10 must-read business books from 2025

From boardrooms to startup garages, leaders need ideas that work in the real world. These 10 books offer a broader perspective on business, helping us see the patterns behind the day-to-day grind. Learn something new every day with “Book Bites,” 15-minute audio summaries of the latest and greatest nonfiction. Get started by downloading the Next Big Idea App today! Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously) By Bree Groff When we wish away the workweek, we wish away our lives. What would it take for us to look forward to Monday? Find out in this refreshing and unconventional take on the world of work. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Bree Groff, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon . Click: How to Make What People Want By Jake Knapp with John Zeratsky A guide for starting big projects the smart way—based on firsthand experience with more than three hundred new products and businesses. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jake Knapp, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon . Capitalism: A Global History By Sven Beckert A challenge to rethink the most important force shaping our lives—capitalism—by looking beyond Western narratives and embracing a truly global perspective, opening new ways to imagine our economic futures. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Sven Beckert, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon . 99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life By Adam Chandler An enlightening and entertaining interrogation of the myth of American self-reliance and the idea of hard work as destiny. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Adam Chandler, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon . Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away By David Gelles A New York Times reporter reveals how Patagonia became a global leader in doing well by doing good and how other companies are adopting its principles. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author David Gelles, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon . Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart By Nicholas Carr The great tragedy of communication is that the more we have, the more discord it sows. Despite generations of repeated hope that world peace awaits on the other side of faster, more frequent contact, the reality is that history and psychology tell a different story. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Nicholas Carr, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon . The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto By Benjamin Wallace Someone created Bitcoin…but no one actually knows who. In The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto , journalist Benjamin Wallace chronicles his attempt to unmask the figure behind the currency and the world it wrought. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Benjamin Wallace, in the Next Big Idea App or view on...

Preview: ~500 words