Goldman Sachs is one of Wall Street’s most prestigious names. The investment bank advises many of the world’s top corporate clients and investors on how to turn millions into billions and billions into trillions. They’re routinely ranked at the top of league tables, dispensing advice on more than $1 trillion worth of announced mergers in 2015 and drumming up more than 350,000 annual internship applications.
So where do the firm’s leaders turn to stay sharp and expand their own minds?
Business Insider has gathered recommendations for the articles, books, and podcasts that its CEO and nine other partners consumed over the past year. The partners are the firm’s top brass—the elite cadre of senior bankers and investment professionals who steer transactions with market-moving effects.
From stories of wartime heroics to a biography of Tesla founder Elon Musk, these are the insights they said made them a little bit smarter in 2025.
David Solomon
Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Article: “How to Thrive in the AI Era of Work” by Marco Argenti
Our Chief Information Officer, Marco Argenti, is one of the foremost thinkers on artificial intelligence, and his insights help us determine not only how we think about deploying the technology at the firm but also how our clients and the broader world should think about embracing AI.
In October, Marco published an article in Time that examined “How to Thrive in the AI Era of Work,” where he looked at the future of work through the lens of human judgment, purpose, and wisdom fueling collaboration with the technology in the new hybrid workforce. He advises us all to think like a manager, get creative, stay curious and current, be a systems thinker, and to make AI our competitive edge.
Anthony Gutman
Title: Co-CEO of Goldman Sachs International and global cohead of investment banking
Book: “All That Matters” by Chris Hoy
In his inspiring memoir, Sir Chris Hoy looks back at his remarkable career (winning 6 Olympic gold medals) and translates the lessons he learned from cycling into the challenges he faces today following a recent Stage 4 terminal cancer diagnosis.
He takes the difficulty of the situation and finds a way to develop a mindset that focuses on being present, dedicating time to family, and understanding how to make every moment count.
Kunal Shah
Title: Co-CEO of Goldman Sachs International and global cohead of FICC
Book: “Abundance” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
“Abundance” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson was recently recommended to me by one of Europe’s top policy makers.
Largely written from a center-left perspective but highly critical of progressive governance failures, it examines a variety of projects across the United States — arguing that excessive regulation and process have become obstacles to growth and affordability.
Jacqueline Arthur
Title: Global head of Human Capital Management
Book: “Hidden Potential” by Adam Grant
In “Hidden Potential,” Adam Grant explores the stories of an under-resourced chess team that rose to beat elite private schools, a UFC heavyweight that began training later than his peers and went on to become a champion, and numerous Olympians, professional athletes, and business leaders that were benched, cut, or failed first.
Career trajectories are often shaped less by raw talent and pedigree and more by character skills such as a growth mindset, comfort with discomfort, resiliency, and determination.
What stood out to me the most is Grant’s point that often these traits aren’t really “hidden,” but actually underdeveloped. This places a real responsibility on leaders and organizations to create environments that foster growth and encourage people to stretch, stumble, and learn.
Mahesh Saireddy
Title: Global cohead of the Capital Solutions Group within Global Banking & Markets
Book: “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson’s portrayal of Elon Musk is truly captivating. Musk reinforces the significance of leading from the front, demonstrating the same commitment and accountability that you expect from others.
His approach of cutting through layers and engaging in skip-level meetings also served as a reminder to ask sharper questions, connect with teams where the real work happens, and eliminate friction in decision-making.
Growing up, I was captivated by sci-fi series like “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and Isaac Asimov’s robot and galactic empire series, to name a few. Isaacson’s book illustrates how these same worlds fueled Musk’s obsession with multiplanetary life, AI, and bold engineering.
Kevin Sneader
Title: President of Asia Pacific Ex-Japan
Book: “Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang”
A standout for me this year was Dan Wang’s excellent book “Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future.” Wang paints a picture that resonates of China as an engineering state relentlessly pursuing megaprojects.
The outcome of these projects can be seen in the skyline of Shenzhen, a city 18 minutes from Hong Kong that embodies a city of the future — a far cry from the barren fields and broken infrastructure that existed when I first moved here 30 years ago.
Matt Gibson
Title: Head of the Client Solutions Group, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Book: “Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand
“Unbroken” is the story of Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic runner and military pilot who lived through 47 days at sea after his plane crashed in the Pacific, followed by years of brutal treatment as a prisoner of war.
His story is a clear demonstration of the strength of the human spirit and the ability of one individual to prevail through the worst circumstances imaginable.
Nicole Pullen Ross
Title: Region head of the Northeast Private Wealth Management business and head of PWM Sports and Entertainment Solutions
Book: “Matriarch” by Tina Knowles
In “Matriarch,” Tina Knowles offers far more than a family memoir.
Businesswomen will immediately recognize the parallels between Knowles’ approach to raising a family of high achievers and the demands of leading teams, cultivating talent, and navigating traditionally male-dominated spaces.
Knowles writes with candor, vulnerability, and a steadiness that resonates deeply with women who shoulder responsibility in multiple arenas.
Ling Pong
Title: Head of the North Asia region for Private Wealth Management and head of PWM Capital Markets, Equity Structuring and Managed Strategies in Asia Pacific
Podcast: “In Good Company” with Nicolai Tangen
Nicolai Tangen, a world‑class investor and leader, speaks with exceptional operators to show how capital, leadership, and strategy really work at scale. Across many brilliant episodes, three stand out for me: Stanley Druckenmiller, CATL founder Robin Zeng, and Trip.com’s Jane Sun.
Druckenmiller, one of the most successful macro traders of the past four decades, talks about concentrating capital when conviction is highest, cutting fast when the thesis breaks, and staying intellectually flexible even after big wins.
In the episode with Jane Sun, she articulates beautifully how true leadership means standing in front of and alongside her people over her long journey of scaling Trip.com.
Cutting her own salary to zero and fighting to save every job during the pandemic, opening doors for younger leaders, and still going home each night determined to be a loving, fully present mother all underscore how leadership is, at its core, a series of grounded, considered, personal sacrifices.
Brittany Boals Moeller
Title: Region head of Private Wealth Management in San Francisco
Podcasts: “20VC,” “The a16z Show,” and “No Priors”
Earlier this year, I moved to San Francisco to take on a new role at the firm.
I quickly found that one of the most informative and fastest ways to stay current was to find the right mix of podcasts that tackle the subjects that are resonating across the region. While I have too many to list, “The Twenty Minute VC (20VC),” “The a16z Show,” and “No Priors” with Elad Gil and Sarah Guo have all become can’t-miss listening for me.
Each one offers a unique, yet equally insightful perspective on the technological advancements and market trends that directly impact our clients’ strategies and wealth.
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