On Apple CEO Tim Cook’s list is a memoir by Nike founder Phil Knight, which Cook calls the “book of the century.” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pick was “The Last Days of Night,” a book that explores the legal feud between entrepreneurs Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over the monopolization of electricity in America. (Byers Market, NBC News)

Talking point: Zuckerberg’s choice is certainly poetic, as major tech companies like Facebook, Amazon and Google face increasing questions on monopolizing the market. Other choices are cautionary tales, like Snap CEO Evan Spiegel’s pick of “Mortal Republic” by Edward Watts, a look at the loss of freedoms during the fall of the Roman Empire and the warning signs it provides for present-day America; so, too, is the pick of “Surveillance Capitalism” by Shoshana Zuboff, chosen by Ari Emanuel, co-CEO of entertainment and media company William Morris Endeavor. Others are perhaps more hopeful, like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s choice of “The Moment of Lift” by Melinda Gates.