Walmart's CEO shares the 10 books that shaped his year

12 January 2025 at 03:27

Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon standing at CES 2024 — Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon read plenty of business books in the last year.
Ethan Miller/Getty

Doug McMillon, the CEO of Walmart, shared some insight into his reading habits.
His book list covers a wide range of interests — from managerial strategies to developments in tech.
Here are 10 books that McMillon read in the last year, and the one he said impacted him the most.

While their calendars are often chock-full of meetings, some CEOs still find the time to read for pleasure — or to dive deep into a particular topic. Business leaders have long shared their picks for books that helped inform their strategies, both personally and professionally.

Doug McMillon, Walmart's CEO, posted his usual end-of-year roundup, listing 10 of the books that shaped his 2024.

"It was most impactful reading Sam's book again," he said. "Every time I read it, I pick up new ideas and am reminded of why our culture is so successful."

This time, a few more titles on AI made the cut, with three recent books on the subject included in the list.

Here are the authors McMillon has been reading, with a brief summary of what each book has to offer.

"How to Know a Person" by David Brooks

The cover of David Brooks's "How to Know a Person," which features two rainbow-colored outlines of human heads, facing each other. — Penguin Random House/Amazon

David Brooks' 2023 "How to Know a Person" draws from the world of psychology to help readers better understand how to connect with those around them.

"Just the Good Stuff" by Jim VandeHei

The cover of Jim VandeHei's "Just the Good Stuff," which features a stylized cartoon of a man walking along an arrow in orange-red. — "Just the Good Stuff" was published in 2024.
Harmony/Amazon

This book, published last year, looks to offer a practical guide to achieving success in life and career by pulling from Axios and Politico cofounder Jim VandeHei's own experiences with journalism and entrepreneurship.

"Financial Literacy For All" by John Hope Bryant

The cover of John Hope Bryant's "Financial Literacy for All," which features a small, stylized image of a tree beneath the title in green, white, and dark grey. — "Financial Literacy For All" by John Hope Bryant was published in April 2024.
Wiley/Amazon

Bryant, who served on the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, aims to provide anyone looking to build strong financial foundations with an accessible guide to reaching their goals.

"Genesis" by Henry Kissinger, Craig Mundie, and Eric Schmidt

"Genesis," co-written by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, explores the potential benefits and repercussions that could result from the evolution of AI and debates how the technology could interact with humanity in the long-run.

"Co-Intelligence" by Ethan Mollick

The cover of Ethan Mollick's "Co-Intelligence," which features the title in black on white backgrounds, with a painting of a hand plucking a fruit across much of the page. — "Co-Intelligence" was published last year.
Portfolio/Amazon

"Co-Intelligence," authored by Wharton associate professor and co-director of AI labs, Ethan Mollick, encourages readers to engage with AI in a productive way — not by replacing human skill, but augmenting it. The book examines how people might be able to benefit from AI and learn to use it to their advantage.

"Competing in the Age of AI" by Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani

The cover of Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani's "Competing in the Age of AI," which features the title in white text on a black background, which is run through by a design of green circuitry. — "Competing in the Age of AI" was published in 2020.
Harvard Business Review Press/Amazon

In their artificial intelligence-focused book, Iansiti and Lakhani provide a framework for competing in the evolving age of AI by examining the structures of what they call "AI-centric organizations."

"How Stella Saved the Farm" by Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble

This book, published in 2010, is about a troubled farm threatened by bankruptcy and competition and serves as a parable to deliver a lesson on innovation.

"Collaborative Disruption" by Tom Muccio

The cover of Tom Muccio's "Collaborative Disruption," which features the title in white text on a black background, with red arrows converging in the middle of two blue rings. — The book was published in November 2024.
Epic Books/Amazon

"Collaborative Disruption: The Walmart and P&G Partnership That Changed Retail Forever" explores, from an insider's perspective, how the relationship between Walmart and Procter & Gamble profoundly affected the retail industry.

"The Wisdom of the Bullfrog" by Adm. William McRaven

The cover of Admiral William McRaven's "The Wisdom of the Bullfrog," which features the title in yellow text on a black background. — "The Wisdom of the Bullfrog" was published in 2023.
Grand Central Publishing/Amazon

"The Wisdom of the Bullfrog" draws from Adm. McRaven's extensive military career to impart the reader with fundamental lessons in leadership.

"Made in America" by Sam Walton with John Huey

The cover of Sam Walton's book, "Made in America," which features him pictured from the chest up, wearing a suit and Walmart baseball cap. — Sam Walton's autobiography was released in 1992.
Bantam/Amazon

Written by Walmart's founder, Sam Walton, "Made in America" was McMillon's most "impactful" read of the year, the CEO said.

Walton's autobiography, published in 1992, tells the story of Walmart's rise to become a retail giant.

McMillon said he gleans "new ideas" from every read.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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