”
“Federer” by Doris Henkel
Gates’ bonus book pick is a visual biography of tennis player Roger Federer by sports writer Doris Henkel. It features never-before-published photos of the sports icon.
“I thought I knew pretty much everything about Roger’s history with tennis, but I learned a ton, especially about his early years,” Gates said.
- On Tuesday, Bill Gates published his annual list of his favorite books of the year.
- His top reads of 2024 include an autobiography and a book by the head of Microsoft AI.
- Here are his top books of the year — and his bonus recommendation for tennis fans.
Bill Gates has released his yearly roster of book recommendations as 2024 comes to a close.
The Microsoft cofounder published a list Tuesday of his favorite books of the year.
“All four are, in one way or another, about making sense of the world around you,” he wrote in his blog post. “This wasn’t an intentional theme, but I wasn’t surprised to see it emerge: It’s natural to try and wrap your head around things during times of rapid change, like we’re living through now.”
Here are his top book picks of the year:
“An Unfinished Love Story” by Doris Kearns Goodwin
This autobiography from historian Doris Kearns Goodwin centers on her life with her late husband, Richard N. Goodwin, who was an advisor and speechwriter to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
“Doris is such a talented writer that the chapters about her love story are just as engaging and enlightening as the chapters about the Kennedy assassination and the Vietnam War,” Gates said of the book.
“The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt
Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues in his book that smartphones and social media are changing how children grow up and contributing to mental health issues in adolescents.
“It made me reflect on how much of my younger years—which were often spent running around outside without parental supervision, sometimes getting into trouble—helped shape who I am today,” Gates said of the book. “Haidt explains how the shift from play-based childhoods to phone-based childhoods is transforming how kids develop and process emotions.”
“Engineering in Plain Sight” by Grady Hillhouse
This book from civil engineer Grady Hillhouse offers an illustrated field guide to the modern constructed world.
“Hillhouse takes all of the mysterious structures we see every day, from cable boxes to transformers to cell phone towers, and explains what they are and how they work,” Gates wrote in his blog post. “It’s the kind of read that will reward your curiosity and answer questions you didn’t even know you had.”
“The Coming Wave” by Mustafa Suleyman
Suleyman cofounded AI firms Inflection AI and DeepMind, which was acquired by Google. He now heads Microsoft’s AI division. His book focuses on future opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence as well as other scientific breakthroughs, including gene editing.
Gates said of the book: “If you want to understand the rise of AI, this is the best book to read.”
“Federer” by Doris Henkel
Gates’ bonus book pick is a visual biography of tennis player Roger Federer by sports writer Doris Henkel. It features never-before-published photos of the sports icon.
“I thought I knew pretty much everything about Roger’s history with tennis, but I learned a ton, especially about his early years,” Gates said.
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