Former Tesla President: Reading Books Is the Key to Career Success

Jon McNeill, former President of Tesla and ex-COO of Lyft, has worked alongside some of the most powerful figures in business. After years observing top performers up close, he has identified one habit that consistently separates the best from the rest — reading books.

“Reading is probably the single most important thing you can do,” McNeill told Fortune. He personally dedicates around 90 minutes every morning to reading, describing it as a daily ritual that keeps his mind sharp and his curiosity alive.

Billionaires Who Swear By Books

McNeill is not alone in this belief. Warren Buffett reportedly devotes up to 80% of his day to reading, while Elon Musk has long credited books as one of his greatest teachers. A 2025 JPMorgan survey of over 100 billionaires confirmed that reading is the single most common habit they share.

For McNeill, current reads include a book about the 1929 stock market crash and a Harvard Business School professor’s guide to scaling companies. He also recently published his own book examining Musk’s approach to building Tesla and SpaceX.

A Habit Young Professionals Are Abandoning

Despite its proven value, reading is declining sharply among younger generations. Americans aged 18 to 29 averaged just 5.8 books in 2025 — the lowest of any age group. Research from the University of Florida shows that daily pleasure reading in the U.S. has dropped nearly 40% over the past two decades, driven by busier schedules, financial stress, and reduced access to libraries.

McNeill views this trend as a missed opportunity, urging professionals to reclaim the habit before it costs them their competitive edge.