Book · 1998 · Philanthropists
Titan
The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
#174 of 16,874 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts
- mentions
- 25
- people
- 15
- podcasts
- 10
- episodes
- 19
- critical mentions
- 0
My favorite biography I've ever read in my life, everyone should read it, it's called Titan, it's about John D. Rockefeller.
What they say about it
- Calls it a favorite biography“one of my favorite biographies”3
- Describes it as long“it's like 800 pages”2
The best things said about it
A book that changed my life was Titan, which is the biography of John Rockefeller.
That's probably my most favorite business biography on John D. Rockefeller.
David Rubenstein My First Million · Sep 2026 There's one canonical biography of Rockefeller called Titan, it's like 800 pages, it's great.
Titan is a huge one. Titan is probably the one that's closest to like business advice.
Max Levchin The Tim Ferriss Show · Jun 2026 Chernow's Titan, incredible.
Ryan Holiday The Daily Stoic · Oct 2026 Where and when it comes up
How it comes up
15 people who brought it up
- Shaan Puri3 mentions · 2 recs
- Dax Shepard2 mentions · 2 recs
- Ben Gilbert1 mention · 1 rec
- David Rubenstein1 mention · 1 rec
- Eric Glyman1 mention · 1 rec
- Ryan Holiday1 mention · 1 rec
- David Rosenthal7 mentions
- Sam Parr2 mentions
David Friedberg1 mention- David Perell1 mention
- David Senra1 mention
- Lloyd Blankfein1 mention
Why people recommend it
Titan by Ron Chernow is a comprehensive biography detailing the life and monumental business career of industrialist John D. Rockefeller. Ryan Holiday recommended the work on The Daily Stoic, and Dax Shepard similarly praised it on The Tim Ferriss Show and on This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von, calling it the favorite biography he had ever read and noting that he frequently gifts it to others. David Rubenstein featured the book on My First Million as his absolute favorite business biography concerning John D. Rockefeller. On the same podcast, Shaan Puri recommended the biography twice, explaining how Rockefeller's early habits and tracking methods provided a transformative lesson on setting goals and managing personal progress. Eric Glyman also highlighted the book on My First Million while discussing historical banking families and business tycoons. Additionally, Ben Gilbert noted on Acquired that Chernow's definitive biography served as the primary source material for their episode on Standard Oil, cementing its reputation as an essential text for understanding the origins of modern American capitalism and corporate power.
Every mention
Shaan Puri Step number three in how to be miserable, don't set goals and certainly do not track progress. A book that… 3
Discussed
“He wrote Titan which is the story of John Rockefeller.”
Recommended
“Step number three in how to be miserable, don't set goals and certainly do not track progress. A book that changed my life was Titan, which is the biography of John Rockefeller.”
Recommended
“it's called Titan and it's about uh the biography of John Rockefeller John Rockefeller was a businessman in the late 1800s all the way to like 1930 or so”
Dax Shepard my favorite biography I've ever read in my life uh everyone should read it it's called Titan it's about Joh… 2
Recommended
“my favorite biography I've ever read in my life uh everyone should read it it's called Titan it's about John D Rockefeller”
Recommended
“Titan, the the Ron Chernow book about John D. Rockefeller.”
Ben Gilbert and also wrote titan the biography the definitive biography of john davis and rockefeller that is the main… 1
Recommended
“and also wrote titan the biography the definitive biography of john davis and rockefeller that is the main source for this episode”
David Rubenstein I also love um Titan. That's probably my most favorite uh business biography on John D. Rockefeller. 1
Recommended
“I also love um Titan. That's probably my most favorite uh business biography on John D. Rockefeller.”
Eric Glyman And one of my favorite biographies is Titan by John Rock or about John Rockefeller. 1
Recommended
“And one of my favorite biographies is Titan by John Rock or about John Rockefeller.”
Ryan Holiday Chernow's Titan, incredible. 1
Recommended
“Chernow's Titan, incredible.”
David Rosenthal chernow writes that uh frick summed up the situation best after the election with quote we bought the son o… 7
Discussed
“so as turnout writes in titan about this quote the 1892 overhaul was mostly shadow play a charade to appease the courts”
Discussed
“i think you know chernow writes about this like he kind of doesn't have anything left to prove at this point”
Discussed
“from the perspective of nearly a century later ida tarbell's series remains the most impressive thing ever written about standard oil”
Discussed
“chernow writes that uh frick summed up the situation best after the election with quote we bought the son of a but he wouldn't stay bought”
Discussed
“this was literally the luckiest stroke of rockefeller's career”
Discussed
“while the old guard at 26 broadway mourned the trust's passage some young turks at the operating companies were overjoyed”
Discussed
“so this is in chernow's book rockefeller has a bit of his father in him”
Sam Parr oh no he wrote the the play yeah he wrote Titan he wrote Titan or what's this guy Carl Robert Carl Robert C… 2
Discussed
“oh no he wrote the the play yeah he wrote Titan he wrote Titan or what's this guy Carl Robert Carl Robert Carol car”
Discussed
“I read the Titan by John Rockefeller and he was the richest person in the world”
David Friedberg but then um i started reading ron chernow's um biography of uh oh yes rockefeller and so i don't know if an… 1
Discussed
“but then um i started reading ron chernow's um biography of uh oh yes rockefeller and so i don't know if anyone's made it through that 727 page two i got about 500 pages in”
David Perell Like, I don't want to pick up Titan, read about John D. Rockefeller's tie when he's 11 years old. 1
Discussed
“Like, I don't want to pick up Titan, read about John D. Rockefeller's tie when he's 11 years old.”
David Senra there's there's one canonical biography of Rockefeller called Titan it's like 800 Pages it's great 1
Discussed
“there's there's one canonical biography of Rockefeller called Titan it's like 800 Pages it's great”
Lloyd Blankfein For me it was Titan and I know you did a thing with Ron Cherno. Actually I read Titan. I didn't love it tha… 1
Discussed
“For me it was Titan and I know you did a thing with Ron Cherno. Actually I read Titan. I didn't love it that as much as that. I mean, you know, the rock obviously about Rockefeller.”
Max Levchin Titan is a huge one. Titan is probably the one that's closest to like business advice. 1
Discussed
“Titan is a huge one. Titan is probably the one that's closest to like business advice.”
Travis Kalanick I read u I think it was a churnout biography Titan yes okay there's actually a better one I'm going to send… 1
Discussed
“I read u I think it was a churnout biography Titan yes okay there's actually a better one I'm going to send you and what it is is this book from 1970 by David Freeman Hawk it's called Rockefeller the founding father John D the founding father of Rockefellers Titan is 800 pages”
Vishen Lakhiani Now one of the most beautiful things I read was in the book Titan. It's the biography of John D. Rockefeller. 1
Discussed
“Now one of the most beautiful things I read was in the book Titan. It's the biography of John D. Rockefeller.”
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“He is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of several other major biographies including Washington a life, Grant about the president and civil war general Ulissiz Srant and Titan the life of John D. Rockefeller senior.”
Passing
“ron chernow ron chernow is a great author he's he wrote titan he wrote house of morgan”