These are the 5 books that inspire Apple CEO Tim Cook

Tim Cook has shared the five books that inspire him during an interview with Future Nostalgia singer Dua Lipa.

On a special bonus podcast episode of Dua Lipa: At Your Service, the musician and host asked the 63-year-old Apple CEO if AI could end up posing an existential threat to humanity.

They also discussed Cook’s upbringing, his career at Apple and how he sees himself as a leader.

Lipa runs a monthly book club (known as the Service95 Book Club) so it was only right she ask Cook about the books that inspire him. These were his top picks…

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

The coming-of-age story Cook read as a student is about how a lawyer defends a black man who was falsely charged with the rape of a white girl.

Throughout Harper Lee’s classic novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961, the lawyer shares advice with his children navigating the issues of race and class in the Deep South of the Thirties.

But “it’s not just for young students, but for all of us”, said Cook.

2. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

“It’s meant to be a business book, but it’s a book on life. And I really like that, it’s great,” Cook said.

Both a memoir and self-help book, Nike’s founder Phil Knight unveils what goes on behind the scenes of trying to build an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation, and includes profound lessons about overcoming adversity and ultimately leaving your mark on the world.

Earlier this year, the film Air told the story of how Air Jordan came to be, including excerpts from the book. It starred Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker and Viola Davis, and brought a pivotal moment in the history of the sports brand to the screen.

3. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

When Breath Becomes Air is an autobiographical book which explores the meaning of life by young American neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and died whilst working on the book.

Kalanithi’s words resonated with so many people and spent 68 weeks on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list. This explains why Cook said: “It is phenomenal”.

4. I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

“I love Malala’s story and her passion around young girls’ education. The work she does is incredible,” said Cook.

I Am Malala, is an autobiography written by the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, about how she fought for her right to an education. She was shot in the head in October 2012 when the Taliban invaded her home town, Swat Valley in Pakistan, going on to become one of the world’s most prominent activists.

5. Biographies of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy

It’s obvious that Cook loves reading non-fiction, and picked out biographies about civil rights activists Martin Luther King as Bobby Kennedy as some of his favourites.