Do the people leading Bulgaria’s IT sector read? They do — and their book recommendations might surprise you.
In this literary experiment, I reached out to 15 prominent figures from Bulgaria’s tech ecosystem — developers, entrepreneurs, educators, innovators — and asked a simple question: What are your top three favorite books, and why would you recommend them?
Would their lists be packed with tech manuals, business classics, and self-help hits? The answers, at least to me, were refreshingly unexpected.
Petar Sabev - a software testing expert, event organizer, and traveler - shared a deeply personal and philosophical list:
Atanas(Nasko) Raykov, Global VP of Marketing and Business Development at Viber, offered a blend of classics and contemporary thought:
“It was hard to choose only three,” Atanas admits. “These books reflect not just the present moment, but the dilemmas technology poses for our shared future.”
Other contributors include:
Each list reflected something far deeper than a professional recommendation. They were windows into personal philosophies, internal struggles, and timeless questions.
Even ChatGPT had something to say (though technically, it’s read everything).
These aren't just book lists. They’re a reminder: In an industry built on speed, scale, and logic - the search for meaning still matters.
Even in the most technical circles, there’s space for soulfulness, reflection, and literature that challenges the way we think, feel, and build the future.
So, the next time you imagine an IT leader buried in lines of code, remember - they might just be reading Orwell, Weiner, or Frankl on their coffee break.
What would be on your list?
You can read the whole article, with the book recommendations of more Bulgarian IT leaders, auto-translated, here, and here – the original text in Bulgarian.
About the author – I published my first “newspaper” at six years old and have been telling stories ever since. After studying Journalism at Sofia University, I spent over a decade writing for 24 Chasa and Sписание 8, where I later became Deputy Editor-in-Chief. In 2016, I published my debut novel, And While the Rays Are Born, and have since continued exploring the ways technology shapes our lives — both as a journalist and as a JavaScript developer.
Over the years, my work has earned multiple Web Report Awards for tech journalism and recognition from the Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies. In 2023, I published my second book, 32 Digital Stories. When I’m not writing or coding, you’ll likely find me winning quizzes, editing books, or laughing with my two sons.
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