Successful people know they are what they read.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, for example, spends 80% of his day reading.

So what is the first source that highly influential people check when they wake up? We surveyed leaders across industries to find out more about their morning reading habits.

Alison Griswold and Max Nisen contributed to an earlier version of this article.

Warren Buffett starts his days with an assortment of national and local news.


The billionaire investor tells CNBC he reads the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the New York Times, USA Today, the Omaha World-Herald, and the American Banker in the mornings. That's a hefty list to get through.


Barack Obama reads the national papers, a blog or two, and some magazines.

The President of the United States told Rolling Stone he begins his day with the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. He's a devoted reader of the Times' columnists, and also likes Andrew Sullivan, the New Yorker, and The Atlantic.


Bill Gates reads the national papers and gets a daily news digest.

The Microsoft cofounder gets a daily news digest with a wide array of topics, and he gets alerts for stories on Berkshire Hathaway, where he sits on the board of directors. Gates also reads the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Economist cover-to-cover, according to an interview with Fox Business.


Jonah Peretti reads the business or sports section of the New York Times on his morning commute.

The Buzzfeed founder and CEO wakes up around 8:30 a.m. and heads into the office with the sports or business section of the New York Times, he tells The Wire. He also takes New York magazine. (Subscriptions to the New Yorker and Economist fell by the wayside after he had twins.)

Still, like many younger leaders, the principle way he discovers information is through Twitter and Facebook.