Notable Business Books for 2024

End-of-year award nominations and top-10 lists are popping up for all kinds of books. Here’s a sampling of noteworthy new business titles that have earned a place on one or more prominent “best books” lists.

Business Books in 2024

Growth: A History and a Reckoning by Daniel Susskind

This thought-provoking analysis by a leading economist of what may be the top economic issue today — the pursuit of economic growth, what drives or hinders it, and whether rising gross domestic product is sustainable — earned a spot on the twentieth annual Financial Times and Schroders Best Business Book of the Year shortlist.

Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race That Will Change the World by Parmy Olson

Another entry on FT and Schroders shortlist is the story of the battle for dominance between OpenAI and Google’s DeepMind and the bitter rivalry between CEOs Sam Altman and Demis Hassabis. Olson, an experienced tech writer at Bloomberg, warns of the potential spread of biased and imperfect technology into many fields and industries.

The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives by Ernest Scheyder

Scheyder, who has covered the energy industry for Reuters, the Associated Press, and others, offers a widely acclaimed analysis of the complex trade-offs involved in mining the crucial minerals needed to build “green” energy infrastructure. It’s on the FT and Schroders 2024 shortlist and longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction.

The Everything War by Dana Mattioli

Included on our 10 new books for summer list and widely lauded, “The Everything War” was longlisted for the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year 2024 but didn’t make the shortlist.

Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict by William Ury

McKinsey & Company’s annual book recommendations for 2024 include this new work by global mediator William Ury, co-founder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and co-author of “Getting to Yes,” the world’s bestselling book on negotiation. Admirers call it “a landmark” and “a master class in what is possible.”

Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, Alan Eagle

Another McKinsey recommendation is this bestselling tribute to “Coach Bill,” who mentored some of the brightest lights in tech and beyond, including Larry Page, Steve Jobs, and the authors. They demonstrate his guiding principles through stories of his work with successful entrepreneurs, from venture capitalists to football players.

The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out by Dana Maor, Hans-Werner Kaas, Kurt Strovink, Ramesh Srinivasan

It’s no surprise that this title is on McKinsey’s list, as all four authors are senior executives at the global management consulting firm. It’s also a recent bestseller. The authors share lessons from McKinsey’s signature leadership program, which has helped more than 500 CEOs transform personally and professionally.

In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work by Kyla Scanlon with a foreword by Morgan Housel

Scanlon, a popular internet personal finance guru, breaks down the “mad math and terrible terminology” of complex economic concepts in easily understandable terms, dispels outdated myths, and explains how money and markets really work. Published in May, the title made Kiplinger Personal Finance’s list of “12 Books That Taught Us About Finance” alongside several classics.

All You Can Eat Business Wisdom: A Monday Morning Radio Anthology of Actionable Advice by Maxwell Rotbart

The author combed through 10 years of interviews from the “Monday Morning Radio” podcast he co-hosts with his father, former Wall Street Journal reporter Dean Rotbart, to compile more than 100 practical tips from 21 business leaders. The book garnered a silver medal from the Nonfiction Authors Association and a coveted star rating from Kirkus Reviews, which describes it as “a business self-help book that’s actually helpful — and a good read, too.”