IoT Leaders Share Their Must‑Read Books

In a rapidly evolving IoT landscape, continuous learning is essential. We asked leading practitioners for their current reads and recommendations—both non‑fiction and fiction—to inspire fellow enthusiasts.

Markus Weinberger

Professor of the Internet of Things at Aalen University and former Director of the Bosch Internet of Things & Services Lab at the University of St. Gallen, Dr. Weinberger holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Technische Universität München. He highlights the economic and social shifts that shape our connected world.

Recommended reads:

The Zero Marginal Cost Society by Jeremy Rifkin – an exploration of how declining marginal costs are transforming both digital and physical markets, a phenomenon increasingly visible in the sharing economy.

Race Against the Machine by Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee – a foundational look at the labor market impacts of automation, still relevant for IoT’s digital transformation.

Rainer Kallenbach

Former Chairman of the Executive Board at Bosch Software Innovations GmbH (2014‑2017), Rainer steered business planning, portfolio strategy, and product development across the IoT ecosystem.

His childhood fascination with high‑tech toys fuels his passion for cutting‑edge technology. He cites Stanisław Lem’s Fables for Robots as a timeless source of inspiration for the autonomous systems that populate today’s trade fairs.

On the concept of a living ecosystem, he recommends Pictor’s Metamorphosis by Hermann Hesse, a narrative that frames paradise itself as a continually evolving system.

Tariq Hussain

Head of Strategic Partnerships at Zumtobel Group, Tariq focuses on IoT collaborations and customer engagement in lighting and digital services.

He champions a child‑centered approach to leadership and suggests Your Competent Child by Jesper Juul. The book’s emphasis on listening and partnership translates into a corporate culture that empowers young talent.

Florian Schmidt

IoT Consultant at Bosch, Florian brings over 15 years of experience from startups in New Zealand to high‑tech firms in Germany and the United States. He has led the Bosch IoT Cloud as System Architect.

Facing rapid expansion, his team adopted The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford. The novel’s DevOps framework unified developers, operators, and executives, dissolving silos and driving profitable IT transformation.

Felix Hieronymi

Vice President of Connected Mobility Solutions at Bosch since 2018, Felix has steered agile initiatives across digital enterprises.

His go‑to titles include Reinventing Organizations by Frédéric Laloux, which reexamines organizational structures for the digital age, and Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland, which demystifies iterative development.

Thomas Jakob

Managing the Asia‑Pacific region for Bosch.IO since 2012, Thomas advises high‑tech firms on strategy and governance.

He points to David Eggers’ dystopian novel The Circle, which examines the unchecked power of a global internet company, as a cautionary tale for IoT‑driven societies.

Joachim Heinz

Co‑founder of co‑shift and former executive at Bosch and Deutsche Telekom, Joachim advises companies on digital transformation and platform business.

He recommends Future Legends – Business in Hyper‑Dynamic Markets, a guide that equips leaders to navigate the volatile landscape of IoT‑based services and become “future legends.”