• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Techbest books

Bill Gates’ Must-Read Books for 2016

Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 5, 2016, 3:29 PM ET
Courtesy of GatesNotes.com

Bill Gates has always been a voracious reader, and he’s put out his own reading lists for quite some time. And now, drum roll please, he’s named his picks for his favorite books of 2016.

The Gene, Siddhartha Mukherjee

The list, includes four top choices and one honorable mention. Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Gene is on there. Mukherjee, who is as Gates notes a quadruple threat in that he’s a physician, teacher, and researcher who also just happens to have won a Pulitzer Prize for a previous book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.

In his newer work, Mukherjee takes the reader through the history, present, and future world of genome science, and doesn’t shy away from ethical issues, said Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight

Also on the list, Nike (NKE) co-founder Phil Knight’s memoir, Shoe Dog, which Gates found refreshingly honest—and not a how-to business book.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The Myth of the Strong Leader, by Archie Brown

Then there’s The Myth of the Strong Leader, by Archie Brown, an Oxford University scholar who studied political leadership for decades. Among his findings, per Gates, is that the leaders who’ve made the biggest impact on history are not those who were perceived to be strong, but rather those who “collaborate, delegate, and negotiate.”

String Theory, by David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace’s String Theory, a collection of essays about tennis also made the cut. Wallace, who died eight years ago at the age of 46, “found mind-blowing ways of bending language like a metal spoon,” Gates wrote.

For more on Bill Gates, watch:

The Grid, by Gretchen Bakke

And honorable mention goes to: The Grid, by Gretchen Bakke, which details the venerable (read: old) electrical grid that powers our world. Even if you don’t dwell on how your laptop charges, Gates thinks this book will make you realize that modernizing the grid is a critical priority for our age.

We’ve included affiliate links in this article. Click here to learn what those are.

About the Author
Barb Darrow
By Barb Darrow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Future of WorkElon Musk
Elon Musk says saving for retirement is irrelevant because AI is going to create a world of abundance: ‘It won’t matter’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJanuary 12, 2026
2 hours ago
vervet
LawAnimals
Monkeys are on the loose in St. Louis, and AI-generated jokes are just slowing down animal control’s primate chase
By Heather Hollingsworth and The Associated PressJanuary 12, 2026
5 hours ago
google
AIApple
‘Apple Intelligence,’ powered by Gemini, marks a ‘major validation moment for Google,’ top tech analyst says
By Michael Liedtke and The Associated PressJanuary 12, 2026
5 hours ago
grok
AISocial Media
Grok blocked in Malaysia and Indonesia as sexual deepfake scandal builds
By Eileen Ng, Edna Tarigan and The Associated PressJanuary 12, 2026
5 hours ago
AIunemployment
‘Godfather of AI’ says the technology will create massive unemployment and send profits soaring — ‘that is the capitalist system’
By Jason MaJanuary 12, 2026
6 hours ago
Cryptocftc
An anonymous Polymarket trader made $400,000 betting on Maduro’s downfall—and now Washington wants answers
By Leo SchwartzJanuary 12, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Sell America’: Investors dump U.S. assets in fear of the end of Fed independence
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 12, 2026
13 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
This CEO laid off nearly 80% of his staff because they refused to adopt AI fast enough. 2 years later, he says he'd do it again
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 11, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
A Supreme Court ruling that strikes down Trump's tariffs would be the fastest way to revive the stalling job market, top economist says
By Jason MaJanuary 11, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump may be raising your taxes with his tariffs but he could actually cut inflation with them, too, SF Fed says
By Jake AngeloJanuary 6, 2026
6 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
An exec at $62 billion giant Colgate says Gen Z workers, despite getting flak for being woke and lazy, are actually ‘pushing us to get better’
By Emma BurleighJanuary 10, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Treasury spent $276 billion in interest on the national debt in the final three months of 2025, says the CBO—up $30 billion from a year prior
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 12, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.