9 of the most successful people share their reading habits | Business Insider​​​​​​​ (2024)

FAQs

What is Elon Musk's reading habit? ›

Similarly, Musk's habit of reading began at a young age, with reports suggesting he spent up to ten hours a day immersed in books, even reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.

Mark Zuckerberg

In 2015, the Facebook CEO vowed to read one book every other week "with an emphasis on learning about different cultures, beliefs, histories and technologies," he wrote in a Facebook post.

Mike Slade, former director of marketing at Microsoft, reveals that Bill Gates doesn't read one book about something, he reads at least five books to arrive at a decisive insight about something. His phenomenal reading speed, along with his ability to synthesize fast, makes him a cut above the rest.

Mark Cuban is a billionaire and the owner of Dallas Mavericks. He spends about 3 hours reading every day and he attributed his early career success in life to reading. He will read just about anything that has to do with the industry he is in. He wants to learn more about the industry and become great in it.

Let's first answer the critical question — Elon Musk's IQ is around 155. For context, it is believed that Albert Einstein had an IQ between 160 to 165. As such, Elon is way more brilliant than the average person.

How many books does Elon Musk read a day? Elon Musk used to read two books a day, according to his brother. He probably reads much less now since SpaceX and other projects take up most of his time.

In fact, when asked how he learned to build rockets, he famously replied, “I read books.” And he proves it, because Musk's book recommendations are more than just titles; they're pathways that have shaped his groundbreaking endeavors.

Gates reads 50 books each year, and often takes a tote bag of books with him on vacation. “On vacation I get to read about 3 hours a day so I get through a lot of books,” Gates wrote during a 2021 Reddit AMA.

Buffett spends 80% of his day reading

Supposedly, in the early days of Buffett's investment career, he would read 600-1000 pages in a single day. Nowadays, he still dedicates 80% of his day to reading. “Read 500 pages… every day.

If you need proof for the question 'does reading make you smarter', here's some paramount evidence: reading can increase your IQ by up to 50 points if you do it for 30 minutes a day. The effect is even greater if you read 5 books in a month—this could increase your IQ by 30 points.

What does Warren Buffett say about reading? ›

Buffett's Advice: Read 500 Pages Per Day

“Read 500 pages like this every day. That's how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”

Bills Gates Isn't Alone

In fact, whenever someone asks him about how he learned to build rockets, he says, “I read books.” Similarly, America's most successful investor, Warren Buffett, used his book-reading habit to conquer the industry. He suggests reading 500 pages every day to build up knowledge.

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates are no exception. They've recommended many over the years, from biographies to sci-fi novels. Here are 30 books they say taught them a lot about business, leadership, and the forces shaping our world.

You know him as the founder of Facebook, but Mark Zuckerberg is also an avid reader.

Indeed, the Oracle of Omaha has said that he spends “five or six hours a day” reading books and newspapers. And while it may be difficult to set aside nearly a full work day's worth of hours to read, it recently got a little bit easier to consume information like Warren Buffett.

Musk was said to have developed a reading habit when he was 9 years old. He could read for approximately 10 hours a day, and with this, he was able to read the entire encyclopedia Britannica that would take someone months to finish in just a few days.

Elon Musk was raised by books. He often spent several hours a day reading science fiction because it was an opportunity to peer into humanity's future among the stars, per CNBC. “It's said he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica at age nine and would pore through science fiction novels for more than 10 hours a day.”

He has mentioned that he learned how to build rockets and electric cars by reading books. Musk's reading extends to subjects like physics, engineering, science fiction, and even philosophy. His extensive reading helps him think creatively and approach problems from various angles, contributing to his innovative ideas.

How did Elon Musk learn so much? He explained it once. He said you can learn a lot by reading books and talking to people. He's also said he thinks you can learn faster by reading books, since talking is an inefficient means of communication.