Bill Gates' annual book list is here: Five books to help you understand institutions, power, and human nature

2025-12-06 05:25:48

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Bill Gates Announces 2025 Holiday Book List: Five Books Focus on Infrastructure, Climate, Media Transformation, and Human Connection, Offering Readers Frameworks for Thought.

(Previous context: Bill Gates announces plan to donate 99% of his wealth within 20 years, $200 billion charity fund dedicated to solving three major problems) (Background: Bank of America 2026 Top 10 Predictions: Ongoing AI Boom, China/US Economy Exceeds Expectations)

With less than a month left in 2025, Bill Gates has, as usual, released his holiday book list on his personal blog GatesNotes. This time, he picked five works covering infrastructure, climate action, media transformation, group psychology, and healing fiction.

Focus on Infrastructure and Climate: Two “Practical Guides” First is “Abundance,” co-authored by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, which directly addresses the deadlock in America’s “permit culture” that makes it hard to get projects started. The book breaks down the institutional factors causing bottlenecks in housing, energy, and chip plant construction. For market participants interested in infrastructure stocks, it explains the phenomenon of “funding in place but projects can’t start.” Gates places this book at the top of his list, highlighting his concern about America’s stagnating productivity.

Another title, “Clearing the Air” by Hannah Ritchie, also takes a data-driven approach but focuses on climate. The author uses charts to examine paths like nuclear power and grid modernization, arguing that “progress in decarbonization can be measured.” As the world seeks pragmatic solutions for energy transition, this book provides a quantitative foundation for policymakers and businesses to have informed discussions.

Power and Consensus: Media Giants and Game Theory Perspectives Next is “Who Knew: My Story,” a memoir by Fox Broadcasting founder Barry Diller, chronicling his management experience across both TV’s golden age and the rise of streaming. For readers watching how generative AI is reshaping content industries, Diller’s business model pivots during the last tech shakeup offer relevant historical reference.

Steven Pinker’s “When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows” analyzes the effects of “common knowledge” through game theory. Whether it’s wild price swings in crypto or herd behavior in the stock market, the book shows how the psychological layer of “I know you know I know” can trigger chain reactions. Gates includes this book to remind readers to discern collective sentiment amid the decentralized flood of information.

The Warmth of Fiction The final book is Shelby Van Pelt’s “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” the only work of fiction on the list. It tells the story of a widowed cleaning lady who forms an unlikely friendship with a highly intelligent octopus. By including this book alongside data and institutional discussions, Gates suggests that in an era of aging populations and rising loneliness, emotional connection remains a crucial anchor against nihilism.

As average lifespans increase, many face years, even decades, of life after retirement. It sounds like a luxury, but it’s also a long period that needs to be filled. With the fading of “third places” like churches and libraries, it’s becoming harder for people to form the social connections that make life meaningful.

Falling family birth rates also mean fewer people can rediscover life’s purpose by becoming grandparents. While part-time work helps provide meaning, not everyone can handle it.

…For many, transitioning from a lifetime of work to retirement is a difficult adjustment. So, how can we help the elderly find purpose? And if technological advances mean everyone will have less work in the future, how should we prepare for that world?

Gates weaves together these five books into a three-step framework: “Understanding Systems — Practical Action — Maintaining Empathy,” and recommends them to readers.